(Minghui.org) A resident of Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province was sentenced to 4.5 years term for raising awareness about the persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Wei Zaiqiang, 59, was seized at his son's home in Xi'an City (about 20 miles from Sanyuan) at 2 a.m. on December 8, 2016. Agents from Sanyuan County had received tips that Mr. Wei had left messages about Falun Gong in public areas.
Both his wife and son were also taken into custody and detained for one day. The police ransacked Mr. Wei's own home and confiscated his Falun Gong books, computer, and other personal belongings. He has been held at Gaoling District Detention Center ever since.
The Gaoling District Court judge returned his case twice to the prosecutor for insufficient evidence following his indictment in September 2017. The judge accepted the case on the prosecutor's third attempt.
Mr. Wei appeared in court on November 21, 2017. His lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf and argued that the persecution of Falun Gong didn't have any legal basis. He also cited a notice from the China Publication Bureau in which the ban on publication of Falun Gong literature was revoked in 2011.
The lawyer noted that Mr. Wei's health improved after he practicing Falun Gong and he credited the practice for helping him quit smoking and drinking. Because he had benefited so much, he recommended the practice to others and urged them to not be blinded by the negative propaganda spread by the communist regime.
This February, 15 months later, Mr. Wei's family was informed by the lawyer that the judge had sentenced him to 4.5 years. His family is planning to appeal the verdict.
