(Minghui.org) Ms. Xu Xiufen, a Falun Gong practitioner from Beijing, was tried by the Fangshan District Court on October 29, 2015. She pled not guilty.
Despite the deterioration of Ms. Xu's health after being detained for a year, she remains steadfast in her belief. Ms. Xu spoke confidently to the judge, procurator and the court audience, telling them that Falun Gong is good and that practicing Falun Gong does not constitute a crime.
Mr. Xu's attorney stated that the charge against Ms. Xu was completely false. He said that many people have urged him not to represent Falun Gong practitioners so as to avoid endangering himself. He added that such threats actually strengthened his determination to help practitioners.
The attorney cited the separation of religion and the state, and gave his analyzes of international law and criminal law of the People's Republic of China, as well as the international treaty signed by China. He demonstrated that religious belief is protected by the Chinese Constitution and state law.
Subjected to Years of Persecution
Ms. Xu was arrested twice after former Chinese regime leader Jiang Zemin launched a genocidal campaign to eradicate Falun Gong. She was taken to the Tumuji Forced Labor Camp in Inner Mongolia in 2008, where she was deprived of sleep for over a month. The guards hit her head with an angle-iron bar and forced her to take drugs which resulted in brain damage. But she continued to be steadfast and never renounced her belief despite the guards' trying to force her to do so.
Ms. Xu's family were also persecuted severely. Her sister was sentenced to prison during the early stage of the persecution. Her mother was harassed by the police many times. She eventually passed away due to the traumatic stress perpetrated by the Chinese authorities.
Ms. Xu's father was formerly in good health. However, he was hospitalized with a stroke after witnessing his family repeatedly persecuted.
