(Minghui.org) An 84-year-old woman faced constant harassment for the past two years and was sentenced to a 1.5-year prison term for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
The ordeal of Ms. Cai Zefang from Yingshan County, Sichuan Province, stemmed from her arrest on January 29, 2021, for talking to people about Falun Gong. The police confiscated her Falun Gong books, 2,000 yuan in paper currency with information about Falun Gong printed on them, and other Falun Gong materials.
Due to strict information censorship in China, many practitioners use creative ways to raise awareness about the persecution, including printing information on paper currency.
The police interrogated Ms. Cai for several hours and released her at around 8 p.m. They submitted her case to the Procuratorate and continued to harass her. In March 2021, her nephew was ordered to sign her bail release document on her behalf at the Procuratorate.
Four police officers descended on Ms. Cai’s home at 8 p.m. on October 29, 2021. They ordered her to sign a case document, but she refused to comply. They stayed for an hour, threatening to harass her every day.
Ms. Cai was notified by the Procuratorate on November 8, 2021, that she had been indicted. Presiding judge Yi Binhua upheld her bail release condition and ordered her family to sign the relevant document on her behalf the next day.
Ms. Cai appeared in court on January 3, 2022. She was charged with “undermining law enforcement using a cult organization,” the standard pretext used to criminalize Falun Gong. The persecution she suffered before was listed as evidence for the prosecution. Ms. Cai argued that no law in China has ever deemed practicing Falun Gong as being a crime. The judge did not respond.
The judge summoned Ms. Cai on February 9, 2022, and announced the 1.5-year prison sentence. She was also fined 3,000 yuan.
When Ms. Cai asked the judge why her age was changed from 84 to 75, the judge responded that 75 was 80.
Ms. Cai was taken to the Nanchong City Detention Center that evening. When the guards refused to admit her due to her high blood pressure, at 220/180 mmHg, the police took her home at around 3 a.m.
Three officers showed up at Ms. Cai’s home on April 24. They held her arms, dragged her to the police car, and drove her to the Suian Police Station. They searched her and confiscated 200 yuan in cash with information about Falun Gong printed on the paper currency, along with a Falun Gong amulet. Ms. Cai started a hunger strike to protest the persecution and was released at around 8 p.m. The police ordered her to report to their station whenever she was summoned.
The court ordered two Suian Police Station officers to arrest Ms. Cai again on May 26. They took her to the hospital for a physical exam and then to a detention facility without a sign on the door in Yilong County at 6 p.m. When the guards refused to take her, the police spent an hour trying to persuade them otherwise, but to no avail. They had to take Ms. Cai home at midnight.
Ms. Cai was stopped by two officers when she went out on November 29, 2022. They forcibly took her to the police car in front of the crowd, claiming they needed to ask her some questions.
After a COVID-19 DNA test and a physical examination, the police took Ms. Cai to a detention facility. She was locked in a cell, handcuffed. She held a hunger strike to protest, but no one ever responded to her. The police took her back home at 8 p.m. on December 1 and ordered the residential committee to keep an eye on her.
Related report:
Judge Changes 84-year-old Woman’s Age to 75 Before Sentencing Her for Practicing Falun Gong
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