(Minghui.org) According to information collected by the Minghui.org website, at least eleven residents in Xianing City, Hubei Province are being detained for their belief in Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
The eleven practitioners, including three females, range in age from 24 years-old to 76 years-old. Four were arrested in 2017, four in 2018, two in 2019, and the remaining one in 2020. At the time of writing, eight have been sentenced, two are awaiting verdicts after court hearings, and another one has been detained beyond the legally permissible term without a hearing.
1. Mr. Chen Chuang, a 24-year-old native of Xianning, was arrested on June 4, 2017 while working in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province. He was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Longang District Court of Shenzhen and fined 10,000 yuan. He is currently being detained at Shaoguan Prison in Guangdong Province.
2. Mr. Xiang Debin, a 50-year-old retiree, was arrested on his way to work on June 22, 2017 and taken to a brainwashing center. He was tried by the Xian'an District Court on December 27, 2018. He is currently detained at the Xian'an District Detention Center.
3. Ms. Wang Huiyuan, 64, is a retired judge from Tongcheng County Court. She was arrested and taken to Chongyang County Detention Center on August 30, 2017. She was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2018 after two court hearings. Currently she is detained at the Wuhan City Women’s Prison.
4. Ms. Wang Yunxia, 49, from Tongcheng County, was arrested on August 30, 2017 and sentenced to a four-year prison term in 2018. Her appeal against the verdict was rejected. She is currently detained at the Wuhan City Women’s Prison.
5. Ms. Huang Qiuzhen, 64, was arrested on March 7, 2018. She was sentenced to four years in prison in September 2019 and taken to Wuhan Women’s Prison on October 23, 2019.
6. Mr. Mei Shuqing, a Chibi City native in his 30s living in Wuhan, was arrested in April 2018 in Wuhan City. He was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in November 2018. He is currently detained at Fanjiatai Prison in Shayang County, Hubei Province.
7. Mr. Hong Haihua, 65, from Shadui Town in Tongcheng County, was arrested on May 3, 2018. He has been tried by the Tongcheng County Court four times and is now awaiting a verdict at Chongyang County Detention Center.
8. Mr. Zhou Guoqiang, a former employee of Industry Commercial Bank in Chibi City, was arrested at work on December 26, 2018. He was brutally beaten, tortured, and interrogated at the Yujiatou Police Station. He stood trial at Wuchang District Court on December 24, 2020 and was sentenced to 8.5 years with a 30,000 yuan fine on January 25, 2021. He currently remains detained at the Wuchang District Detention Center.
9. Mr. Zhang Rihua, a 76-year-old resident of Chongyang County, was arrested in mid-August 2019. He was sentenced to a three-year prison term in 2020. He is currently detained at the Fanjiatai Prison.
10. Mr. Wang Xinqing, 70, a doctor from the Tongcheng County Family Planning Service Station, was arrested on August 12, 2019. He was sentenced to three years in prison on August 12, 2019. He is currently being detained at Fanjiatai Prison.
11. Mr. Zhang Weiqin, 42, is a graduate from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. He was arrested while talking to people about Falun Gong in a village on April 20, 2020. He was detained at Chibi City Detention Center. He is currently being detained at the Xian'an District Detention Center.
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