(Minghui.org) A Tianjin resident was sentenced to a six-year prison term on April 26, 2021, for putting up informational posters about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Yang Lixia was arrested on March 2, 2020 by officers from Changhong Police Station. The police ransacked her home and confiscated her computer, printer, laminator, Falun Gong books, banknotes printed with messages about Falun Gong, and other personal belongings.
Due to strict information censorship in China, many Falun Gong practitioners are using creative ways to raise awareness about the persecution, including printing messages on banknotes.
After Ms. Yang was released on bail the next afternoon, the police monitored her daily life and didn’t allow her to go to work.
The police informed her on July 13 that they had submitted her case to the Nankai District Procuratorate, and she was ordered to continue staying at home and waiting for the next prosecution step of her case.
Ms. Yang stood trial at the Nankai District Court on January 15, 2021 and was sentenced on April 26. The court didn’t inform her lawyer of her sentencing trial.
Ms. Yang was taken back into custody after receiving the verdict. Her family is preparing to appeal the sentence.
According to available data on the Minghui.org website, 640 Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin were persecuted for their faith in 2020. One was persecuted to death. Thirty-two were sentenced, with the longest term being nine years and the oldest practitioner being 80. Another 125 practitioners were arrested and 482 harassed, with 91 among them having their homes ransacked.