(Minghui.org) Ms. Yan Zhiqiu, 73, from Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province, was sentenced to two years and fined 10,000 yuan on December 27, 2024 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Yan’s illegal conviction stemmed from an incident on July 16, 2019. She and four other local practitioners were talking to people about Falun Gong that day when they were reported and seized by the police. Ms. Yan had a seizure and foamed at her mouth. The police immediately released her.
The other four practitioners were later sentenced to prison around January 2020, with Mr. Yang Xuewen and Ms. Li Yali each receiving 2.5 years and a 20,000-yuan fine; Ms. Zhang Kuihua and her daughter, Ms. Zhang Guorong, each given 2 years and fined 10,000 yuan.
The police kept monitoring Ms. Yan in the years that followed. She went to visit two relatives (a father and son) on September 23, 2024, when more than ten officers led by captain Wang Lijun from the Zhaodong City Domestic Security Division broke in and arrested the three of them. The aforementioned Ms. Zhang Kuihua and Ms. Zhang Guorong were also arrested at the same time (it is unclear whether they were arrested at Ms. Yan’s relatives’ home).
During the arrest, Ms. Yan’s relatives condemned the police for trespassing. The police pepper sprayed the son’s face and his eyes turned red. They then handcuffed him and tossed him into their cruiser, where they continued to beat him. After taking the father and son to the Xicheng Police Station, the police ordered the older man to sign some paperwork. He refused to sign and was released after several hours. His son was then taken to a lockup and held there for ten days.
Ms. Yan was taken to the Suihua City Detention Center on the day of her arrest. Her case was submitted to the Anda City Procuratorate. Both Zhaodong City and Anda City are under the administration of Suihua City.
Ms. Yan was indicted at an unknown time and sentenced to two years by the Anda City Court on December 27, 2024. Other details of her prosecution are unknown. The local social security bureau also suspended her pension.
Related Reports:
Four Heilongjiang Residents Arrested for Their Faith, A Fifth Forced to Live Away from Home
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