(Minghui.org) Ten Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, residents, aged between 42 and 85, were sentenced to prison on September 27, 2023 for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

- Ms. Zhao Shuniu, 57, and Ms. Su Jinling, 74, were each sentenced to eight years and fined 80,000 yuan.- Ms. Li Hongwei, 63, and Mr. Li Yixing, 42, were each sentenced to five years and six months and fined 50,000 yuan.- Ms. Guo Yulan, 76, was sentenced to five years and fined 50,000 yuan.- Mr. Gao Runhong, 85, was sentenced to four years and fined 40,000 yuan.- Ms. Hu Aimin, 55, was sentenced to three years and six months and fined 30,000 yuan.- Ms. Zeng Yongzhao, 70, was sentenced to three years and fined 30,000 yuan.- Ms. Jing Cuihua, 58, was sentenced to two years and fined 20,000 yuan.- Ms. Liu Xinzhi, 65, was sentenced to one year and fined 10,000 yuan.

The ten practitioners were arrested by the Jinshui District Police Department between October 2021 and February 2022. The Xinzheng Court heard their cases on July 19, 2023 and didn’t allow their family members to attend their hearing. It’s not clear whether the practitioners were tried jointly or separately on the same day. The judge announced the verdicts on September 27. 

Below are details of their arrests.

Ms. Zhao was arrested on October 27, 2021, after being reported for talking to people on the street about Falun Gong. The police located her home by poring over surveillance videos and raided her home with the key confiscated from her. Prior to her latest sentencing, she was detained for 15 days in 2002 and given one year of forced labor in 2003.

The surveillance videos also showed that Ms. Zhao had met up with Ms. Su so the police arrested the latter at home in November 2021. Ms. Su’s home was also ransacked. Prior to her latest ordeal, she has served two years of forced labor between 2001 and 2003.

Ms. Li, a retired state enterprise employee, and Mr. Li were arrested on November 1, 2021 by police staked outside Ms. Zhao’s home when they went to visit Ms. Zhao. Without presenting a search warrant, the police raided Ms. Li’s home three times in the next three weeks. She was held at the police station during the three-week period and then transferred to a brainwashing center and subsequently Zhengzhou City No. 3 Detention Center. 

Ms. Guo was arrested at home in December 2021 and had her home ransacked. She was previously given a criminal detention in 2020 for talking to people about Falun Gong.

Mr. Gao was arrested at home on February 19, 2022 and then released on bail. He was previously sentenced to five years in 2010 and allowed to serve time at home due to his poor health.

Ms. Hu was seized by the police on December 2, 2021 and had her home raided. She was previously sentenced to three years in 2009.

Ms. Zeng was arrested at home in December 2021 and had her home ransacked.

Ms. Jing was taken away by the police from her home on December 22, 2021. She was previously given 15 days of criminal detention in June 2000.

Ms. Liu was arrested in December 2021, had her home ransacked and then released on bail.