Additional Persecution News from China – January 5, 2023 (7 Reports)

(Minghui.org) Today's news from China includes incidents of persecution that took place in 7 cities or counties in 5 provinces, where at least 14 practitioners were recently persecuted for their belief.

1. [Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province] Mr. Li Desheng Sentenced to Four Years in Prison
2. [Guan County, Shandong Province] Three Practitioners Tried
3. [Beijing] Ms. Yang Shunmei Held in Detention Center
4. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] Ms. Liu Gangli Forced to Take Blood Pressure Drugs in Prison
5. [Jiaohe City, Jilin Province] Mr. Wu Dexiu Missing
6. [Weifang City, Shandong Province] Five Practitioners Sentenced to Prison
7. [Hefei City, Anhui Province] Ms. Jiang Guangxue and Ms. Pei Ling Sentenced to House Arrest

1. [Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province] Mr. Li Desheng Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

Mr. Li Desheng, 20, from the Tianhe District was held in custody for over a year. He was sentenced to four years in prison by the Haizhu District Court in July 2022.

On the afternoon of June 21, 2021, Mr. Li was reported to the police when he exchanged paper bills with information about Falun Gong written on them for bills in large denominations in the Haizhou District. On June 24, he was arrested at his home by officers from the Huazhou Police Station in the Haizhu District. They ransacked his home and confiscated a computer, a printer, USB flash drives, Falun Gong books, calligraphy artworks, paintings, a cell phone, and paper bills with information about Falun Gong written on them.

Mr. Li was taken to the police station and later to the Haizhu District Detention Center. On July 26, he was officially placed under arrest by the Haizhu District Procuratorate.

In July 2022. Mr. Li was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 5,000 yuan by the Haizhu District Court. Mr. Li is still being held in the detention center.

2. [Guan County, Shandong Province] Three Practitioners Tried

Three practitioners were tried in the Guan County Court on December 21, 2022.

Mr. Zhou Chunbao, Deputy Director of the Guan County Taxation Bureau, was arrested by officers from the Domestic Security Division of the Guan County Police Department on May 15, 2022. After being held in custody for over seven months, Mr. Zhou was tried via video link on December 21.

Ms. Zhang Yuxiang from Liangtang Township and Mr. Xu Hengkui from Ganguantun Township were also tried. Due to the pandemic, only one family member was allowed to be present in the courtroom.

3. [Beijing] Ms. Yang Shunmei Held in Detention Center

Ms. Yang Shunmei from Sijiqing Township in the Haidian District was arrested at home on July 14, 2022. The police ransacked her home and confiscated her Falun Gong books. She is being held in the Haidian District Detention Center. Her family members have no information about her.

According to them, Ms. Yang was reported to the police when she clarified the truth about Falun Gong. The officers went straight to her home and arrested her.

4. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] Ms. Liu Gangli Forced to Take Blood Pressure Drugs in Prison

Ms. Liu Gangli was taken to the No. 2 Women’s Prison in Liaoning Province on August 16, 2022. She has so far not been allowed to make any phone calls to her family. She is being held in the No. 6 Team of the No. 4 Ward.

Her family went to talk to Prison Administration Division and Prison Administration Bureau officials several times and were told that there was a “strict control period” during which no phone calls were allowed.

Her family learned that Ms. Liu’s blood pressure last November was up to 220, and the guards have forced her to take antihypertensive medicine every morning since November 3. The exact condition of her health is unknown.

5. [Jiaohe City, Jilin Province] Mr. Wu Dexiu Missing

After Mr. Wu Dexiu was arrested at his rented home in May 2022, his sister called the police officer handling the case several times to ask about Mr. Wu. The officer said that he was quarantined in Shulan City. Mr. Wu’s exact whereabouts are unknown.

6. [Weifang City, Shandong Province] Five Practitioners Sentenced to Prison

Mr. Wu Chengshou, 57, from Chaijiahe Village, Fuyunshan Community, was arrested by domestic security officers with the High-tech Zone Police Department when he was going to work on the morning of April 20, 2021. Mr. Wu was held in the detention center for over a year. He was secretly sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined 100,000 yuan. Mr. Wu appealed, but the Weifang City Intermediate Court upheld the original verdict. He was taken to Shandong Province Prison on September 22, 2022.

Mr. Gao Peng, 36, from Qiujiahe Village, Wutu Sub-district, Changle County, was reported to the police for distributing truth-clarification materials. He was arrested on May 18, 2021, by officers from the Nanhao Police Station under orders from the Political and Legal Affairs Committee and Domestic Security Division in Changle County. He was tried, sentenced to seven years in prison, and fined 50,000 yuan on December 20, 2021. Mr. Gao appealed, but the Weifang City Intermediate Court upheld the original verdict. He was taken to Shandong Province Prison on September 22, 2022.

Mr. Gao Guangcheng, 69, from Qiujiahe Village was reported to the police for clarifying the truth about Falun Gong in Huangbu Village on the afternoon of April 27, 2020. He was arrested by Chengnan Police Station officers. He was tried in the Qingzhou City Court, sentenced to one year and six months in prison, and fined 10,000 yuan on December 12, 2020. He was admitted to Shandong Province Prison on September 9, 2021.

Ms. Yu Meixia, 59, a senior teacher at the Wutu Vocational Middle School in Changle County, was arrested by Chengguan Police Station officers on February 4, 2022, for clarifying the truth about Falun Gong. She was tried via video link by the Qingzhou City Court on April 27 and sentenced to three years and six months in prison. She appealed, but the Weifang City Intermediate Court upheld the original verdict. She is being held in the Weifang City Detention Center.

Ms. Yu Shufen, in her 50s, was arrested at home by officers from the Changle County Domestic Security Division on March 13, 2018. She was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 8,000 yuan. She appealed, but the Weifang City Intermediate Court upheld the original verdict. Two people in plainclothes took her to Changyi County Detention Center on September 28, 2021, on the grounds that Ms. Yu was sentenced to seven years in prison on July 20, 2018, which was to be enforced. After nearly two and a half months, she was transferred to Shandong Province Women’s Prison on January 4, 2022.

7. [Hefei City, Anhui Province] Ms. Jiang Guangxue and Ms. Pei Ling Sentenced to House Arrest

Ms. Jiang Guangxue was sentenced to one year of house arrest and fined 1,000 yuan in July 2022.

Ms. Pei Ling was sentenced to one year and eight months of house arrest and fined 2,000 yuan in November 2022.