(Minghui.org) Thirty-four Falun Gong practitioners in Linyi City, Shandong Province remain in custody for refusing to renounce their faith. Eighteen of them have been given prison terms ranging from 1.5 to 8 years, while the rest are at different stages of prosecution following their arrests.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. It has been severely persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Linshu County: 4 Imprisoned
Mr. Li Ruhong was arrested in early June 2017. The police confiscated his computer and Falun Gong books. He was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison around March 2018.
Ms. Wang Songyan and Ms. Chen Suxia were arrested on September 12, 2016, for hanging up a banner about Falun Gong. Both women were sentenced to 3.5 years and fined 20,000 yuan after one year of detention. Ms. Chen's appeal was rejected by Linyi Intermediate Court. They are currently serving time at Jinan Women's Prison.
Mr. Chen Xuejiang was arrested during the communist regime's 19th Congress in October 2017 after the police found Falun Gong materials in his car. He was sentenced to 2 years in prison on March 6, 2018.
Junan County: 5 Imprisoned and 1 Detained
Ms. Peng Xuejuan was seized on June 13, 2018 and kept at Linyi City Detention Center. She was later sentenced to three years in prison by Junan County Court and began to serve time in Shandong Women's Prison in early July 2018.
Mr. Cao Guozhen, 46, was arrested on March 7, 2017. He appeared at Junan County Court on August 5 and August 24, 2017, and was sentenced to six years in prison and fined 20,000 yuan. He began to serve time at Shandong Province Prison on December 21, 2017.
Ms. Zhao Lixia, a retired employee from Junan County Water Company, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2015 for distributing Falun Gong informational materials.
Mr. Fu Tingfa, an elementary school teacher, was sentenced to three years in prison on April 1, 2016 and is now serving time at Jinan Prison.
Ms. Cui Jian'ai was sentenced to eight years in prison by Junan County Court in March 2016. She is serving time at Shandong Women's Prison.
Ms. Qian Jinhua has been detained at Hedong District Detention Center for five months since her arrest while visiting a friend in September 2018.
Tancheng County: 2 Detained
Two brothers, Mr. Zhu Tonggui, 45, and his older brother Mr. Zhu Tongchao were arrested on March 23, 2018. The brothers were interrogated at Lanshan Police Station overnight before being taken to Linyi City Detention Center the following afternoon.
The younger Mr. Zhu was supposed to be released on bail in early July, but the police took him straight to Linyi Brainwashing Center, where he remains. The head of the brainwashing center threatened and struck his lawyer when he tried to visit him on July 27, 2018.
It's not clear where the older brother is being held.
Yinan County: 1 Imprisoned and 4 Detained
Mr. Du Yihe, 56, was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison on January 10, 2019, by Yinan Court. He has started to serve time in Jinan Prison.
Mr. Du, a father of three, was arrested on May 28, 2018, shortly before the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit was held in Qingdao City, Shandong Province on June 9-10, 2018. It was reported that the police arrested him to prevent him from leaving home to work in another city.
Mr. Liu Naixun and his wife Ms. Wang Xilan were arrested on August 28, 2018. Mr. Liu was detained at Yinan County Detention Center and Ms. Wang was kept at Linyi County Detention Center. They stood trial on January 24, 2019, in a makeshift courtroom at the detention center and are now awaiting verdicts.
Two other practitioners were tried with the couple, Mr. Zu Peiyong and Ms. Li Changfang were arrested on October 23, 2018. Mr. Zu was kept in the same facility as Mr. Liu and Ms. Li was detained with Ms. Wang.
Yishui County: 3 Imprisoned and 2 Detained
Ms. Zhen Jie was arrested on January 3, 2018. The police ransacked her home and kept her at Linyi Detention Center.
Mr. Yang Hongkuan was arrested on May 11, 2018, and indicted by Yinan County Procuratorate on July 18. He was tried by Yinan County Court on December 28, 2018.
Ms. Hu Fanxia was arrested on April 18, 2017. She was interrogated at the police station and sent to Dasanguanmiaocun Detention Center the next day. The local procuratorate twice returned the case, but Yishui County Court still tried Ms. Hu on December 27, 2017. She was sentenced to 2 years in prison in 2018.
Mr. Ma Shengcai and his wife, Ms. Cai Honghua, were arrested on July 21, 2017. Ms. Cai was released on bail 15 days later when she developed high blood pressure.
The couple appeared in court on April 25, 2018. They were sentenced to prison on May 15, with Mr. Ma given 3 years and his wife 1.5 years.
Mengyin County: 2 Imprisoned and 3 Detained
Ms. Feng Guangyun, 76, was arrested for distributing Falun Gong materials in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province on March 17, 2018, when she went there to visit her son. She is currently held at Liwan District Detention Center in Guangzhou City.
Mr. Gong Maohai, 60, was arrested on September 29, 2018, while visiting a fellow practitioner. He is kept at Hedong District Detention Center in Linyi City. The police has submitted his case to the procuratorate. Mr. Gong has been previously imprisoned for 12 years for his faith in Falun Gong.
Mr. Liu Nailun, 50, was arrested in September 2018. He is being detained at Lanling County Detention Center and denied family visits.
Ms. Kan Hongxia and Ms. An Lianyu were secretly sentenced to three years in prison by Yishui County Court in 2018. They have begun to serve time at Jinan Prison. Both women were arrested on December 25, 2017, for talking to people about Falun Gong.
Lanshan District: 3 Imprisoned and 2 Detained
Ms. Cao Shufang, in her 50s, was arrested on October 24, 2017, for talking to people about Falun Gong. She has been detained at Linyi City Detention Center since.
Ms. Liu Jiafang, 38, was sentenced to four years in prison by Lanshan District Court on January 15, 2019. Her family is appealing the verdict. Ms. Li was arrested on May 23, 2018. The police confiscated her computer, Falun Gong books, and five certificates of deposit worth a total of nearly 500,000 yuan that she inherited from her parents.
Ms. Yu Peiling, a physician, was arrested in December 2017, only five months after she was released from her previous prison term for her faith in Falun Gong. She was recently sentenced to 3.5 years in prison following more than one year of detention at Linyi City Detention Center.
Ms. Liu Honglan, 70, has been detained at Linyi City Detention Center for nearly two years following her arrest in May 2017.
Mr. Gu Songde was sentenced to four years in prison in October 2018. He has begun to serve time at Jinan City Prison. He was arrested in June 2018 and detained at Linyi Brainwashing Center and Linyi City Detention Center before imprisonment.
Luozhuang District: 2 Detained
Two sisters, Ms. Hu Jinggui and Ms. Hu Jinghui, were arrested in October 2018. The police ransacked their home and confiscated their computer, printer, and Falun Gong books. They are currently held at Hedong Detention Center and facing further prosecution.
