43-Year-Old Sichuan Man Given Second Prison Term for His Faith in Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) It was recently learned that a 43-year-old resident of Suining City, Sichuan Province, was admitted to Jiazhou Prison months ago to serve an unknown term for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Mr. Zhang Muqing’s prison sentence stemmed from his arrest at home in 2023 (exact date unknown). The police tied him up before raiding his home. They confiscated his computer, printer, Falun Gong books and other personal valuables. They took him to a police station and later moved him to a detention center. 

Mr. Zhang’s family was kept in the dark of his case status. They only found out recently that he had been sentenced and transferred to the Jiazhou Prison a few months ago. They still do not know when exactly he was indicted, tried, sentenced, or admitted to prison. They are also still working to find out his exact prison sentence.

This is not the first time that Mr. Zhang has been targeted for his faith, which he credits for transforming his life. His parents divorced when he was little and later passed away one after another. Because of these unfortunate events, he became withdrawn and introverted. After he took up Falun Gong, he found joy in life again and was much more upbeat, outgoing, and considerate. 

Mr. Zhang was arrested on May 16, 2015, while printing Falun Gong informational materials at his friend Ms. Chen Fengjun’s noodle restaurant. The more than a dozen arresting officers took Mr. Zhang, Ms. Chen, and her husband to the Fuyuan Road Police Station for interrogation. The trio was later released. Ms. Chen, also a Falun Gong practitioner, was sentenced to three years in prison a year later. 

Mr. Zhang was arrested again in mid-October 2017 after the security guard at a local apartment complex reported him for distributing Falun Gong informational materials there. Fuyuan Road Police Station officers arrested him and took him to the Yongxing Detention Center. He stood trial at the Chuanshan District Court in 2018 and was sentenced to one and a half years. He was admitted to Jiazhou Prison in September 2018.