(Minghui.org) Two Xinyang City, Henan Province residents have had their appeal cases for practicing Falun Gong heard by the higher court.
The Xinyang City Intermediate Court held the hearing at the Xinyang City No.1 Detention Center on April 26, 2022. Ms. Bai Yuzhen and Ms. Jin Yuling’s family defenders entered a not guilty plea for them.
They pointed out that the prosecutor failed to present any evidence to support the charge against the women for “undermining law enforcement,” which has become the standard pretext used by the authorities to criminalize Falun Gong practitioners since the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution in 1999.
In another piece of evidence submitted by the police, one could only see two women walking in a mall wearing masks and hats, but couldn’t confirm whether they were Ms. Bai and Ms. Jin. The two women’s families demanded the judge of the higher court uphold justice and acquit them.
Ms. Bai, 80, and Ms. Jin, a 60-year-old former school accountant, were arrested at Ms. Bai’s home on June 22, 2021. After nearly a year of detention, both Ms. Bai and Ms. Jin have lost a significant amount of weight. Ms. Bai’s hearing also declined and Ms. Jin suffers generalized pain.
When they were tried by the Huangchuan County Court at the detention center on December 14, 2021, Ms. Bai staggered while walking into the makeshift courtroom. The judge kept both of them handcuffed throughout the hearing.
The judge announced the practitioners’ verdicts on January 11, 2022. Ms. Jin was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison with an 8,000 yuan fine. Ms. Bai was given 3 years with a 5,000 yuan fine.
Perpetrators’ contact information:
Zhu Hong (朱虹), judge of Xinyang City Intermediate Court: +86-13937680068, +86-376-6670816Jin Lei (金磊), judge’s assistant: +86-15236711988, +86-376-6670814Zhang Xinzhong (张新中), president of Xinyang City Intermediate Court
(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)
Two Henan Women, 60 and 80, Sentenced to Prison for Practicing Falun Gong