(Minghui.org) A Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province resident was secretly sentenced to three years for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Tong Hengbiao was arrested on January 19, 2020, at a train station in Daqing, before boarding the train to visit his daughter in Beijing during the Chinese New Year holiday. He was detained at the Daqing City Detention Center and denied visitation by his family and lawyer.

The High Technology Development District Court held two hearings in the detention center through teleconferences on June 23 and June 28, 2020, respectively. He was charged with “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” the standard pretext used to frame Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese courts.

Mr. Tong denied the charge and refused to plead guilty, despite being pressured by the judge. His family wasn’t informed of his hearings.

It’s not clear when the judge announced the verdict against Mr. Tong.

Mr. Tong was sent to the Daqing City Prison. According to sources, he was beaten by several felons during his first few days of imprisonment and was seriously injured. The prison authorities are still denying his lawyer and family from visiting him.