(Minghui.org) An ethnic Yi woman in Qujing City was sentenced to seven years in prison for paying for her groceries with bank notes bearing messages about Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a mind-body practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since July 1999. Many Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested and jailed for raising awareness of the persecution.

Ms. He Lichun, 43, was seized on August 23, 2017 after an employee of Fuwanjia Supermarket reported her for using bank notes with Falun Gong messages.

Ms. He was strip searched at the Liaolang Police Station. The police then interrogated her for several hours without giving her any water or food. When she asked for something to eat and drink, the interrogating officers called in a policewoman to try to strip search her again. She firmly refused.

The officers demanded that Ms. He take off her glasses. When she refused, they called in two younger policemen to cuff her hands behind her back before forcibly removing her glasses. They restrained her to a chair and didn't allow her to use the restroom that night. Her handcuffs weren't removed until the next morning.

Five officers (three males and two females) from the Qilin District Police Department came to interrogate Ms. He on August 24, 2017. They forcibly took her DNA sample and photographed her. Officer Bai Kaiyu (badge number 059532) grabbed Ms. He's right wrist so hard that he caused excruciating pain. He then held Ms. He down on the ground tightly and ordered other officers to tickle her, making her extremely uncomfortable. Another officer then grabbed her right thumb to take her fingerprints.

Ms. He, an engineer, had bruises on her wrists, arms, left knee, and right leg afterwards. The bruises didn't disappear until months later.

Officer Bai and another policeman with badge number 027048 came to the local detention center to interrogate Ms. He again on September 5 and 6, 2017. They videotaped her and said they'd show her daughter, who is attending a boarding school out of town, how she was being interrogated.

Ms. He was later sentenced to seven years in prison by the Qilin District Court. She is appealing her case.