(Minghui.org) Six Chongqing residents were arrested at a private home on April 6, 2016, while reading books about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
Yang Chengli, head of Hechuan District Domestic Security Office, and other officers knocked on the door and claimed to be utility workers. They seized the six Falun Gong practitioners as soon as they opened up.
The five women and one man were kept at the Hechuan District Detention Center for 37 days before being transferred to a local brainwashing center, where they were forced to watch propaganda videos slandering Falun Gong.
The Hechuan District Court scheduled a hearing for February 15, 2017, but changed the date twice, first to February 23 and then to March 22. It is unclear whether the hearing ever took place.
The six practitioners received their verdicts on May 2.
Mr. Gong Yuanzhao, 76, was given two years in prison and fined 3,000 yuan. His health quickly declined after his arrest, and he could eat only liquid food. He is now out on bail.
Ms. Lan Tailian, 70, was given one year in prison with two years of probation and fined 2,000 yuan.
Ms. Tang Mingbi, 70, was given six months in prison with one year of probation and fined 1,000 yuan.
Ms. Wan Deyu, 76; Ms. Tang Yuanbi, 73; and Ms. Feng Changyu, 80, were acquitted.
