(Minghui.org) A Tianjin resident was secretly sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for her faith in Falun Gong. Her family recently found out that she is serving time at Tianjin Women’s Prison.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Lu Houfen, 63, was taken away from her home on December 28, 2017 in a group arrest of local Falun Gong practitioners.
She appeared in the Nankai District Court on January 23, 2019. Her lawyer entered a not guilty plea on her behalf.
The court never informed her lawyer or family of her verdict. Her family was surprised to find that she was no longer at Nankai District Detention Center when they went there to visit her in December 2019.
The detention center guards told her family that she had been transferred away in September, but refused to reveal the location to her family.
Only when her family found the presiding judge to inquire about her case, did the judge tell them of her prison sentence. “Sorry, I just forgot to tell you that.” the judge said to her family.
Related reports:
Tianjin Woman’s Family Kept in the Dark of Her Whereabouts
Tianjin: 24 Arrested in One Day for Refusing to Renounce Falun Gong
