Mr. Cui was arrested at his home by officers from the Cangxi County Domestic Security Division and the local police station on March 26, 2010. He was held in the Cangxi County Detention Center, but his family received no news of his arrest or detention. It was not until much later that Mr. Cui's family learned that his case had been forwarded to the county court. When Mr. Cui's daughter hired a lawyer from Beijing to defend her father's case, officials from the Cangxi County 610 Office, Domestic Security Division, county court and Mr. Cui's daughter's employer at a kindergarten immediately began to threaten her, and tried to prevent her from hiring the lawyer. Mr. Cui's daughter was so scared that she dared not even answer the lawyer's phone calls, and even changed her telephone number. She ended up terminating the lawyer's contract.
Officials from the Cangxi County Court quickly tried Mr. Cui without informing his daughter and other relatives. He was given a three-year prison sentence.
Ms. Zeng Yuxian, a former accountant at the Commerce Bureau in Cangxi County, was arrested at the same time as Mr. Cui, and was also tried on the same day. Her lawyer's strong defense was ignored by the court, and she was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Mr. Cui's daughter was later dismissed from her job.
