(Minghui.org) When Mr. Liu Wei’s family went to the detention center to visit him in late May 2021, they were told that he has been sentenced to four years for practicing Falun Gong. This is the first time that his family has been given an update about his case following his arrest one and a half years ago.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Liu, a retired employee of the Grain and Oil Machinery Factory in Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, was arrested in nearby Xi’an City in September 2019. While another practitioner, Zhang Jing, who was arrested with him, was released after 30 days of detention in the Yanta District Detention Center, Mr. Liu remains in custody. The police have kept his family in the dark about his whereabouts.

In early November 2019, Mr. Liu was taken back to his residence in Hanzhong. The police searched his home and confiscated his Falun Gong books and printer. He was then held at the Foping County Detention Center under the jurisdiction of Hanzhong.

When Mr. Liu’s family went to the Foping County Detention Center to visit him in May, he had already been transferred to the Hantai Detention Center while awaiting the result of his appeal. A guard revealed that he might be taken to the Weinan Prison soon to serve time.

This isn’t the first time that Mr. Liu, in his 60s, has been persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. He was previously given two years at the Guozhen Forced Labor Camp following his arrest in September 2009. He was arrested again in January 2013 for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong and was sentenced to four years by the Nanzheng County Court. He was constantly tortured and forced to labor for no pay at the Weinan Prison.