(Minghui.org) A man in his 70s was sentenced to three years for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.

Mr. Lei Anxiang, a retired engineer in Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, was arrested on June 24, 2019, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. Instead of detaining him in a detention center, the authorities sent him to the 198 Hospital.

The judge of Beihu District Court tried Mr. Lei in the hospital on October 31, 2019, and sentenced him to three years on November 12, 2019, with a 5,000 yuan fine.

Mr. Lei appealed to Chenzhou City Intermediate Court, which accepted his case on December 9 and announced to uphold the verdict four days later without having a hearing.

It’s not clear where Mr. Lei is currently held.

Prior to his latest sentencing, Mr. Lei was sent to forced labor camps twice and sentenced to prison for a total of eight years for upholding his faith in Falun Gong.

He once suffered five broken ribs and internal organ injuries after being beaten by police following an arrest. While detained at a labor camp, the guards there rolled a wooden club against his calf and twisted a pencil between his fingers until his bones were exposed.

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The Persecution Experienced by Mr. Lei Anxiang Since 1999

Call for Rescuing Mr. Lei Anxiang, Who Was Illegally Sentenced by the CCP