(Minghui.org) At her second trial, Ms. Du Qingxiu, a Falun Gong practitioner from Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, appealed a six-year prison sentence handed down by the Lingyuan City Court. The trial was held in Chaoyang City Intermediate Court on July 11, 2013. At the hearing, Ms. Du asked to be acquitted, because it was not against the law for her to tell people the truth about Falun Gong.
Ms. Du taught English at Linggang Middle School. She sent text messages on her cellphone to tell people about Falun Gong. The Domestic Security Divisions in Chaoyang City and Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province tracked her through her cellphone and arrested her last year on October 30.
Lingyuan City Court tried her on April 12, 2013. Ms. Du's attorney entered an innocent plea for her and presented a strong defense. However, the court issued a guilty verdict three days later with a six-year sentence, more than the four-to-five years proposed by the prosecutor. Ms. Du appealed the sentence.
The second trial was held in Chaoyang West Dayingzi Court at 2 p.m. on July 11. Ms. Du's two attorneys pled innocent for her. During the proceedings, Ms. Du said she should not be charged for believing in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She sent text messages to the law enforcement officers so that they would understand the real situation and stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. She requested an acquittal.
The prosecutor did not present any new evidence, and Ms. Du's attorneys pointed out that the evidence presented in the first trial was not valid, because it was not authenticated by an organization with a Judicial Authentication license or someone with a Judicial Authenticator's Practice License. By law, all audio-visual information evidence must be authenticated by licensed organizations and individuals.
The attorneys also pointed out that the prosecutor failed to present any evidence that the law was violated, let alone evidence of the damages suffered by those who received Ms. Du's text messages. The attorneys also presented four new pieces of evidence showing how the prosecutors made up false charges, violated the Constitution, and abused human rights.
Regarding the prosecutor's argument that Falun Gong was a "superstitious cult" because the practitioners promoted Falun Gong with audio-visual materials, Ms. Du's attorneys repeatedly stated that the so-called “illegal organization” as defined by the Ministry of Civil Affairs was not a cult. They pointed out that such an argument could not be the legal basis to charge Falun Gong practitioners since Falun Gong had no form of organization.
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Mr. Liu Zhifu and Other Falun Dafa Practitioners Tortured in Liaoning Province
