(Minghui.org) A 57-year-old veteran in Beijing was recently sentenced to a two-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong. This is the third that Mr. Wang Hongbin has been sentenced for his faith since the Chinese communist regime began to persecute this ancient spiritual discipline in 1999.

Mr. Wang, who had served in the military for 15 years before joining a large company in Beijing doing administrative work, was arrested at home on August 28, 2020 by officers from the Shahe Police Station. His computer, Falun Gong informational cards, and electric bike were confiscated. He was held at the Changping Detention Center and was convicted around early November 2021 by the Changping District Court.

Mr. Wang’s latest arrest came only 1.5 years after he returned home from serving another one-year term for practicing Falun Gong. He was previously arrested at home on March 13, 2018, after being reported for raising awareness about the persecution. The police confiscated his Falun Gong books and informational materials, before taking him to the police station and then to the Changping District Detention Center.

Mr. Wang was tried by the Changping District Court in late 2018. He acted as his own lawyer and argued against the lack of legal basis for the persecution. Both the prosecutor and judge Wang Ying remained silent when Mr. Wang questioned what law he had allegedly violated by practicing Falun Gong.

Judge Wang sentenced Mr. Wang to one year, with a 1,000 yuan fine. He served time at the Xin’an Education and Correction Center in Daxing District and was released on March 12, 2019.

Mr. Wang had previously been sentenced to 3.5 years by the Haidian District Court in 2001 and given a 2.5-year term of forced labor in 2010. His labor camp detention was later extended for five months, as he refused to renounce Falun Gong.