(Minghui.org) A Shantou City, Guangdong Province resident was sentenced to four years for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.

Mr. Xu Muqun, a middle school teacher, was arrested at home on May 3, 2018. His Falun Gong books and computer were confiscated.

On May 29, the police submitted Mr. Xu’s case to Chenghai District Procuratorate, which approved his arrest on June 4 and indicted him on August 10. 

The Chenghai District Education Bureau stopped his bonus and suspended 25% of his salary on September 21. 

Mr. Xu appeared in Chenghai District Court on November 15, 2018. Prosecutor Wang Zhaodai frequently interrupted Mr. Xu’s lawyer when he entered a not guilty plea for him.

The presiding judge, Wang Guanghui of Chenghai District Court, sentenced Mr. Xu to four years in prison with a 3,000-yuan fine on April 12, 2019, with the charge of “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” a standard pretext used by the authorities to frame Falun Gong practitioners.

Mr. Xu appealed the verdict on April 12, 2019. The Shantou City Intermediate Court upheld his sentence on June 26.

Mr. Xu was transferred from Chenghai District Detention Center to Sihui Prison in late July 2019. The local education bureau fired him on July 25, citing his prison sentence.