(Minghui.org) Shortly after a Beijing resident was sentenced to 1.5 years for practicing Falun Gong, her elderly mother, who shared the same faith, passed away.

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

While distributing informational materials about Falun Gong on the street on June 4, 2020, Ms. Xu Yanqiu placed a copy on a car, without knowing that it belonged to police officer Tian Chao.

Tian reported Ms. Xu and located her through street surveillance cameras. On July 14, Tian and four other officers arrested Ms. Xu at the home of her mother Ms. Kang Shuling. Four of their Falun Gong books were confiscated. Ms. Kang, then 74, went after Tian, trying to stop him. Tian threw two books out of the car and drove away as she picked up the books. 

By the time Ms. Xu was released after 15 days of detention, Ms. Kang had became incapacitated due to the mental distress from worrying about her daughter. The elderly woman couldn’t talk and was unable to take care of herself. 

Ms. Xu was arrested again on September 17, after she was reported for distributing Falun Gong materials while taking her mother out for a walk on August 25. Dong Jie, a judge of Fangshan District Court, quickly handed down a 1.5-year prison sentence with a 2,000-yuan fine of Ms. Xu on December 25, 2020. 

Ms. Xu’s sentencing dealt Ms. Kang a heavy blow. Her health continued to deteriorate and she passed away on September 16, 2021. 

Ms. Kang took up Falun Gong in 1997. After the communist regime ordered the persecution in 1999, she appealed several times for the right to practice Falun Gong and was held in the local brainwashing center as a result. She was given 1.5 years of forced labor on January 1, 2000.

After her husband passed away in 2019, she relied on Ms. Xu for care. But the persecution Ms. Xu suffered caused tremendous mental distress to Ms. Kang and eventually claimed her life.

Prior to her latest sentencing, Ms. Xu has also been held in the local brainwashing center for appealing for Falun Gong. She served 1.5 years of forced labor as well and was fined 2,000 yuan.