Well-Regarded Villager Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for His Faith

(Minghui.org) A resident of Chaoyang City in Liaoning Province was recently sentenced to four years in prison for refusing to renounce his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since July 1999.

Mr. Li Zhenyang has been detained at Chaoyang City Detention Center since he was arrested on August 22, 2018. His case was submitted by the Longcheng District Procuratorate to the Longcheng District Court on December 28

Mr. Li appeared in court on March 22, 2019. During the entire hearing, his hands remained cuffed and his feet shackled, with a chain linking the handcuffs and shackles (see illustration below). As a result, he wasn't able to stand or walk upright. The court hearing was the first time that his family was allowed to see him after his arrest. They were heartbroken to see him confined in such a way.

Torture illustration: Handcuffs tied to shackles

Judge Liu Mingdi sentenced Mr. Li in recent weeks. It is unclear when Mr. Li will be transferred to prison.

Model of Honesty and Altruism

Mr. Li had always enjoyed a reputation of honesty among his local villagers. After he started practicing Falun Gong, he became even more considerate of others as he strove to live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

In 2002, his local government decided to allocate farmland to villagers. As everyone else vied for fertile land, he voluntarily accepted a plot filled with weeds that nobody wanted. His altruism earned him respect throughout the village, including the village officials who assigned the farmland.

Parties involved in persecuting Mr. Li Zhenyang:

Zou Xiaoling, president of Longcheng District Court: [phone], [phone]

Liu Mingwei, presiding judge of Longcheng District Court: [phone], [phone]

Sun Wenke, prosecutor of Longcheng District Procuratorate: [phone] (cell), [phone] (home)

(More participants and contact information are available in the original Chinese article.)

Related report:

Additional Persecution News from China – March 21, 2019 (8 Reports)