(Minghui.org) Mr. Xin Tingchao was illegally sentenced to three years in prison for handing out a dance performance DVD to a stranger. The sentence was issued on December 18, 2013, in Beijing. Mr. Xin said that he will appeal to a higher court.
According to the judge, the sentence was based on Article 300 of the criminal law—“using a heretical organization to undermine the implementation of law.” However, no law in China defines Falun Gong as “a heretical organization.” Therefore, applying Article 300 to Falun Gong practitioners is not valid.
Court Forbids Defense Attorneys to Defend Their Client
Mr. Xin, from Laishui County, Hebei Province, went to Beijing to work. He was reported to the police and subsequently arrested for giving an elderly lady a Shen Yun Performing Arts DVD on June 14, 2013.
Mr. Xin was tried at the Chaoyang District Court on December 2. Two defense lawyers entered a not-guilty plea for Mr. Xin.
The second hearing was held at the Wenyuhe Court in Chaoyang District on December 18. Mr. Xin was taken to the court by a bailiff. His hands were handcuffed and his legs were shackled.
The court forbade the two defense attorneys to defend Mr. Xin. The lawyers' request to meet with Mr. Xin before the hearing was also rejected. Therefore, they did not attend the hearing.
Mr. Xin's wife was also unable to attend the hearing, as she was monitored and threatened by police. Only Mr. Xin's daughter was allowed to attend.
The judge did not allow Mr. Xin or his family to speak in his defense. When he announced the verdict, Mr. Xin's daughter cried.
Family and Friends Not Allowed to Attend the Hearing
Over a dozen of Mr. Xin's family and friends traveled from their hometown to Beijing on December 2, 2013, and planned to attend the first trial. However, the court did not allow them to attend. Only Mr. Xin's wife, daughter, and sister were allowed in. The police detained Mr. Xin's family and friends for an hour after the trial.
Prior to the December 18 hearing, the Laishui County government held a meeting announcing that nobody is to be admitted to Mr. Xin's trial. Personnel from the lower levels of government, villages, and police stations attended the meeting.
Some village cadres announced on the village broadcasting radio: “There have been some Falun Gong activities recently. Nobody is allowed to go to Beijing. If you do, you will be arrested and not be able to go home.” Some village cadres directly ordered local Falun Gong practitioners not to go to Beijing.
A village cadre came to Mr. Xin's home one day before the trial. He told Mr. Xin's daughter: “Tell your mom not to go to Beijing. If she does, she will be arrested.”
Villagers' Voices Suppressed
Over 2,800 people from Mr. Xin's hometown signed a petition calling for his release. His fellow villagers speak of him as honest and trustworthy.
Dongnanzu Village Committee wrote a letter to certify that Mr. Xin is a good person and asked the Chaoyang Police Department in Beijing to release him. They stamped the petition with the official village stamp.
The Laishui County Police Department then pressured the village cadres to have all villagers sign a document renouncing their signatures on the petition.
Earlier reports: Over One Thousand Sign Petition to Rescue Falun Gong Practitioner Xin Tingchao Mr. Xin Tingchao Detained in Beijing for Over Two Months Mr. Xin Tingchao Arrested in Beijing for Distributing Shen Yun Performing Arts DVDs
