(Minghui.org) Ms. Qiu Liying, 48, a former inspector at the Shijiazhuang City Refinery in Hebei Province, was diligent in her work and a dutiful daughter. Her colleagues and neighbors held her in high regard. However, charges were brought against her because the Changan District Procuratorate claimed that the Sifang Police Station discovered that she had a confidential state document, "Document No. 39 of the Notification of Ministry of Public Security in 2000" on her computer.

The Shijiazhuang City Changan District Court tried Ms. Qiu on April 16, 2013, for the third time, and accused her of "Illegally possessing confidential documents." Nearly 100 people who had been paying attention to this case gathered at the courthouse gate on the day of the trial. Ms. Qiu's relatives hired two attorneys, Zheng Jianwei and Liang Xiaojun, to defend her. The lawyers entered the courtroom at 9:00 a.m. and walked out at 3:30 p.m. The trial was so long that they were not able to eat or drink anything.

The court forbade anyone from sitting in on the trial, claiming, "It is a matter of state secrets." However, several unidentified people in plainclothes were in the courtroom. They were not Ms. Qiu's family members, and they did not appear to be court staff either.

The lawyers delivered sound and moving defense speeches with regard to the unlawfulness of the case.

Why Were Sifang Police Searching a Citizen's Computer?

Police officer Du Conglin, along with other officers from the Sifang Police Station broke into Ms. Qiu's home on February 25, 2012, without showing their IDs or a search warrant. They arrested her, searched her home, and confiscated her belongings, looking for evidence with which to persecute her. In actuality, the police have no right to search and check a person's computer and violate their privacy without due cause.

Why Was a Publicly Available Document Suddenly "Confidential?"

Ms. Qiu's lawyer stated that the purportedly "confidential" state document supposedly found in Ms. Qiu's possession had actually been made public on the Internet several years before. Furthermore, according to her statement, the document was not even on her computer. All the evidence obtained was gathered after the police took over her computer, therefore both the evidence and the accusation should be deemed untenable.

Why Were Her Attorneys Harassed?

According to the laws in China, the court is only authorized to search a suspect by showing an appropriate search order. Changan District Court told the lawyers they would have to undergo a "security check." The lawyers pointed out that this would be a breach of a rule issued by the Supreme Court, that lawyers are exempt from such security checks. The court officials refused to comply, but after they argued on the basis of reason, the unreasonable requirement was withdrawn.

Fabricated Evidence

Police officer Du Conglin from Sifang Police Station, along with others, detained Ms. Qiu in cell 304 of the Shijiazhuang City No. 2 Detention Center on February 25, 2012. At the end of March, when the Changan District Procuratorate checked the information regarding Ms. Qiu, a forged interrogation note was found in her archive, containing a fabricated confession with a falsified signature, dated February 26, 2012. The records of interrogation at both the detention center and cell 304 showed that on February 26, the second day of her detention, she had not been interrogated. Ms. Qiu reported to Du Conglin with the Procuratorate that the evidence against her had been fabricated.

Release Notice Ignored

On April 10, 2012, after Ms. Qiu had been in the detention center for 45 days, she was released for insufficient evidence. The release notification was stamped with the official seal of the Changan District Police Department. Upon her release, however, Du Conglin, two other officers from the Sifang Police Station, and someone they called "director Wu" took Ms. Qiu to the Shijiazhuang City Forced Labor Camp, even though she had the release notification in her hand. She was held there for another 45 days.

Falsely Accused Again

After May 1, 2012, Du Conglin and others began fabricating charges again. He induced and deceived Qiu Liying's neighbors into falsifying evidence. This time Ms. Qiu was charged with "Illegally possessing confidential documents and objects." The Procuratorate approved the arrest, fully knowing that the case was being handled illegally and the evidence had been proven to be insufficient.

Criminal Procedure Law states that the court shall notify the accused three days before a trial. However, when Ms. Qiu Liying was tried, the court did not give her any prior notification.

Ms. Qiu Liying has been illegally arrested, had her detention term extended, been charged with fabricated evidence, and put on trial. She will likely be illegally sentenced. Her family members declared that they would never give up, and said they would follow through and sue the police officers and prosecutors involved.

We call for people with a sense of justice to pay attention to Ms. Qiu Liying's case, and help stop all forms of persecution against her.

Partial list of those who are directly responsible for the persecution of Qiu Liying:
Tian Dianying, judge of the Changan District Court: +86-13832312521
Yu Shufeng, head of the Pubic Prosecution Section of the Changan District Procuratorate
Sifang Police Station: +86-311-80862344
Du Conglin, police officer: +86-13931976770
Wang Qingtai: +86-13931176289 (Cell)
Wang Changzhan: +86-311-80862344
Zheng Jianhua, director: +86-13930110055 (Cell)
Shijiazhuang City No. 2 Detention Center: +86-311-87782024