56-Year-Old Jilin Woman Gets Two Years for Her Faith in Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) A 56-year-old woman in Changchun City, Jilin Province was recently sentenced to two years and fined 5,000 yuan for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Ms. Zhang Haihong has filed an appeal. Her sentencing stemmed from her arrest on June 14, 2023. Several officers from the Ziyou Boulevard Police Station, including Gu Qifeng ([phone]), broke into her home that day and confiscated more than a dozen Falun Gong books and over 400 banknotes printed with Falun Gong messages (such banknotes are used as a way to raise awareness of the persecution). 

Both Ms. Zhang and her husband, Mr. Tian Zidong (also a Falun Gong practitioner), were taken to a local detention center after the police raid. Ms. Zhang was found to have high blood pressure during the required physical examination and was denied admission. She was taken back to the police station and given another physical examination the next day. The police then managed to get her admitted to the Changchun City Supervision Center Detention Center. They released her husband on bail that day.

Prosecutor Gao Di ([phone]) of the Chaoyang District Procuratorate indicted Ms. Zhang and forwarded her case to the Chaoyang District Court on September 14. 

Judge Li Peng ([phone]) held a virtual hearing of Ms. Zhang’s case on October 12 without informing her family. Her loved ones found out recently that she had been sentenced. The exact time of her sentencing was unknown.

Ms. Zhang’s sentencing dealt a heavy blow to her elderly parents and parents-in-law, who rely on her for care. Her school-age child also struggles to cope.

Past Persecution: Two One-Year Forced Labor Terms

Ms. Zhang took up Falun Gong in 1994 and has been repeatedly targeted for upholding her faith over the past 24 years of persecution.

She was arrested in November 2000 for attending a gathering of Falun Gong practitioners. She was given one month of criminal detention. 

The Ziyou Boulevard Police Station officers arrested Ms. Zhang in 2002 and gave her one year of forced labor.

Ms. Zhang and two other practitioners were distributing Falun Gong informational materials on September 26, 2004 when they were reported to the police. Lyuyuan District Police Station officers soon arrived to arrest the three practitioners. 

The police kicked and punched Ms. Zhang while interrogating her at the police station. They also shocked her with electric batons. They gave her 15 days of detention the next day. After the 15-day detention expired, the police gave Ms. Zhang one year of forced labor at the Heizuizi Women’s Labor Camp in Changchun City.