(Minghui.org) A 54-year-old resident in Maoming City, Guangdong Province was transferred to the Beijiang Prison in March 2022 to serve an 8.5-year term for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Li Yuandong

Mr. Li was arrested on July 9, 2019 for talking to people about Falun Gong. When he stood trial on November 4, 2020, no prosecution witnesses appeared in court to accept cross examination. The prosecutor accused him of distributing USB flash-drives containing information about Falun Gong, but failed to provide any evidence to support the allegation.

The court announced through a video conference on August 31, 2021 that Mr. Li was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison and fined 30,000 yuan. He appealed with the Guangzhou City Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold the original verdict.

Prior to his latest sentencing, Mr. Li, a former government employee, has served two one-year labor camp terms at the Sanshui Forced Labor Camp, in 2000 and 2002.

In order to force him to renounce Falun Gong, the labor camp guards twice deprived him of sleep for over 30 days. He sometimes collapsed to the ground and fell asleep due to extreme fatigue. The guards then immediately woke him up, beat him, shocked him with electric batons, and inserted toothpicks under his fingernails.

A guard named Lu Jinhu once handcuffed Mr. Li’s right hand to his left ankle, forcing him to remain in a squat position. Lu also shocked the left side of Mr. Li’s face with an electric baton, which caused the flesh to fester.

Mr. Li’s entire body later festered due to the torture, and he was on the verge of death. Fearing that the torture would be exposed, the guards didn’t allow his parents to visit him.

Meanwhile, the Maoming City Harbor Superintendency Administration, where Mr. Li worked, suspended him, and he was later forced to resign. His wife also divorced him due to tremendous pressure from the persecution. Mr. Li did odd jobs to support himself after he was released.

Related report:

Former Government Employee Sentenced to 8.5 Years for His Faith