(Minghui.org) A 58-year-old Dezhou City, Shandong Province resident was sentenced to prison on December 15, 2020, for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Qu Fengrong, also known as Ms. Qu Fengxi, was arrested in mid-July 2020 for talking to people about the health benefits of Falun Gong. The police confiscated her Falun Gong books, computer, printer, and paper cutter. They released her after extorting her husband out of 1,000 yuan.

Ms. Qu was arrested again on August 8, 2020, for talking to people about Falun Gong. The police searched her home again and confiscated a few of her Falun Gong books and a set of photos of Falun Gong’s founder.

After being held at a local lockup for a month, she was transferred to the Dezhou City Detention Center. Her lawyer went there twice but was denied an in-person meeting and was only allowed to talk to her via video conference.

Ms. Qu was tried by the Lingcheng District Court on December 15, 2020, and sentenced to one year and nine months.

Past Persecution

Ms. Qu used to suffer from many health problems. After she took up Falun Gong in August 1998, her ailments, including hepatitis and leg pain, disappeared one by one. After the CCP began its persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, she was repeatedly arrested and given one year of forced labor.

Arrests and Extortion

Ms. Qu was first arrested on June 24, 2002 at a local market. She escaped from the police station but was arrested again at home on August 20. She was detained at the Ling County Detention Center and released after the police extorted 5,000 yuan from her family.

The police broke into Ms. Qu’s home on June 22, 2004. She was forced to live away from home for several days to avoid further persecution. Her family was extorted out of another 3,000 yuan before the police agreed to stop looking for her.

The police tried to arrest her again on August 7, but she wasn’t home when they came.

One Year Labor Camp Term

Ms. Qu was arrested once more on June 24, 2006, and taken to the Dezhou City Detention Center. After 19 days of detention, she was given a one-year term and transferred to the Jinan Women’s Forced Labor Camp. Her husband and children were in deep distress during her incarceration.

Harassment

The police called Ms. Qu’s husband on June 9, 2018, to harass her. After her husband told them that Ms. Qu was visiting a relative, the police forced him to take them to her relative’s home to look for her. They waited at her relative’s home until 11:30 p.m. and left as Ms. Qu never appeared.