(Minghui.org) A young couple in Tianjin was recently sentenced to prison for using a cult to undermine law enforcement, a standard pretext used by the Chinese communist regime to frame and imprison Falun Gong practitioners.
Mr. Zhou Xiangyang was given 7 years, and his wife, Ms. Li Shanshan, 6 years.
The couple was arrested on March 2, 2015, barely two years after they were reunited following a decade-long separation. Simply for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, Mr. Zhou was imprisoned for nine years, and Ms. Li served more than three years in forced labor camps before the couple’s reunion.
The judge announced the guilty verdict on October 12, after holding two hearings on November 30, 2015 and September 13, 2016, respectively.
Mr. Zhou and Ms. Li quickly filed appeals with the Tianjin Second Intermediate Court. They both requested an overturn of the verdict, as no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong and they should never have been prosecuted for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of belief.
Related Reports:
Tianjin Couple Appears in Court Again—New Lawyers Defend Their Right to Practice Falun Gong
On a Hunger Strike over a Year, Mr. Zhou Xiangyang Being Force-Fed
Surveillance Leads to More Arrests and Trial Without Legal Representation
Young Couple Arrested Again after 10 Years Spent Trying to Rescue Each Other from Prison
Ms. Li Shanshan Leaves Labor Camp with Dignity after Closure of Hebei Women's Forced Labor Camp
Young Couple Subjected to Extreme Torture and Forced to be Apart
A Young Couple's Journey: Zhou Xiangyang's Fiancee Appeals Seven Years for His Release
