Weihai City, Shandong Province: Nine Tapestry Factory Employees Stand Trial for Practicing Falun Gong, Three Sentenced

(Minghui.org) Nine residents of Weihai City, Shandong Province, were tried on August 24, 2023, for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. Three practitioners have been sentenced to prison with terms ranging from nine months to nine years. The fate of the other six is unknown.

Mr. Zhang Yingming was arrested on July 20, 2022, when he returned home from work. His wife, Ms. Zhang Yingmiao, had been arrested hours earlier by officers from the Wendeng District Police Department. Ms. Zhang was released at around 8 p.m., while Mr. Zhang has remained in custody ever since. The couple’s home was ransacked and their Falun Gong books, portrait of Falun Gong founder, and informational materials were confiscated.

Also arrested on the same day were Ms. Tian Lisha, Ms. Li Shuhong, Ms. Qu Aiping, Ms. Liu Mingming, Ms. Xu Changqing, Mr. Cong Xu, Ms. Lian Qingling, and Mr. Jiang Changmin. These eight plus Mr. Zhang were all employed at a local tapestry factory.

Ms. Tian’s late brother, Mr. Tian Shihong, who also practiced Falun Gong, started the factory. He died at the age of 64 in November 2019 after suffering years of persecution. Following his passing, his wife and daughter, Ms. Li and Ms. Tian Tian, took over the business, with Ms. Li serving as the legal representative (every business in China is required to appoint a legal representative to act on behalf of the company) and Ms. Tian Tian being the operations manager.

The Wendeng District Police Department later submitted the nine practitioners’ cases to the Rongcheng City Procuratorate, which indicted them on December 28, 2022. The practitioners appeared in the Rongcheng City Court on August 24, 2023. Ms. Tian refuted the allegations against her, and other practitioners also testified in their own defense. The presiding judge kept interrupting and threatening them.

It has been confirmed that Ms. Tian has been sentenced to nine years, Ms. Li to two years, and the factory accountant, Ms. Liu, to nine months. The status of the other six is not clear.

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