(Minghui.org) Zezhou County Court in Shanxi Province tried Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Guo Guoping, 58, on April 25, 2013. The hearing lasted one hour and no verdict was announced. Ms. Guo is being held in the Jincheng City Detention Center.
On January 5, 2013, Ms. Guo was handing out truth clarification fliers in Xiwaling Village, Zezhou County. Dongwa Village head Wei Pintong and local Wei Guangsuo called the police. Dadongzhou Police Station deputy head Zhai Juncao and officer Guo Xiangpeng arrived and illegally arrested her. They ransacked her home that evening. Her arrest was approved on January 22.
The trial
Ms. Guo’s hearing took place in the morning on April 25. Zezhou County Court set up maximum security. Ms. Guo’s family members were given extra scrutiny as they were searched and were required to turn in cell phones and other items. Under orders from chief judge Liu Qianjin, the relatives were checked again as they entered the courtroom.
At 10 a.m. Ms. Guo’s lawyer began the defense and entered a plea of not guilty for her. Witnesses Wei Pintong and Wei Guangsuo failed to appear, so their testimonies were read by the prosecuting attorney.
Both the prosecutor and the judge ignored the argument put forth by the defense and Ms. Guo's own testimony. The lawyer argued that the charge of “utilizing an evil cult to sabotage law enforcement” could not be substantiated. Ms. Guo insisted that her belief in Falun Gong was not against the law and that her actions did not interfere with public safety. The prosecutor and the judge did not respond to any of these points. The hearing was over by 11 a.m.
The significance of April 25
Since her arrest on January 5, 2013, Ms. Guo Guoping has refused to answer any questions from the police. The Jincheng City Political and Legal Affairs Committee and the 610 Office ordered the court, the police, and the prosecutor to bring her to trial on April 25 for a special reason.
Fourteen years ago on April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners appealed in Beijing for the release of their fellow practitioners in Tianjin, to be treated fairly, and for the right to practice Falun Gong. Their peaceful and rational appeal turned April 25 into a day of remembrance.
Zezhou Court arranged the initial hearing on that date so that they could spread rumors saying that Falun Gong practitioners would cause a public disturbance. Despite the extra security measures, Jincheng City practitioners used other ways to provide support for Ms. Guo Guoping.
Contact information:
Wang Tao, Zezhou County Political and Legal Affairs Committee secretary: +86-356-3033829 (Office)
Ru Leming, Zezhou County 610 Office head: +86-13835608668, +86-356-3030946 (Office), +86-356-3033062
Dadonggou Police Station: +86-356-3822110
Wang Hongling, head of Zezhou County Procuratorate: +86-13383463999, +86-356-2022833 (Office)
Zezhou County Court: +86-356-2024135
Jincheng City Detention Center: +86-356-2195314, +86-356-2195748
Wei Pintong, Dongwa Village head: +86-13008059636
For more perpetrators' contact information, please refer to the original Chinese article.
