(Minghui.org) Mr. Deng Liping, a 77-year-old retired engineer in Chongqing, was released on July 23, 2021, after serving two years for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. He recently recounted the prosecution process of his latest prison term. 

Mr. Deng went to the Yudu Prison on July 11, 2019, intending to deliver some informational materials about Falun Gong to a prison guard named Yu Huajian, whom he had met while serving a previous three-year term for his faith. The guard reported him, resulting in the police ransacking Mr. Deng’s home the next day. His Falun Gong books, informational materials, a book stand and several radios were confiscated. The police left without arresting him. 

Mr. Deng went to Nan’an District Domestic Security Office on July 17, trying to urge the officers not to participate in the persecution. The police blocked him from entering the office and videotaped him. After two hours of standoff, the police arrested Mr. Deng and took him to the Yinglong Police Station for a brief interrogation. He was taken to the Nan’an District Detention Center on July 24. 

Mr. Deng was indicted by Jiulongpo District Procuratorate in late March 2020. He appeared in Jiulongpo District Court in mid-July 2020 and the hearing only lasted ten minutes. He submitted a defense statement and a letter of protest against the indictment, but the judge and prosecutor didn’t accept them.

On August 31, 2020, Mr. Deng received the two-year verdict with a 1,000-yuan fine, issued by the court on August 27. He appealed with the Chongqing No. 5 Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold his original sentence on November 23 without a hearing. 

Mr. Deng was taken to Yongchuan Prison in mid-December and was subjected to tight restrictions and monitoring for refusing to renounce his faith, until he was released. 

Upon returning home, he realized that the authorities suspended his pension during his term. He is now trying to get the money back through various legal channels. 

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