(Minghui.org) A 73-year-old Nanyang City, Henan Province resident was recently sentenced to 3.5 years for his faith in Falun Gong. Mr. Wang Zizhou’s imprisonment left his wife, who is blind in both eyes, in a dire situation.

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

Mr. Wang was arrested at home on June 8, 2021. His Falun Gong books, informational materials, three cellphones and a media player were confiscated. The police held him at the Sheqi County Detention Center, leaving his blind wife to fend for herself. 

On June 15, a week after Mr. Wang’s arrest, the police harassed his daughter and threatened to arrest her and send her newborn baby to an orphanage. 

The police raided Mr. Wang’s home again on June 25 and broke his several locks. They seized more of his personal belongings, including two additional cellphones.

The police returned to Mr. Wang’s home the third time on December 6, 2021 and raided the place. His daughter, who went there to take care of her mother, was arrested and held at the Sheqi County Lockup for ten days, during which time she was unable to breastfeed her months-old baby.

Mr. Wang’s family recently learned that he had been sentenced to 3.5 years and had been taken to the Xinmi Prison in Zhengzhou City. 

This is the second time that Mr. Wang has been sentenced for his faith. He was previously arrested on July 18, 2019. His Falun Gong books, informational materials, photo of Falun Gong’s founder and Falun Gong themed paintings were all confiscated. His arrest was approved by the Sheqi County Procuratorate on July 22 and he was later sentenced to one year in prison.