(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Sun Tongqing was sentenced to a five-year prison term in December 2016, in the Shuangcheng Court in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. He appealed to the Harbin Intermediate Court.
The intermediate court returned Mr. Sun's appeal back to the Harbin City Procuratorate for more information in April 2017 and retried him on June 27, 2017. The court waited until July 25 to send the decision letter to Mr. Sun. The intermediate court made the decision to uphold the original verdict and announced the final decision at the July 27 trial.
The intermediate court also misled Mr. Sun's attorney and family during the July 27 trial. They first notified the attorney that the trial time was 10:00 a.m., then changed it to 1:00 p.m., and then to 11:00 a.m. When Mr. Sun's attorney and family arrived at the court on July 27, the trial had already started. Mr. Sun faced the judge and prosecutor alone.
Before the trial started, judge Dong Shijie assigned court officers to prevent Mr. Sun's attorney from defending him. The prosecutor, Han Yinghui from the Harbin City Procuratorate, told Mr. Sun to sign his name to agree to the original verdict but Mr. Sun refused.
Mr. Sun Tongqing was already imprisoned at Hulan Prison in Heilongjiang Province.
Arrest and 2016 Trial
Mr. Sun bought a used computer on May 6, 2016, and went to another Falun Gong practitioner’s home to set it up. He was arrested by officers from the Shuangcheng Police Department, who were hiding near that practitioner’s home.
Mr. Sun was tried by the Shuangcheng Court on December 9, 2016, but his family and attorney were not notified. Only judge Hu Yelin, two jurors, two bailiffs, one police officer, and prosecutor Zhang Zhenting were present in the courtroom.
Zhang Zhenting argued that Mr. Sun should be given a heavy sentence because he had been held twice in forced labor camps. Mr. Sun said that practicing Falun Gong was not illegal. Zhang did not allow Mr. Sun to mention Falun Gong.
He even threatened Mr. Sun, saying, “I will see to it that you are sentenced heavily!”
Judge Hu Yelin did not stop Zhang from threatening Mr. Sun.
Related articles:Mr. Sun Tongqing from Harbin Illegally Sentenced to Five Years in PrisonAppeals Court Returns Case of Practitioner Sentenced to Five Years
