(Minghui.org) The month of September 2022 recorded another 47 cases of Falun Gong practitioners being sentenced for their faith. Five of the newly-confirmed cases took place in 2021 and the remaining 42 happened in 2022, including two in May, one in June, seven each in July and August, 24 in September, and one in an unknown month.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. Since then, countless practitioners have been arrested, detained, sentenced, and tortured for upholding their faith. But due to strict information censorship in China, the incidents can’t always be reported in a timely manner, nor is all the information readily available.
The sentenced practitioners hailed from 18 provinces and municipalities. Shandong reported the most cases of 13. Liaoning ranked second with six cases. Hubei and Hebei each had four cases. The other 14 regions each had one or two cases.
A total of 17 (36%) practitioners were 60 or older at the time of their sentencing. Even practitioners in their 80s were not spared. In particular, an 82-year-old woman was given one year for distributing Falun Gong materials and an 82-year-old man was sentenced to three years.
The practitioners’ terms ranged from nine months to eight years. Sixteen of them were fined a total of 179,000 yuan, including one practitioner fined 50,000 yuan, one fined 30,000 yuan, and four fined between 10,000 to 20,000 yuan.
The sentenced practitioners came from all walks of life, including an art teacher, a small business owner, vegetable farmers, and a retired textile factory worker. Several of them have endured unspeakable agony due to the persecution, including having served decades behind bars, losing their parents or spouse to the persecution, and being forced to live away from home for decades before being sentenced.
As the persecution entered its 23rd year, the authorities are becoming ever more unscrupulous in sentencing Falun Gong practitioners, including convicting them without trials or arbitrarily increasing their prison terms. When being questioned about the secret sentencing of a practitioner, a court employee blurted out, “You can go ahead and file an appeal if you have an objection.”
Below are snapshots of selected sentencing cases. The full list of sentenced practitioners can be downloaded here (PDF).
Sentenced for Raising Awareness about the Persecution
Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Posting Information about Falun Gong on WeChat
Mr. Sun Wanshuai, an art teacher in his 50s in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, was arrested at home on December 3, 2020, by internet police from Luoyang City, Henan Province, about 600 miles away. His computer and cell phone were confiscated. The police claimed that he posted sensitive information about Falun Gong on WeChat, a popular social media platform in China, and took him to Luoyang.
After a year of detention, the Jianxi District Court in Luoyang tried Mr. Sun on December 11, 2021. The judge didn’t allow his family to hire a lawyer to enter a not-guilty plea for him. Mr. Sun was given five minutes to testify in his own defense. The judge sentenced him to eight years with a 30,000-yuan fine in July 2022.
Since 2019, the police in Henan have gone across the country and arrested multiple practitioners for spreading information online about the persecution of Falun Gong. In addition to Mr. Sun, the same court also sentenced Ms. Dai Zhiying of Shanghai to 9.5 years and Ms. Zhang Xia of Wuhan City, Hubei Province to nine years for posting information on WeChat.
Hebei Man in His 70s Sentenced to One Year for Putting Up Information about Falun Gong
Mr. Li Wuqun, a Wuji County, Hebei Province, man in his 70s, was reported in 2020 and again in 2021 for putting up informational materials about Falun Gong. His home was ransacked both times and his Falun Gong books and materials were confiscated. He was also fined over 10,000 yuan both times. The police attempted to detain him following his arrest in 2020 but relented after two local detention centers denied him admission.
The police began to harass Mr. Li again in June 2022. They arrested him and held him at the Chengbei Detention Center. The Zhengding County Court sentenced him to one year in early August.
Sichuan Woman Imprisoned for Speaking Up for Her Faith, Denied Family Visits for Two Years
The 2022 Mid-Autumn Festival on September 10 was especially bitter for Ms. Wang Minghui’s family. While other families enjoyed time together, Ms. Wang’s loved ones haven’t been allowed to visit her once since she was arrested for her faith in Falun Gong two years ago.
