(Minghui.org) Ms. Lu Shiming, a resident of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, was sentenced to two years in prison late last year for her belief in Falun Gong. She was sent to Jiangsu Women's Prison on January 19, 2019.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a mind-body practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Ever since the communist party began to persecute it in July 1999, tens of thousands of practitioners have been arrested, detained, tortured, and even killed.
Ms. Lu, 52, began to read Zhuan Falun, the main teaching of Falun Gong, in June 2014 after a practitioner told her about the practice. Within a week, the insomnia that had bothered her for 15 years disappeared. In addition, her depression, heart disease, stomachache, and thyroid problems were also gone. She often told others about the benefits of Falun Gong, despite the ongoing persecution.
In May 2015, she filed a criminal complaint against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for launching the persecution of Falun Gong. Officers from Shazhou Police Station officers began to harass her, frequently visiting her home and calling her on the phone. She went to the police station and explained that she and other practitioners were just following the law by suing Jiang. She was able to return home safely later in the day.
But officer Yang Jie called her again on May 28, 2016, and ordered her to report to the police station. When they asked for a blood sample and her fingerprints, she said no. After 10 p.m. on June 13, 2016, Yang and seven officers knocked on the door for over half an hour. Ms. Lu did not open it, and the officers left after 11 p.m.
To avoid being arrested, Ms. Lu left home the next day. The police then shut off the water and electricity to her residence, inconveniencing her family. Several officers finally arrested Ms. Lu on July 11, 2016, and took her to Shazhou Police Station.
When the police demanded a sample of her blood and her finger and toeprints, Ms. Lu refused to cooperate, saying that she did not break any laws. Several officers stopped being hostile, but Yang did not. Ms. Lu returned home the next morning.
Shazhou Police Station officers arrested Ms. Lu again on May 19, 2017, but later released her on bail. She was taken back into custody four months later, on September 19, and was charged by the procuratorate.
She was tried on May 29, 2018, in Jianye Court and then taken to Nanjing Detention Center.
In late October 2018, court officials sentenced Ms. Lu to two years and fined her 20,000 yuan. She appealed to the Nanjing Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold her sentence without a hearing.
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