(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Zuo Xiaoguang from Lingbao City, Henan Province, was arrested on August 8, 2008, and tortured to try to make him "confess." A court in Lingbao City sentenced Mr. Zuo to three years in jail in the first half of 2009. No defending lawyer was present. Mr. Zuo was transferred to Xinmi City Prison, Henan Province, in January 2010.
Mr. Zuo was part of the management team at Lingbao City Gold Smelting Co., Ltd, in Henan Province. In August 2008 while at work, he was picked up and taken to a guest house in Lingbao City where he was punched and kicked. Mr. Zuo said that he wasn't doing anything wrong and that it was not a crime to practice Falun Gong. The evildoers attempted to force a confession by torturing him. Mr. Zuo's family and his work unit did not know his whereabouts for three days.
On the afternoon of the third day after he had been apprehended, one of the officers slapped Mr. Zuo's face a few times, threatening him with fabricated charges. Mr. Zuo did not accept the charges and said to him with compassion, "I can tell my daughter everything I have done today. Would you dare to tell your children what you've done today?" The officer was stunned. Speechless, he looked at Mr. Zuo and left. Later, Mr. Zuo was transferred to Lingbao City Detention Center and to Shanxian Detention Center in Henan Province. An investigation revealed that those who had arrested Mr. Zuo were officers from the State Security Division and the 610 Office of Lingbao City.
In the first half of 2009, the court in Lingbao City put Mr. Zuo on trial. However he was not permitted to hire a lawyer, and a closed-door trial was conducted in Shanxian Detention Center. The court sentenced Mr. Zuo to three years of imprisonment without producing any evidence. Mr. Zuo refused to accept the verdict and appealed to Sanmenxia Intermediate Court. Prior to the appeal, the court in Lingbao City told Mr. Zuo to write more than 20 copies of his appeal petition. (According to the law, two copies are sufficient). The evildoers did everything they could to harass Mr. Zuo. In January 2010, the presiding judge at the intermediate court upheld the original verdict. Shanxian Detention Center in Henan Province then hurriedly sent Mr. Zuo to Xinmi City Prison.