Ms. Wang is a 44-year-old resident of Yaan City, Sichuan Province. She and her husband own a small restaurant and they have two sons who are both high school seniors. She was arrested at 10 p.m. on August 29, 2020, for her efforts to raise awareness about the persecution.
The Mingshan District Court held the first hearing in January 2021 and the second on July 16, 2021. Ms. Wang was represented by court-appointed lawyers, who were instructed to plead “guilty” on her behalf.
Ms. Wang was sentenced to seven years and four months and fined 10,000 yuan on September 26, 2021. She appealed with the Yaan City Intermediate Court. While the higher court never announced its decision regarding her appeal, she was taken to the Sichuan Province Women’s Prison on June 15, 2022, to serve time.
Sentencing of Elderly Practitioners
82-year-old Sentenced to One Year for Distributing Falun Gong Materials
The Zhangqiu District Court called Ms. Liu Chunping, 82, of Jinan City, Shandong Province, on September 8, 2022, and ordered her to appear the next day.
Ms. Liu’s son drove her there on September 9. Because she couldn’t climb the stairs to get into the courthouse, two employees came over to the car and handed her a one-year prison sentence with a 5,000-yuan fine. They also ordered her to get a physical exam and get ready to be taken to prison.
Ms. Liu was arrested in October 2021 for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. She appeared in court on July 26, 2022, charged with “promoting superstition and undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” the standard pretext used to criminalize Falun Gong.
82-year-old Man Sentenced to Three Years at Home
Mr. Wang Zhigeng, an 82-year-old retired teacher in Weifang City, Shandong Province, was arrested at home on August 15, 2022. After the police took him to the Beihailu Police Station, a court employee handed him a copy of his indictment and his residential surveillance notice. The police then told his son to take him home.
On the morning of August 26 (Friday), nine people, including the police, the prosecutor, and the judge, went to Mr. Wang’s home to hold a trial. He was sentenced to three years and fined 5,000 yuan. After handing down the sentence, the police took Mr. Wang to the hospital for a checkup. By the time they took him to the Weifang City Detention Center, it was already late at night. The guards refused to accept him and told the police to return Monday morning.
Mr. Wang’s ordeal dated back to his earlier arrest on October 23, 2019, as the police claimed that they had caught him putting up posters about Falun Gong two weeks before. His son received a call from the Kuiwen District Court on July 9, 2020, and was told that his father was scheduled to appear in court a month later. It’s not clear if the hearing ever took place before he was sentenced two years later.
Repeated Persecution
Ms. Wu Yanwen was devastated when the police called her to say that her son Mr. Luo Liteng had been sentenced to four years in mid-September 2022 for their shared faith in Falun Gong.
Mr. Luo of Macheng City, Hubei Province, was arrested on May 21, 2021, at the Macheng Train Station after security found a video on his cellphone of local practitioners celebrating World Falun Dafa Day at his home on May 10. He was held in the Macheng Detention Center and denied family visits.
Mr. Luo, his mother Ms. Wu, and his father Mr. Luo Kaijun all took up Falun Gong in 1995. After the persecution started, the family set off to Beijing on December 3, 2000, to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong and were arrested. The elder Mr. Luo was tortured for months in custody. When he was released on April 28, 2001, he was on the verge of death due to systemic edema. He passed away on September 23, 2002, while Ms. Wu was still serving a two-year labor camp term given shortly after her arrest.
The younger Mr. Luo was arrested again in June 2007 and held at the detention center for a year. During that time, the police twice took him to the Hubei Province Brainwashing Center and tried, unsuccessfully, to force him to renounce Falun Gong through torture and intimidation.
Mr. Luo was sentenced to ten years in Fanjiatai Prison in June 2008. As he remained firm in his faith, the guards beat him, burned him with cigarette butts, and forced him to do unpaid labor. He was released in November 2015.
Shanghai Woman Gets Four More Years after Having Served Ten Years
A Shanghai resident, around 70, was recently sentenced to four years for her faith in Falun Gong after already serving two prison terms and a labor camp term for a total of 10 years.
