(Minghui.org) Four residents of Guilin City, Guangxi Province were sentenced to prison in May 2019 for not renouncing their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

A fifth practitioner who was arrested with the others wasn’t sentenced, as she developed breast cancer during detention which soon progressed into an advanced stage.

The five practitioners were arrested between September and October 2017. Their arrests were approved by the Lipu County Procuratorate in November 2017.

The Lipu County Court judge announced their verdicts in late May 2019 after two hearings, in July 2018 and early May 2019.

Mr. Yao Dehuan, 53, was sentenced to 8 years in prison; Ms. Pan Mengfen, 71, was sentenced to 7.5 years; Ms. Luo Guifen, 70, was given 7 years; and Ms. Huang Muqing, 59, received 3 years.

Ms. Luo was once released on bail for a medical condition in May 2018. She was taken back to the detention center after being sentenced.

Ms. Zeng Fengling, 60, was released in October 2018 after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The police attempted to send her back to the detention center on May 23, 2019, but the detention center refused to accept her.