(Minghui.org) Five Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province residents are facing trial for their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Sun Shiwei, Ms. Shi Ying, Ms. Cao Shufang, Ms. Gao Yongli and her brother Mr. Gao Pengguang were arrested and had their homes ransacked on April 24, 2020.
Ms. Cao was denied admission due to high blood pressure and released on bail by early next morning. Ms. Gao, Mr. Gao and Mr. Sun were put in criminal detention at the Bamiantong Town Detention Center. Ms. Shi was first detained at the Hailin Detention Center and then transferred to the Mudanjiang Detention Center.
The Hailin City Procuratorate approved the practitioners’ arrests on May 27, 2020 and later indicted them.
On August 15, 2020, Ms. Cao was summoned to the Hailin Court. The presiding judge Jiang Xinkun told her that the prosecutor recommended seven years with a 20,000 yuan fine for her and the other four practitioners.
The court initially scheduled a hearing for October 27, but later canceled it without providing a reason. The judge has yet to schedule another hearing.
Mr. Sun, a former arts teacher, suffered from a gastric ulcer, nephritis and arthritis before taking up Falun Gong. An overactive thyroid also caused him to suffer constant fatigue and emaciation. Soon after practicing Falun Gong, his health recovered and his weight increased to normal levels. He also became more dedicated at work and once won the “teacher of the year” award. He also refused to take kickbacks when tasked with purchasing school supplies. However, he was given one year of forced labor in 2002 and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2005 for practicing Falun Gong.
Mr. Gao also suffered many ailments before practicing Falun Gong, including a duodenal ulcer, stomach bleeding, arthritis and a tumor on his back. Due to financial constraints, he couldn’t afford the medical treatment. His wife often cried over the family’s plight.
After witnessing the health improvement in his father and how fast he quit smoking and drinking after practicing Falun Gong, Mr. Gao also learned the practice. Soon, his own health recovered. He became a taxi driver and paid off the family’s debt. Whenever his customers left valuables in his taxi, he always returned the items.
Ms. Shi is an employee of a mobile phone company. The prosecutor Chen Xiaoyue has threatened to force her employer to fire her and sentence her to seven years if she refused to give up practicing Falun Gong. He also threatened to expel her nephew, who had just been admitted to the National Defense University, from his college if she didn't give in.
Related report in Chinese:牡丹江市曹淑芳等五法轮功学员被检察院构陷
All articles, graphics, and content published on Minghui.org are copyrighted. Non-commercial reproduction is allowed but requires attribution with the article title and a link to the original article.
Category: Accounts of Persecution
