(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Dafa practitioners Mr. Xiao Zhixiang and Mr. Lin Jia, both 65 years old and from Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, were sentenced to three and half years in prison by the Yuhu District Court of Xiangtan City. They are being held in Xiangtan City Detention Center together with three other practitioners.
Practitioner Mr. Lin Jia has been unyielding in his practice of Falun Dafa. He has been held in the detention center since the end of last year because he was clarifying the truth among the students.
Practitioner Mr. Xiao Zhixiang was abducted by officials from the Xiangtan City 610 Office and the Yuhu Police Department State Security Division on January 18, 2005, when he was grocery shopping. On May 31, 2005, Yuhu District Court sentenced Mr. Xiao Zhixiang to three and half years in prison based on the following:
"From August 12-27, 2003, Mr. Xiao Zhixiang gave VCDs entitled Persecution of Falun Gong on Tiananmen Square, Witnesses, and Truth to Mr. Lu Jinlian and Mr. Huang Jingxin. After his release from the Chishan Prison when his three-year term ended, Mr. Xiao Zhixiang wrote letters appealing on behalf of Falun Gong from February to June 2004. He posted the letters to his employer and to the City Management Bureau. This must be viewed as 'attacking the government.' At his March 2004 school reunion, when his old classmates asked him how he kept himself so young and healthy, he told them the truth, that he practices Falun Gong. Again, he is guilty of spreading words about Falun Gong."
Mr. Xiao Zhixiang has appealed to the Middle Court and is seeking a lawyer to represent him.
