(Minghui.org) A local court in Anshan City ruled to drop the case against a woman 17 months after she was arrested for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.

Ms. Cui Yufang, 64, credits Falun Gong for keeping her high blood pressure at bay. Police arrested her and her son on June 28, 2016, and confiscated more than 40,000 yuan in cash from her home. Her son later escaped and is living away from home to avoid arrest.

The sudden arrest triggered Ms. Cui’s high blood pressure symptoms, but the local detention center still took her into custody. As she was not allowed to do Falun Gong exercises, her condition kept deteriorating, and she was later diagnosed with cerebral ischemia at the local Changda Hospital.

Despite her precarious condition, authorities refused to release Ms. Cui. She appeared in court on May 19, 2017.

Her lawyer, Mr. Li Chongwei, entered a not guilty plea for her, as no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong. He also submitted a request to have his client’s case dropped after the court hearing.

Ms. Cui was released on bail on November 16, while Mr. Li worked to secure her acquittal.

Tiexi Court ruled on November 27 to withdraw the Tiexi Procuratorate’s indictment against Ms. Cui.