(Minghui.org) Ms. Wang Yingxia was sentenced to four years in prison on October 24, 2019 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
The Chengdu City, Sichuan Province resident soon filed an appeal with the Chengdu City Intermediate Court.
When her family went to the intermediate court on December 2 to inquire about her case, they learned that the case had been closed and a decision had already been made. Instead of being told the ruling on her appeal, they were referred to the Gaoxin District Court, the first court that convicted Ms. Wang back in October.
Ms. Wang’s family called judge He Jing of the trial court a few days later as instructed by the intermediate court and asked about her case. Judge He said that she couldn’t reveal the ruling over the phone and demanded that Ms. Wang’s family or their lawyer visit the court to receive the result in person.
The Gaoxin District Court once withdrew its guilty verdict against another local Falun Gong practitioner, Mr. Su Qinghua, in 2017. Ms. Wang’s family had hoped that the court would make the same decision in Ms. Wang's case. But when they visited the court on December 23, they learned that her original four-year term had been upheld.
Ms. Wang was arrested on August 27, 2018 for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. She has been held at the Chengdu City Detention Center since September 10, 2018.
Related reports:
Sichuan Woman Sentenced to Four Years for Her Faith
Sichuan Woman Faces Trial for Her Faith, Lawyer Unable to Submit Required Documents Until Fourth Try
