(Minghui.org) Since 2008, a former college professor has been sentenced three times for her faith in Falun Gong, with each arrest taking place only a few months after she finished the previous prison term.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Wang Jiafang, a 58-year-old Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province resident, was most recently arrested on September 10, 2021 while talking to people about Falun Gong outside of a mall. She was held at the Baiyun District Detention Center and had her arrest approved by the Baiyun District Procuratorate on September 25.
The Liwan District Court sentenced Ms. Wang to four years with a 10,000-yuan fine in July 2022. She appealed the verdict. The Guangzhou City Intermediate Court ruled to uphold her original verdict on December 26, 2022.
Ms. Wang’s latest arrest came only three months after she was released on April 26, 2021 from serving a 3.5-year term given by the same Liwan District Court. Her previous arrest on October 27, 2017 took place less than a year after she was released from serving another nine years at the Guangdong Province Women’s Prison. She often struggled with intense pain in her liver due to severe torture and kicking on her abdomen in the prison.
Ms. Wang used to be an associate professor of mathematics at Guangzhou University. She had a son who suffered from congenital heart disease, and she became interested in Falun Gong after hearing numerous stories about the practice’s miraculous healing power. She and her son decided to give Falun Gong a try. The boy’s condition improved significantly, which cemented Ms. Wang’s determination to practice Falun Gong.
After the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999, Ms. Wang used every possible opportunity to tell people that the practice is nothing like what is depicted by the state propaganda. Her simple act of raising awareness about the persecution landed her in police custody on multiple occasions.
Ms. Wang was first arrested in November 2000 and detained for more than one year. Her husband, a high-ranking military official, threatened to divorce her if she refused to give up her belief. He also denied that their son recovered from practicing Falun Gong.
Ms. Wang held firm to her faith. She lost her job after she was released and was arrested several more times in the years that followed. She was sentenced to 9 years in prison after her arrest in September 2007.
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