(Minghui.org) A 75-year-old man in Ji'nan City faces prosecution again for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime. He had previously been imprisoned for 5.5 years.
Mr. Liu Sitang and his wife Ms. Zhang Huiqing were arrested by officers from Sangdian Police Station in Ji'nan City on September 6, 2018. The husband was released on bail on the same day because of his old age, while the wife continued to be kept at the Ji'nan Detention Center. On September 18, the husband was taken back into custody to join his wife at the detention center.
Ms. Zhang was released on bail on October 25. She was told on the same day that her husband had been issued a formal arrest warrant on the grounds that he was previously imprisoned for refusing to renounce Falun Gong.
Mr. Liu, a retired engineer of Jigang Group, was first arrested at home in November 2005, along with several elderly practitioners who were visiting at the time. Four of the practitioners, including Mr. Liu, were sentenced by the Licheng Court to three years of imprisonment with four years of probation.
Officers from Qingqi Road Police Station arrested Mr. Liu at home again in February 2009. They confiscated his valuables, including nearly 90,000 yuan in cash that he had saved for his son's wedding. The Lixia Court held a hearing against him in December 2009 and family members were not allowed to attend. In the same month, Mr. Liu was sentenced to four years of imprisonment. Given his previous sentence, the court ordered him to serve a combined term of 5.5 years in prison.
Mr. Liu's wife contacted Li Dongfang at the 610 Office in Lixia District to request her husband's release. Li sent her to a local labor camp instead.
Mr. Liu was abused at Shandong Province Prison and was hospitalized several times for emergency rescue. His family was not allowed to visit him at the hospital.
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