80-year-old Retired Doctor Sentenced to 3.5 Years for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) An 80-year-old retired Chinese medicine doctor was sentenced to 3.5 years on May 9, 2022, for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. She was informed on July 24 that she would be taken into custody soon.

Ms. Huang Zheng’s husband, Mr. Hu Zhiliang, became incapacitated and bedridden years ago after the repeated persecution of his wife took a toll on his health. With his caregiver-wife to be imprisoned soon, he is now facing a dire situation.

Arrest

Ms. Huang, of Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, was a Chinese Medicine doctor at the Suzhou Chinese Medicine Hospital before her retirement. Despite being a doctor herself, she struggled with Meniere’s Syndrome. After practicing Falun Gong, she recovered.

Over the years, she has been repeatedly targeted for not renouncing her faith. The authorities often arranged for people to stay outside of her home to monitor her. Many relatives and friends of hers had been questioned when they came to visit her ailing husband.

Ms. Huang was arrested again at home on July 6, 2020. Her Falun Gong books, photos of Falun Gong’s founder, and other Falun Gong-related materials were confiscated.

While being interrogated at the Taohuawu Police Station, Ms. Huang refused to answer any questions. She tried to clarify the facts about Falun Gong, but the police refused to listen. The police released her on bail at midnight and took her home.

Court Hearing

Ms. Huang was notified by the Wujiang Court on January 6, 2022, that she was scheduled to appear in court on January 24. On the day of the hearing, none of her family members or friends was allowed to attend the session. Her lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her.

The prosecutor accused Ms. Huang of undermining law enforcement with a cult organization. Her lawyer argued that the prosecutor had failed to show which law enforcement she allegedly undermined and how. He demanded an acquittal of her.

Ms. Huang also testified in her own defense. She argued that she didn’t violate any law in having Falun Gong books and materials. The Chinese publication bureau already lifted the ban on Falun Gong books in 2011. The Constitution also protects one’s freedom of belief and freedom of expression.

She added that when she worked in the hospital, every doctor took commissions from drug wholesalers or pharmaceutical companies, which could be nearly 5,000 yuan per month when their salary was only around 1,000 yuan. Back then, her two children were still in school and the family’s financial situation was tight. Despite the difficulty, she stopped taking commission after learning Falun Gong and living by its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.

The judge adjourned the hearing without announcing a verdict.

Four months later, on May 6, the judge sentenced Ms. Huang to 3.5 years with a 4,000-yuan fine.

Appeal Rejected

Ms. Huang appealed the verdict to Suzhou City Intermediate Court. She went to the higher court four times between May 12 and 15, but the court refused to accept her appeal in person and ordered her to mail it.

She returned to the court to inquire about her case on May 23, four days after she mailed the package. The receptionist claimed that they didn’t have her case in the system. She called the court, but no one answered. The receptionist then ordered her to submit a copy of her appeal to the first instance court and she did.

On June 13, without ever hearing back from either court, Ms. Huang wrote to Ren Yuanhang, the trial court judge who sentenced her and urged him to forward her appeal to the higher court. Ren responded on June 16 that he had mailed the materials for her.

The higher court confirmed on July 5 that they had accepted her appeals case. She submitted her defense statement.

Ms. Huang was summoned by the police on July 15. She went to the police station and saw two staff members from the higher court: Ding Peizhe, a judges’ assistant, and Dai Yi, a court clerk. They revealed that two judges, Xin Yichun and Wu Jihua, had been assigned to handle her case.

Ding and Dai contacted Ms. Huang on July 20 and handed her the higher court’s decision to reject her appeal. She received a letter from Wujiang Court on July 24, notifying her that her verdict has become effective and she would be taken to prison to serve time. It’s not clear whether she has already been imprisoned at the time of writing.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Yan Suyan (严苏燕), officer of Taohuawu Police Station: [phone]Xin Yichun (辛以春), presiding judge of Suzhou City Intermediate Court: [phone]Ren Yuanhang (任远航), presiding judge of Wujiang District Court

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)

Related report:

79-year-old Woman Faces Prosecution for Her Faith, Family Harassed