(Minghui.org) A 73-year-old woman was secretly sentenced to four years in September 2020 for her faith in Falun Gong. Ms. Zhao Liying's family was kept in the dark of her case status and didn’t find out about her verdict until one month later.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Zhao, a retired elementary school teacher in Neijiang City, Sichuan Province, was arrested on September 14, 2019 after being followed by the police for putting up informational materials about Falun Gong. The police ransacked her home and sent her to the Neijiang City Detention Center.

In December 2019, the police submitted Ms. Zhao’s case to the procuratorate. Her family hasn't received any official update about her case since then.

When Ms. Zhao’s family went to the detention center to send clothes to her in late October 2020, they were told that their loved one has been sentenced to four years with a 2,000 yuan fine last month.

Her family went to the procuratorate and questioned why they were not informed of her case status. The staff there didn’t answer their question, but quickly showed them her verdict, before quickly taking it back.