(Minghui.org) Two residents of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, are set to stand trial on November 22, 2024, for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Ms. Wang Wei

Ms. Zhao Xilan

Ms. Wang Wei, 67, and Ms. Zhao Xilan, 65, were both arrested on July 12, 2024, by officers from the Sujiatun District Domestic Security Division and the Jiefang Police Station. Their arrests stemmed from an incident in 2020 when they were briefly detained for distributing Falun Gong materials but later were released on bail. See the related report for details of Ms. Wang’s latest arrest. The police claimed that they were working to close the 2020 cases.

Prosecutor He Mengyao of the Hunnan District Procuratorate issued formal arrest warrants for Ms. Wang and Ms. Zhao in September 2024. She indicted the two practitioners not long afterwards and forwarded their cases to the Hunnan District Court on October 21.

Ms. Wang’s family made an inquiry on October 25 and learned that judge Hao Xiaoli had been assigned to the case. They contacted Hao on October 28 but she claimed that she had not received the cases. The very next day, however, she told the family that she set a court date for November 8, leaving very little time for the defense lawyer to prepare materials.

Ms. Wang’s lawyer submitted three documents to judge Hao, including a request to copy the key case information, a request to release his client on bail, and a request to exclude evidence illegally gathered by the police.

Regarding the bail request, Ms. Wang’s lawyer pointed out that she was found to have stroke symptoms and hypertension after her latest arrest but the police refused to release her, resulting in her having a fainting episode while she was in custody.

Hao rejected the request and also ignored a fourth request that the lawyer later submitted, namely, to host a pre-trial hearing. For some unknown reason, Hao notified the lawyer on November 6 that she rescheduled the hearing for November 22.

Ms. Zhao’s family did not hire a lawyer for her and she agreed to use a court-appointed lawyer. Ms. Zhao and Ms. Wang are currently held at the Shenyang City First Detention Center.

Related Report:

67-Year-Old Liaoning Woman Faces Indictment for Her Faith, Remains Detained Despite Fainting Episode