73-year-old Man Taken to Prison to Serve 4.5 Years for His Faith in Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) A 73-year-old Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province resident was taken to the Mudanjiang Prison in late May 2022 to serve a 4.5-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Wang Xinmin, a retired senior agronomist for the Heilongjiang Tobacco Research Institute, was arrested in a police sweep on June 10, 2021. The authorities claimed that the purpose of the group arrest was to “maintain stability” in light of the upcoming July 1 Chinese Communist Party centennial celebration.

Mr. Wang suffered from extremely high blood sugar at the Mudanjiang Detention Center, but the authorities refused to release him on bail.

The Aimin District Court held a hearing of Mr. Wang’s case on October 29, 2021. He testified in his own defense. The lawyer appointed by the court entered a guilty plea for him. The judge sentenced him to 4.5 years with a 5,000-yuan fine in November 2021.

Mr. Wang appealed with the Mudanjiang City Intermediate Court, but the judge ruled to uphold his original verdict.

Prior to his latest sentencing, Mr. Wang has served 14 years in prison for upholding his faith in Falun Gong. He and his wife Ms. Wang Guizhen, as well as their daughter, Ms. Wang Weilin, were arrested on October 22, 2003 by officers of the Aimin Police Station. While his wife and daughter were later released, he was sentenced to 14 years in Mudanjiang Prison.

The prison guards often beat the practitioners and shocked them with electric batons. They also deprived them of sleep, stripped off their clothes, then poured cold water over their heads, even when the temperature was below freezing.

In a round of torture on July 4, 2009, Mr. Wang was hung up by the wrists for half of the night. Other practitioners were hung up for even longer times, beaten, and shocked with electric batons.

The torture in prison caused Mr. Wang to develop severe pancreatitis in early 2014. He was released on medical parole in June 2014. Before he fully recovered, he was taken back to the prison on June 4, 2015 and held there until his term ended on June 23, 2016.

Mr. Wang Xinming at the time he was released on medical parole in June 2014

Perpetrators’ contact information:
Wei Ming (魏明), presiding judge of Mudanjiang City Intermediate Court: [phone]Jiang Zhihong (蒋志红). judge of Mudanjiang City Intermediate CourtWang Qiang (王强), secretary of Mudanjiang Prison: [phone]

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)

Related reports:

Once Sentenced to 14 Years, Older Man Gets Another 4.5 Years for His Faith

Having Been Incarcerated for Over a Decade, Older Man Detained Again Despite Medical Condition

Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province: 28 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in One Day