The judge made harsh sentence against Falun Gong practitioners with no defendants showing up in the court. He claimed, "There is no need for a hearing."
Four Falun Gong Practitioners from Zhaoyuan City Heavily Sentenced Without a Trial
Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Zhang Shuchun, Ms. Wang Haohong, Mr. Li Yongjie and Mr. Peng Yuekuan from Zhaoyuan City, Shandong Province, were arrested and then heavily sentenced by the City Court. As of November 9, 2009, they have been held for five and a half months. Ms. Zhang Shuchun was sentenced to seven and a half years, Ms. Wang Haohong seven years, and Mr. Li Yongjie five years, while the sentence of Mr. Peng Yuekuan is unknown.
On November 9, a so-called trial was held, while in fact there was nothing legal about the proceedings. The only ones present in the courtroom were Wang Haitao, the vice presiding judge, and a staff. The only ones in the audience were five of the defendants' relatives. After Wang Haitao arrived in the court room, he and his staff member hastily wrote down something. When they were done writing, Wang Haitao announced the judgments to the defendants' relatives. The relatives were very angry and asked him, "How can you make such sentences without an hearing?"
Wang Haitao replied, "There is no need for a hearing."
The mothers of Zhang Shuchun and Wang Haohong, are both almost 80 years old. Because they did not want to miss their daughters' court hearing, the two elderly mothers waited for seven days and nights outside near the detention station where Ms. Zhang and Ms. Wang were in custody. During that time a cold front came through and the temperature dropped significantly. At night, they slept on corn stalks near the detention station. However, they could not to see their daughters in the court, but only hear the harsh sentences.
Ms. Zhang Shuchun, Ms. Wang Haohong, Mr. Li Yongjie and Mr. Peng Yuekuan were brutally arrested in Xingbei Village, Xiadian Town in May 2009. The arrest was reported by the Clearwisdom website. They have been held in Zhaoyuan City Detention Station for five and a half months. Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Wang Renqing and Mr. Wang Lianglin were also arrested at the same time. They are still detained and suffering persecution in the notorious Ling Nan Jin Brainwashing Center.
Ms. Zhang Shuchun, Ms. Wang Haohong, Mr. Li Yongjie, and Mr. Peng Yuekuan have been suffering severe persecution from the Chinese Communist Party during the past decade. This persecution has been reported by the Clearwisdom website on many occasions. Ms. Zhang Shuchun, Ms. Wang Haohong and Mr. Li Yongjie were forcibly displaced for many years. Mr. Peng Yuekuan has previously been sentenced to five years. He has been arrested again, just less than a year just after he finished serving five years in jail.