(Minghui.org) Ms. Zhou Jinlian was sentenced to three years in prison in March 2019 for her faith in Falun Gong. The 51-year-old resident of Yongxing County, Hunan Province was transferred to Hunan Province Women's Prison in late May 2019.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Zhou was arrested on October 8, 2018 while distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. She appeared in Yongxing County Court on March 21, 2019. The materials confiscated by the police and her previous two detention notices for her faith were used as prosecution evidence against her.
She testified in her own defense and argued that she didn't violate any law in upholding her faith or talking to people about the persecution. Her court-appointed lawyer, however, entered a guilty plea for her against her will.
Ms. Zhou was later sentenced to three years and fined 10,000 yuan.
While seeking justice for her, her family was harassed and threatened by the authorities.
Li Wenhua and He Lunbo of the Yongxing Court published an article in local media on March 25, 2019, using Ms. Zhou's case to defame Falun Gong. Other local media outlets and blogs soon reprinted the slanderous article. Falun Gong practitioners in Yongxing County are urging the local media to remove and stop circulating the article.
Ms. Zhou Jinlian from Hunan Province Given a Three-Year Prison Term