(Clearwisdom.net) On October 27, 2008, nine practitioners and two non-practitioners, including Ms. Zhong Fangqiong and two family members from Chengdu City, were illegally sentenced by the Wuhou District Court. Eleven practitioners and their relatives have filed an appeal with the Chengdu City Middle Court and organized seven attorneys to assist them in overturning the verdict.
On October 27, 2008, during the Wuhou Court trial, it was brought to light that Ms. Zhong and other practitioners were tortured with extended periods of sleep derivation. On five separate occasions, the guards beat Ms. Zhong to the point where she lost consciousness. One time she was beaten so badly that it was hard to recognize her.
Before being arrested, Mr. Zhu Renbin was young and healthy. After being tortured, he developed several ailments and now has difficulty walking. Mr. Ding Zeyang, a professor at Sichuan University, in his 60s, was tortured to the point where he developed several diseases which required hospitalization.
Several attorneys in the area who heard about the case wanted to get involved. To date, seven attorneys have collectively petitioned the Chengdu City Middle Court to make the second trial open to the public and to seek a verdict of 'not guilty' for the eleven sentenced people.
All eleven practitioners and their relatives who had helped to organize the appeal are being harassed and threatened by the Sichuan Province Police Department and the 610 Office, which are both overseen by the Provincial and City Committee.
The personnel involved in the second court trial include:
Lin Qiao, chief judge
Qiu Jing and Huang Wen, assistants to the chief judge
Liu Huaiyuan and Zhang Yuanze, court secretaries
Chengdu City Middle Court address: 109 Fuqin West Road, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China 610031
