(Minghui.org) Minghui.org previously reported on the wrongful conviction of four Kaiyuan City, Yunnan Province, residents for their shared faith in Falun Gong, but many details about the arrests, indictment, and sentencing were not available at the time of publishing. This article presents newly obtained information about the four cases.
Arrests
Ms. Wan Jiayu, 82, Ms. Zhang Hongying, 57, and Ms. Na Shengqiong (whose name has also been reported as Na Fenqiong), 70, were arrested at Ms. Wan’s home at 10 a.m. on November 1, 2023. The police confiscated Ms. Wan’s computer, as well as Falun Gong books and other valuables. Ms. Zhang and Ms. Na’s homes were also raided with their meditation mats, cards printed with Falun Gong messages, and other personal belongings were seized.
Ms. Jiang Changde, 59, was arrested at her own home at 10 a.m. on January 23, 2024. Her laptop, computer, Falun Gong books and other valuables were confiscated. She and Ms. Wan were released on bail on February 1, 2024 due to health concerns.
Indictment
Prosecutor Li Jun of the Jianshui County Procuratorate indicted all four practitioners on April 4, 2024. The indictment detailed why and how the police targeted them.
The Kaiyuan City Police Department established a new task force in early 2023 to intensify the persecution of local Falun Gong practitioners. They discovered “Falun Gong activities” at Ms. Wan’s home and opened a case on April 1, 2023 to investigate her and her visitors.
The police arrested more than ten other local practitioners around the same time they began to monitor Ms. Wan. They coerced the ten-plus practitioners to say that Ms. Wan was the “ringleader” of local practitioners, who organized study sessions and various Falun Gong activities. The police also had the practitioners confirm that Ms. Zhang, Ms. Na, and Ms. Jiang also practiced Falun Gong.
The indictment also listed three non-practitioner witnesses, including Liu Yunchun, Xu Haixiang, and Liu Jie. The trio was said to have testified against Ms. Wan, Ms. Zhang, Ms. Na, and Ms. Jiang for talking to them about Falun Gong and urging them to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its junior organizations.
The Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture Police Department was listed in the indictment as the agency to have authenticated the prosecution evidence. The items confiscated from the four women’s homes were “confirmed” to be evidence that they were guilty. As a matter of fact, no law in China has ever criminalized Falun Gong and it is completely lawful to possess Falun Gong books and other related materials.
Additionally, only an independent, third-party agency is authorized to verify and authenticate prosecution evidence. The Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture Police Department oversees the Kaiyuan City Police Department and was by no means an independent authentication agency. Prosecutor Li, however, ignored the conflict of interest.
Trial and Sentencing
The four practitioners stood trial together at the Jianshui County Court on April 27, 2024. Presiding judge Long Ye, judges Huang Yaoping and Dai Yongjian, and clerk Jiang Xiao were present.
The court convicted the four practitioners on July 3, 2024. Ms. Wan was sentenced to three years and fined 5,000 yuan. Ms. Zhang was given one and a half years with a 2,500-yuan fine. Both Ms. Na and Ms. Jiang were given one year with a 1,500-yuan fine.
Officers Yang Yunlong and Liu Yingtong from the Kaiyuan City Police Department took Mr. Jiang and Ms. Wan back into custody on June 27, 2024. They are currently held in the Caoba Detention Center.
Past Persecution
All four practitioners have been targeted for their faith before.
Ms. Wan, a farmer, was twice held in brainwashing centers, in 2001 and 2002. She was arrested another time, on May 30, 2012, and detained for 12 days.
Ms. Zhang, a retired worker of Yi ethnicity, was previously sentenced to three years and fined 5,000-yuan by the Kaiyuan City Court on December 14, 2017.
Ms. Wan, Ms. Jiang (a retired worker) and Ms. Na (who is also of Yi ethnicity) were arrested on May 19, 2011, while passing through Wangmo County, Guizhou Province. They were held for more than 40 days. During their detention, officers Wang Fengshu and Zhang from the Wangmo County Police Department traveled to Kaiyuan City on May 26, 2011 to raid the three women’s homes. They were accompanied by officers Zhang Zulin and Zhong Dapan from the Kaiyuan City Police Department. The police forced the practitioners’ family members to sign their criminal detention notices. Ms. Jiang was later sentenced to one year in prison. She was arrested again in 2014 and given another year in prison.
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