(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Fang Zhengrong, 64, and Mr. Zhang Zhonghua, in his 50s, were tried on October 14, 2016 by the Chuanshan District Court in Suining City, Sichuan Province. An attorney from Beijing defended Ms. Fang during the trial.

Ms. Fang and Mr. Zhang have been detained for nearly one year. They were brought into the courtroom in handcuffs and were clearly in poor health. Ms. Fang looked thin and pale, and she walked very slowly. Mr. Zhang needed to be escorted into the courtroom by two police officers.

The prosecutor asked Ms. Fang if she had committed any crimes in the past or been taken to a forced labor camp. She said that she had been illegally detained in a labor camp twice. The first time was for two years, and the second time was for one year and three months. She added, “I was tortured very badly.”

Ms. Fang's attorney argued that the abolition of the forced labor camp system in 2013 shows that the labor camp system itself was wrong.

The prosecutor accused Ms. Fang of “using a cult organization to undermine or sabotage law enforcement” (Article 300 of the Criminal Law), a standard pretext used by the Chinese Communist Party to imprison Falun Gong practitioners in its campaign to eradicate the spiritual discipline.

Ms. Fang's attorney argued that the Chinese Constitution gives citizens the right to freedom of belief and that it is legal to practice Falun Gong.

During the proceedings, Ms. Fang and three other Falun Gong practitioners, who were called as witnesses, explained how they had benefited from the practice.

The court session lasted more than three hours and ended without reaching a verdict.