Chinese pastor John Cao appeal will be a ‘trial session on paper only’
On July 12, the lawyers of jailed Chinese pastor John Cao, received a notice from the Pu’er Court in Yunnan province stating that Cao’s appeal would be handled via a “trial session on paper only” instead of an actual hearing.
According to China Aid, the court says the lawyers must submit their defense papers via snail mail or fax before July 17. The authorities are expected to issue a verdict after receiving the paperwork.
Pastor Cao has filed an appeal for being wrongfully convicted and having to serve a seven-year sentence on “organizing illegal border crossings” in 2018. However, the Chinese government has repeatedly postponed his appeal hearing for seven times, with the latest hearing scheduled to take place on Aug. 22. Now, the Chinese government will not even hold a hearing for his appeal.
Pastor Cao devoted much of his time to provide education and resources to the people in Myanmar’s self-governed Wa state before his 2017 arrest. He was making a difference in these people’s lives, until China decided to incarcerate him with trumped-up charges thanks to his Christian faith.
He’s been imprisoned for more than 800 days, and his family are still waiting for him to return to the States to reunite with them.