Illegal Sentence of Ms. Wu Congmei Appealed to Higher Court

(Minghui.org) The illegal trial of 70-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner Ms. Wu Congmei was held on November 17, 2012 at the Huili County Court in Sichuan Province. Her defense lawyer argued that the trial, based on existing Chinese law, was illegal and that the accusations against Ms. Wu also were without merit. However, the court didn't accept the arguments and sentenced Ms. Wu to a three year prison term on December 7, 2012. Ms. Wu has filed an appeal.

At noon on May 29, 2012, Ms. Wu Congmei was babysitting her two grandsons when police officers Wang Zifa and Zhuang Mingqing from the Huili County Domestic Security Team broke into her home and arrested her. During the arrest, the police gagged her and cuffed her hands behind her back. Ms. Wu went on a more than 40-day hunger strike at the detention center. She became emaciated and was skin and bones.

The police from the Huili County Domestic Security Team, the procuratorate and the court offered fabricated documents to try to prove her guilt. Ms. Wu's husband hired a lawyer from Beijing to defend her and asked him to plead not guilty.

The lawyer asked the Huili County Court to inspect the documents in the case. Presiding judge Qiu Yun of the first criminal court said, “We were told by the vice director of the court that you will not be shown the court documents.” The lawyer responded, “What you are proposing is an egregious violation of the law.” The lawyer then filed a complaint with the Huili County procuratorate against the court, because it was undermining his ability to defend his client.

On November 16, 2012, the day before the hearing, the defense lawyer attempted again to see the court documents file at the Huili County Court, but was unsuccessful.

During the trial on November 17, 2012, the defense lawyer offered a long list of illegal actions by the presiding judge and requested that the judge be removed from the bench. The court was adjourned twice debating the request.

The defense lawyer argued that Ms. Wu's belief and practice of Falun Dafa was legal and it was legal for her to distribute Falun Dafa materials in public. The lawyer also said that it was without merit for the prosecutor to bring charges against Ms. Wu under the 300 ^th item of the criminal law “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the national laws and regulations.” In the end, the defense lawyer said, “If the court convicts innocent people knowing they are innocent, that will be a crime in itself.” The lawyer asked the court to release Ms. Wu Congmei.

In spite of the defense, Qiu Yun convicted Ms. Wu and sentenced her to a three year prison term on December 7, 2012. Ms. Wu has filed an appeal and hired another lawyer.

Main perpetrators from the Huili County Court: Yang Lupo, Court Director; Yang Zhirong, Vice Director; Qiu Yun, Presiding Judge.

Huili County Court Court Office: [phone] (day), [phone] (night) Yang Lupo, Director, [phone], [phone] Yang Zhirong, Vice Director in charge of the first criminal court, [phone], [phone] Qiu Yun, Presiding Judge of the first criminal court Chen Yongheng, Vice Director, [phone], [phone] Yu Xiang, political division head, [phone], [phone] Deng Linshun, executive division head, [phone], [phone] Dang Zhengyong, Vice Director of the administration office, [phone], [phone]