(Minghui.org) A 58-year-old woman in Xingtai City, Hebei Province was admitted to Division 14 of the Hebei Province Women’s Prison on February 19, 2025 to serve a four-year term for practicing Falun Gong.
Ms. Hu Hui was arrested at her mother-in-law’s home in Nangong City in the same province on July 17, 2023, less than one year after she finished serving another two-year term for her faith. She was sentenced to four years on October 15, 2024 and had her appeal denied one month later on November 14.
Appeals Court’s Secret Ruling
Ms. Hu’s trial lawyer visited her on October 24, 2024 and learned that she filed an appeal with the Xingtai City Intermediate Court.
On November 13, Ms. Hu rehired her trial lawyer to represent her in the appeals case. Her family mailed the Power of Attorney to Wang Jiapei, the judge overseeing the appeals case, after Wang repeatedly denied their requests for a meeting to submit the paperwork in person.
Ms. Hu’s family went to the intermediate court on November 22, after the trial court notified them on the phone that the appeals court had issued a ruling.
The intermediate court had kiosks in its lobby for people to search its online database, but Ms. Hu’s family was unable to find any updates concerning her case. When Judge Wang happened to pass through the lobby, the family walked up to him and asked him when Ms. Hu’s appeals hearing was scheduled. Wang appeared to be impatient and said, “What hearing are you talking about?” before he quickly walked away.
On November 24, Ms. Hu’s family received the ruling from the appeals court, dated November 14, upholding her original prison sentence. They couldn’t understand why the judge didn’t mention that when they saw him on November 22.
Ms. Hu’s family later found out that the appeals court accepted her case on November 1 and the case was formally closed on November 15, 2024.
Related Reports:
Hubei Woman Loses Appeal Against Four-Year Wrongful Term for Practicing Falun Gong
57-Year-Old Hebei Woman Gets Second Prison Term for Practicing Falun Gong
Hebei Woman Files Complaint Against Perpetrators While Awaiting Trial for Her Faith in Falun Gong
Hebei Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Her Faith
After Repeated Arrests and Harassment, Hebei Woman Faces Trial for Reading Book of Her Faith
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