(Minghui.org) A man in Jidong County, Heilongjiang Province was sentenced to a 15 month prison term in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province on March 26, 2026, for his faith in Falun Gong. His appeal was rejected on June 25.
Mr. Han Wei was initially arrested on March 28, 2024, because he used his brother’s cell phone to recharge his phone card on WeChat, a social media platform (which has payment functions), and the phone card was used to send multi-media (text, video, and audio) messages about Falun Gong.
The Nantong City Police Department, which has been using big data to monitor online activities, discovered the brothers’ phone activities. They traveled 1,600 miles to Jidong County and made the arrest. Mr. Han was released on bail on April 30, 2024.
The Nantong police submitted the case to the Chongchuan District Procuratorate in Nantong City in April 2025, and Mr. Han was indicted three months later. He was deceived into reporting to the police on August 1, 2025, and was arrested upon arrival. His mother was so traumatized that she died five days later.
Minghui.org previously reported on Mr. Han’s prison sentence. This section presents newly-available details.
Mr. Han was initially scheduled to appear in the Chongchuan District Court in Nantong City on August 6, 2025, but judge Sun Tiayong notified his defender, Mr. Xie Yanyi on August 3, saying that Mr. Xie was not allowed to represent him in court. Mr. Xie is a former lawyer who was stripped of his license for representing other Falun Gong practitioners in the past.
Mr. Han hired a new lawyer, Mr. Dong Qianyong, who went to Nantong on August 5, only to be told that the hearing scheduled for the next day had been canceled.
Mr. Dong visited Mr. Han at the Nantong City Detention Center on August 22 and told him about his mother’s passing. He was devastated and lost his appetite. Upon learning that officer Ye Yang, who was in charge of the case, had fabricated interrogation records to frame him, he reported this to prosecutor-in-residence Fang, who suggested he write to judge Sun. Mr. Han did and the detention center mailed the letter to Sun.
Judge Sun held a pre-trial conference on September 25, 2025. Prosecutors Sun Hongliang and Zhang Yong, as well as Mr. Dong and Mr. Han were present. The conference was halted when Mr. Han requested that the judge and prosecutors be recused because they had barred Mr. Xie from representing him.
The Chongchuan District Procuratorate made a request on September 28, 2025, to postpone the trial, and the court concurred.
Mr. Han wrote another complaint against officer Yang in early October 2025 but the detention center didn’t mail out the letter addressed to captain Xu Yousong of the Nantong City Domestic Security Office. The reason given was that Mr. Han could only write directly to Yang.
A second pre-trial conference was held on October 22, 2025. Prosecutor Sun expressed many times that Mr. Han could be released to help care for his ailing father as soon as he “admitted guilt.” He refused to comply and wrote a letter to judge Sun detailing the fabrications against him.
A third pre-trial conference was held on October 22, 2025. Mr. Han again protested judge Sun’s decision to bar Mr. Xie from representing him. Sun never gave a reason and simply said that Mr. Han now had Mr. Dong representing him.
Mr. Dong was intimidated by the judge and the prosecutors during all three pre-trial conferences and wanted to withdraw from the case. He said that Mr. Han could ask Mr. Dong, who was a personal friend of Mr. Han’s, to take over. Judge Sun however insisted that Mr. Xie could not represent Mr. Han. It is unclear whether Mr. Han terminated Mr. Dong.
Officer Ye interrogated Mr. Han at the detention center on December 11, 2025, and said that judge Sun sent him there to verify something. Mr. Han asked him to recuse himself from the case. He called the judge and said he couldn’t because he was in charge of the case.
A trial was finally held on December 16, 2025. Judge Shen Yongbin presided over the hearing with judges Cao Yanfei and Sun assisting him.
The Chongchuan District Procuratorate made another request on January 28, 2026, to postpone the trial, which was eventually resumed on February 26.
A sentencing hearing was held on March 26. Judge Sun announced Mr. Han’s prison sentence of one year and three months.
Mr. Han filed an appeal with the Nantong City Intermediate Court on April 2, 2026. Judge Gang Yongmei deposed him at the detention center on May 7. She asked him to put his complaints in writing. He mailed a letter to her on June 7.
Prosecutor Fang Dong at the intermediate court deposed Mr. Han on June 23 and asked him twice whether the Chongchuan District Procuratorate had told him he could avoid being indicted if he agreed to quit the “Falun Gong organization.”
Appeals judge Cong ruled on June 25 to uphold Mr. Han’s original verdict without holding a hearing. The verdict stated that the intermediate court concurred with prosecutor Fang’s recommendation to reject Mr. Han’s appeal.
Mr. Han filed a motion to reconsider his case with the Jiangsu Province Superior Court on July 15. He has yet to receive a response.
Heilongjiang Man Sentenced to Prison in Jiangsu Province for His Faith in Falun Gong
Heilongjiang Man Prosecuted in Jiangsu Province for His Faith, Judge Keeps Trial Details Murky
Two Brothers From Heilongjiang Arrested by Jiangsu Police, One Faces Trial