Ms. Jiang Linying
The police harassed Ms. Jiang Linying at home on February 3, 2021, and ordered her to sign statements renouncing Falun Gong. When she refused, they arrested her and ransacked her home. Her mother was so distraught by the arrest that she passed away shortly after.
Ms. Jiang had an asthma attack on March 26 in the detention center and suffered a persistent fever and cough. The guards didn’t take her to see a doctor until April 2, when the doctor found that she had pneumonia caused by asthma.
Worried about her health, her family demanded the authorities release her, but to no avail. After over a year of detention, she was sentenced to four years by the Jing’an District Court on September 8, 2022.
Ms. Huang Wenfen, 60, of Yichang City, Hubei Province resident, was taken to a local brainwashing center on October 30, 2021, for refusing to renounce Falun Gong when the police harassed her a month earlier.
Her family wasn’t updated about her status. Not until recently did they learn that she had been sentenced to one year and fined 2,000 yuan. She is scheduled to be released in November 2022.
Prior to her latest arrest, Ms. Huang and her daughter lived away from home and moved 23 times in 11 years to avoid the persecution. Due to years of displacement, Ms. Huang didn’t have any job or savings. She relied on her daughter to support the family. Now the younger woman is having to take care of her 96-year-old grandfather since Ms. Huang’s latest arrest.
A woman widowed by the persecution of Falun Gong was recently sentenced to eight years in prison for her faith. Even though Ms. Zhang Xiulan was emaciated and very weak, the detention center guards still beat her and ordered her to renounce her faith. Her family is demanding that the authorities release her on medical parole.
Ms. Zhang of Jiaozhou City, Shandong Province, took up Falun Gong with her husband Mr. Liu Fuxi in 1996. Mr. Liu’s migraines, stomach problems, and addiction to nicotine and alcohol subsequently disappeared. Ms. Zhang credits Falun Gong for curing her arthritis and gynecological disease.
When the Chinese Communist Party started the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, the couple was forced to live away from home for five years to hide from the police.
Mr. Liu later became incapacitated and bedridden. He was terrified when the police broke in at 1 a.m. on August 28, 2016, after Ms. Zhang was reported for distributing information about Falun Gong. The police turned their home upside down and confiscated a large number of personal belongings. The mental stress took a toll on Mr. Liu’s health and he passed away less than three weeks later. He was 59 years old.
As soon as she finished arranging her husband’s funeral, Ms. Zhang was forced into displacement again to avoid further persecution. Every time she heard a police siren, she was paralyzed with fear. Her own health began to decline. She lost a significant amount of weight and became hunchbacked.
Unable to live on her own any longer, she moved in with her daughter. Before she could recover, the police deceived her daughter into opening the door on December 16, 2021, by pretending to be property management personnel. Four officers barged in and took Ms. Zhang away. Her mother, who was staying with them, was petrified and passed away the next day.
Ms. Zhang was tried in the Huangdao District Court on August 23, 2022, and sentenced to eight years in prison. Her family wasn’t allowed to attend the trial.
According to an insider, Ms. Zhang is merely skin and bones and extremely weak. Despite her condition, the guards still beat her and verbally abuse her to try to force her to renounce Falun Gong.
Violation of Legal Procedure
Woman in Her 70s Sentenced for Her Faith Without a Trial
Ms. Xu Fenglan of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, in her 70s, was arrested on January 29, 2021. Her Falun Gong books, informational materials, printer, and computer were confiscated. After over ten hours of interrogation, she was released on bail the same day.
Without having a trial, the Xihu District Court informed Ms. Xu in early September 2022 that she had been sentenced to two and half years with a 50,000-yuan fine. It’s not clear if she has been taken into custody.
68-year-old Woman Secretly Sentenced to 2.5 Years
Only one and a half years after Ms. Yang Fengying finished serving eight months for practicing Falun Gong, the 68-year-old Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, resident was arrested again and secretly sentenced to another two and a half years.
Ms. Yang was arrested on January 9, 2022, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. In early September 2022, Ms. Yang’s family hadn’t heard any update about her case, so they called the Linghai City Court, only to be told that she had been sentenced to two and a half years and fined 4,000 yuan in July. Her family asked why the court did not inform them of the sentencing, and the person who answered the phone responded, “You can go ahead and file an appeal if you have an objection.”
