(Minghui.org) Two Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province residents have been imprisoned after their appeals against the wrongful sentences for their faith in Falun Gong were rejected.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.
Ms. Teng Chaying
Ms. Teng Chaying, around 60, was arrested in 2018 and detained in the Nanchang City No.1 Detention Center.
She was tried in the Xihu District Court on August 16, 2019. She entered a not guilty plea for herself and said she didn’t violate any law in telling people about the persecution of Falun Gong.
The judge later sentenced her to 7.5 years. The prosecution evidence against her included several cellphones confiscated from her home and the record of her making more than 17,000 phone calls to people to inform them about the persecution.
Ms. Teng appealed to the Nanchang City Intermediate Court, which upheld the original verdict in early 2020. She was sent to Jiangxi Women’s Prison in mid-January 2020.
Ms. Yan Jinhua
Ms. Yan Jinhua, 59, was arrested on April 13, 2018, for hanging up banners about Falun Gong. She was also detained in the Nanchang City No.1 Detention Center, where she was abused and lost a lot of weight as a result of the mental distress.
She was tried in the Xihu District Court on August 16, 2019. She defended herself and argued that no law has criminalized Falun Gong in China.
The judge sentenced Ms. Yan to five years in October 2019, accusing her of being a “repeat offender,” as she had been sentenced twice for practicing Falun Gong before.
Ms. Yan’s appeal was also rejected by Nanchang City Intermediate Court and she was sent to Jiangxi Women’s Prison in late January 2020.
Because of raising awareness about Falun Gong, Ms. Yan was sentenced to 3 years on May 12, 2006, and 4.5 years on September 15, 2011. She was severely tortured for not renouncing her faith in the prison.
