(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Fu Xiuyun, who owns a small business, was illegally tried by the Dujiangyan City Court in Sichuan Province on May 6, 2015, more than a year after her arrest. She was sentenced to four years in prison on the same day.
Ms. Fu was arrested on October 18, 2013. Ten days later, on October 28, she was charged by the Dujiangyan City Procuratorate with promoting Falun Gong using paper currency with information about the practice written on it.
On the day of the hearing, many local residents arrived to show their support for Ms. Fu. To stop Ms. Fu's supporters from observing the trial, the Dujiangyan City 610 Office told them that they had to show their I.D cards in order to enter the courtroom.
After many of them went home and returned with their ID's, they were given the runaround further, told that they needed passes to attend the trial. When they requested passes, they were told that all the passes had been given out. In the end, only Ms. Fu's mother and sisters were allowed to observe the trial. Most of the seats in the courtroom were occupied by 610 officials and police officers.
There were many plainclothes police stationed inside and outside the court building, monitoring and taking photos of Ms. Fu's supporters.
During the trial, Ms. Fu's lawyers pleaded not guilty on her behalf. Ms. Fu testified about the health benefits of practicing Falun Gong. Presiding judge Zhao Jinrong interrupted the lawyer's defense rudely on several occasions and repeatedly adjourned the trial for no apparent reason. When the trial ended, she sentenced Ms. Fu to four years of imprisonment.