Prior to her latest sentencing, Ms. Yang has been repeatedly arrested, detained, and tortured. She served five years in Masanjia Forced Labor Camp between 2000 and 2005. She was arrested again on November 15, 2019, and sentenced to eight months in May 2020.
Hebei Man Sentenced for Practicing Falun Gong, Term Later Changed from 3.5 to 6 Years
A Hengshui City, Hebei Province, resident was sentenced to three and a half years in mid-April 2022 for talking to people about Falun Gong. While he was allowed to serve time at home due to his poor health, the court nevertheless tried him months later and increased his term to six years.
Mr. Zhao Changyu, 64, was arrested a few years ago after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. Although the police released him on bail a few days later, they came back several times to harass him. The mental trauma took a toll on his health and he lost the ability to walk. The police even harassed him when he was in the hospital.
The Jizhou District Court held a virtual trial of Mr. Zhao in mid-April 2022 and sentenced him to three and half years. Because he couldn’t walk, the judge allowed him to serve time at home.
Two months later, however, the judge went to Mr. Zhao’s home, tried him again, and re-sentenced him to six years.
Mr. Zhao was arrested and taken into custody after being deceived into believing that the police were taking him to the hospital for a COVID-19 test.
Middle School Teacher Wrongfully Convicted for Her Faith
A former middle school teacher in Dongying City, Shandong Province, was sentenced to prison in June 2022 for practicing Falun Gong, despite her husband’s efforts to rescue her.
Ms. Meng Yu, a teacher at Shengli No. 1 Middle School, was arrested at work on April 23, 2021. When the police ransacked her home, they also confiscated her husband’s work computer, cellphone, and portable drive, even though he doesn’t practice Falun Gong. The couple’s son, who had just returned from college abroad, was still asleep when the police arrived. He was terrified when the police pulled off his comforter. He suffered digestive problems afterward and vomited after eating.
Mr. Zhou Gong, Ms. Meng’s husband and a senior design engineer, was working from home that morning. He was taken to the police station and interrogated from 2:20 to 8:30 p.m. No officer presented any legal document to him for the raid or interrogation. No confiscation list was given to him either. Under tremendous pressure, Mr. Zhou said he couldn’t remember how he answered their questions. He was forced to sign his name on their deposition.
After he was released, he returned to the police station several times to ask about his wife and get a copy of her detention certificate, but to no avail. Most of the time, the police either refused to answer his call or stopped him at the entrance to the station. The same thing happened when he reached out to the procuratorate.
Without any evidence to show how Ms. Meng violated the law by practicing Falun Gong, prosecutor Ren Yaohai approved her arrest and indicted her on charges of “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization.” The deposition that Mr. Zhou was forced to sign after six hours of interrogation was also included in the prosecution evidence against Ms. Meng.
The Dongying District Court tried Ms. Meng twice, on March 10 and in May 2022. Her lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for her, but the presiding judge, Yan Xiaohui, stopped Ms. Meng when she was about to read her own defense statement.
Mr. Zhou was barred from attending the sessions, because the judge claimed that he was a witness since the prosecutor used his deposition.
Other evidence included by prosecutor Ren were Falun Gong informational materials and memory cards confiscated from their home. None of the materials were exhibited in court. Merely based on the number of copies of materials, the judge sentenced Ms. Meng to three and a half years with a 30,000-yuan fine on June 23.
Mr. Zhou is very worried about his wife’s situation, having heard she was beaten twice by inmates at Binhai Detention Center. Two pairs of her glasses were broken. She was also forced to wear handcuffs and shackles every day for a month.
Related reports:
Reported in August 2022: 57 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
Reported in July 2022: 55 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
Reported in the First Half of 2022: 366 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
Reported in May 2022: 42 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
Reported in April 2022: 57 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
Reported in March 2022: 74 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
Reported in February 2022: 33 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
Reported in January 2022: 132 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
Reported in 2021: 1,187 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith
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