(Minghui.org) A 55-year-old resident of Suizhong County, Liaoning Province, stood trial on December 26, 2024, for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Yang Jiangwei was arrested on April 19, 2024, after being spotted putting up a self-adhesive sticker reading “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance [core tenets of Falun Gong] is good” on a utility pole. Officer Guo Tiejun from the Gaoling Town Police Station submitted the case to the Suizhong County Procuratorate. Prosecutor Kang Qi issued a formal arrest warrant against Mr. Yang on May 1 and forwarded the case to the Lianshan District Procuratorate in Huludao City on June 21. Prosecutor Du Yang indicted him at an unknown date.
Judge Wang Yueqiu of the Lianshan District Court initially scheduled a court date for August 20, 2024, but postponed it to December 26. At the beginning of the hearing, Mr. Yang’s lawyer requested Wang and prosecutor Zhang Xiaojin be rescued but was denied.
Prosecutor Zhang questioned Mr. Yang as to why he put up that sticker and he replied, “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is the most precious thing in the world.”
Zhang accused Mr. Yang of promoting Falun Gong and he shot back, “Is there anything wrong with Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance?” He also refused to admit guilt when judge Wang tried to pressure him to.
The lawyer accused officer Guo and witness Liu Huan of fabricating evidence against his client. The indictment stated that Mr. Yang put up a sticker reading “Falun Dafa is good” when his sticker actually read “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” Additionally, as soon as he saw Guo coming at him on April 19, 2024, he ripped off the sticker from the utility pole and crumbled it. There was no longer any sticker on the utility pole by the time Guo seized him. The case file, however, included a photo showing a sticker reading “Falun Dafa is good” on the utility pole, which was obviously staged by the police afterward.
Despite the apparent discrepancy concerning the said sticker, prosecutor Zhang still used the “evidence” to charge Mr. Yang. Included in the case file was also witness Liu’s testimony. In one place, she claimed that she was riding her bike to pick up some mail when she saw officer Guo seizing Mr. Yang and asking her to help take a picture of the scene. But in another place she stated that she saw Mr. Yang putting up the sticker while passing by the scene.
However, according to Mr. Yang, he saw Liu and Guo, who were in plain clothes, getting off a police cruiser together to arrest him, instead of Liu passing by on a bike. Due to their closeness, he actually thought they were husband and wife. After he was taken to the Gaoling Town Police Station, he learned from other officers that Liu and Guo were not a couple.
The prosecution evidence also included Falun Gong books and a New Year decoration reading “Fu” (“blessings” in Chinese) confiscated from Mr. Yang’s home. His lawyer refuted that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong and that it was totally lawful to own Falun Gong publications. He added that Guo and other officers did not show a search warrant during the home raid or produce a list of confiscated items at the scene.
Prosecutor Zhang accused Mr. Yang of being a repeat offender. Prior to his latest arrest, he served three forced labor terms totaling 7.5 years, between 2000 and 2008. Not long after he completed his third forced labor term, he was arrested again in February 2008 and later sentenced to ten years in prison. During the past 25 years of persecution, he was only able to spend a bit over seven years with his family.
Mr. Yang’s lawyer argued that he should never have been incarcerated so many times in the first place as he broke no law in exercising his constitutional right to freedom of belief, and his past persecution records should not be used as admissible evidence in his current trial.
As Guo and Liu were not in court to accept cross-examination, the lawyer requested their presence. Judge Wang adjourned the hearing in response.
Related Reports:
Yang Jiangwei Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison after Enduring Seven Years of Forced Labor
Yang Jiangwei Severely Persecuted at Nanguanling Prison
Yang Jiangwei Imprisoned Since 2008, Family Visitations Denied
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