(Minghui.org) Four of the nine Falun Gong practitioners in Fushun City, Liaoning Province arrested last April were sentenced to prison in December 2018 for not renouncing their faith, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Liu Chunlan, Ms. Liu Shaojun, who is nearly 70, and Ms. Yu Haiping, 69, were each given a 2.5-year prison term. Ms. Yu's sister, Ms. Yu Hailan, 64, was sentenced to 1.5 years.
Ms. Liu Chunlan and Ms. Liu Shaojun were also fined 5,000 and 3,000 yuan, respectively. Both women's appeals against the verdicts have been registered with the Fushun City Intermediate Court at the time of writing.
All four women were tried by the Wanghua District Court in September 2018.
According to Ms. Liu Shaojun's family, her blood pressure has been at 200 mmHg since her arrest. They are very worried about her health.
Ms. Yu Hailan is unable to walk after nearly eight months of detention. Her son took her to a hospital designated by the police twice in early January 2019, but the doctor refused to reveal the examination results to them.
The four sentenced practitioners and the five already-released practitioners were arrested on April 24, 2018. The police strip-searched them and drew two large tubes of blood from each against their will.
Ms. Zuo Yuhua, Ms. Ji Yaxuan, Ms. Zhou Shuhua, Ms. Yu Haiqiu (sister of Ms. Yu Haiping and Ms. Yu Hailan mentioned above) and Ms. Wu Lixian were released on May 31, after 37 days of detention at Nangou Detention Center.
Ms. Zuo's husband, who has a heart problem, returned home on April 24 with his 93-year-old father to find police ransacking the place. He suffered a heart attack right then and was hospitalized. Ms. Zuo's family was given the run-around between the police station and Domestic Security Division when seeking her release.
Ms. Liu Chunlan's 85-year-old mother, Ms. Guo Meizhu, frequented the police station to seek her release, despite her physical challenges of severe asthma and being hunchbacked.
Related reports:
Fushun City, Liaoning Province: 12 Arrested for Their Faith in 16 Days, 9 Remain Detained
Falun Gong Practitioners Strip-searched and Have Blood Drawn at Jianshe Police Station
85-Year-Old Ailing Mother Calls for Release of Daughter Awaiting Prison Sentence for Her Faith
