(Minghui.org) Ms. Yang Huanping, 53, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, has filed an appeal because of fabricated evidence used to sentence her for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual belief system being persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime.
She did not admit to any wrongdoing during the police interrogation, but the verdict read that she confessed to self-incriminating evidence. Her lawyer pleaded not-guilty on her behalf, yet the verdict claimed that she was given a lighter sentence (7 years) because of her guilty plea.
Ms. Yang was arrested at home on November 15, 2013. She was in poor health, so no detention center would accept her. Therefore, the police had to let her go home on bail.
The Qiaoxi District Procuratorate approved her arrest in March 2014, and she was tried six months later.
The Qiaoxi District Court called Ms. Yang one year later and asked her to appear in court to sign a document. However, police arrested her upon arrival at the court on September 14, 2015. The police's attempt to detain her failed because she did not pass the physical check up at the detention center. The court announced her 7-year sentence on September 28. She filed an appeal with the Shijiazhuang City Intermediate Court on October 1.
Ms. Yang was arrested three times in 2000, 2001 and 2002. She was released shortly after the first two arrests, but was fined 3,000 yuan. When she was arrested a third time in December 2002, she was detained for 76 days. To escape from the police harassment, she became homeless for three months in 2004.
Ms. Yang started to practice Falun Gong before 1999 and benefited greatly. She became healthy and her temperament improved drastically.