(Linfen, Shanxi Province, China – April 15, 2025) April 14, 2025 was the 7th day of the trial of the Golden Lampstand Church Case in Linfen, Shanxi Province, and the last day of the trial that has been going on since it started on April 9th. All ten defendants insisted on pleading not guilty. They bravely defended their faith in court and tried to protect other brothers and sisters, bearing witness to the character of Christians.
Timeframe of the Trial
The trial on April 12 completed the questioning of all ten defendants, and the evidence phase began that afternoon.
The trial on April 13 basically completed the examination of evidence and cross-examination. The defense attorneys found that there were obvious problems in some aspects of the prosecution’s case. For example, when the defense lawyers checked the original evidence, the public prosecutor, Deputy Prosecutor General Hu Wuping, went so far as to openly attack the professional conduct of the defense in the courtroom, and even suspected that the defense lawyers tampered with the evidence. The defense lawyer pointed out that, according to the logic of the public prosecutor, is it necessary for the defense lawyers to prove that the original evidence has not been tampered with by the officials while it was in the custody of the prosecution unit? This was a serious departure from the professional conduct of a public prosecutor. In addition, when the prosecutor presented the victim’s evidence and witness statements, the defense lawyer found that the identity of the victims and witnesses also appeared serious confusion, the two lists were inconsistent, and the list of witnesses was overlapped with the list of victims.
After completing all court proceedings on April 14, the prosecutor accused the case of being an “unlawful organization,” arguing that an unregistered meeting is an unlawful meeting, and that an unlawful meeting that collects offerings is a fraud. Both the lawyers and the clients responded vigorously to these charges, and 10 Christians made their final statements in court.
Li Shuangping said:
People can take medicine when they are sick, and cancer can be treated, but there is no cure for a bad conscience; if I defrauded, God will surely punish me; God says, “I am the one who redresses the wrongs, and I will retaliate”; thank you, and God bless you all.
Mr. Zhao Guoai said:
I thank the prosecutor for his accusation, which gave me the opportunity to come to the court; I agree with the prosecutor’s statement, ”Judgment starts from the house of God”; I repent every day as a believer, and I have received a new life from Jesus Christ after my faith in Christ; the life of Jesus is the life that is free from sin, and faith gives me the freedom to believe that no matter how you accuse me and humiliate me, I am free and uncontrolled in my heart; I can’t accept the indictment’s charge of “a criminal group headed by Yang Rongli”, nor can I accept the charge of fraud.
Dong Yongyong said:
In the spirit of believing in the presiding judge of my trial, which is the order I should comply with; at that time it was the village chief who called me and asked me to cooperate with the court to examine whether it can constitute a self-surrender.
Feng Junying’s statement was:
After the incident, I truthfully answered every question the public security police asked me, and actively cooperated without reservation; I was healed of my own illnesses after believing in Jesus, and since then I have begun to repay God’s grace; the church is a loving family, not a fraudulent group.
Chen Qinglan said:
I do not recognize the crime of fraud, I only have simple faith, I do not have the behavior of fraud; I have personally changed after believing in Jesus, and I have harmony in my home and neighborhood; I assist in the church to collect and manage the offerings only for safekeeping, but I do not take possession of them for myself; the church exists for the sake of faith, not for the sake of fraud; I hope that the judge follows the power of justice and the principle of fairness, and shows us how the judge uses his wisdom and justice to judge us.
Huo Zhuangping said:
I do not recognize the charge of fraud against me, and I have not been in contact with any matters related to giving.
Li Qin said:
I believe that the presiding judge and the leaders here are fair and just, and through the trial of a few days, it will be dealt with fairly according to the facts identified in this case.
Yang Hongzhen said,
I have been waiting for this day, my husband has been imprisoned because of this case, and I have spent four years alone with my children. The Bible teaches us to obey the law, I will not violate the law; I am now alone to take care of the elderly and children, I implore the judge to be fair and righteous, so that we can feel the warmth of justice; I also implore the court to let Li Shuangping return to his family as soon as possible; may God bless you.
Wang Xianfeng said:
Social harmony and national stability should start from one small family, I now want to plead for permission to let us gather at home.
Wu Ling’e’s statement was:
What is the nature of our offering as defendants? I am also dedicated at the same time as the defendant and the victim? I also dedicate myself to being in jail at the same time; I ask the panel to be careful in handing down a sentence in this case; finally, I thank the court for being tolerant of me, and I understand the prosecutor; I also thank the defense team; and I ask for God’s blessing on all those present, including the bailiffs and community policemen who have been serving us these past few days.
The case held a pre-trial conference on April 8, 2025, and the trial began on April 9 and lasted seven days, concluding on April 14, with a public verdict to be announced on a later date.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Ningmeng of ChinaAid)
