(Minghui.org) It was recently learned that a 65-year-old man in Suning County, Hebei Province had been sentenced to four and a half years for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Pei Wenhai’s sentencing stemmed from his arrest on October 11, 2022. He went to the neighboring Li County to attend a fair as a vendor that day, when he was reported for talking to his customers about Falun Gong. A few officers from the Baoxu Township Police Station found him at the fair, and he urged them not to persecute Falun Gong practitioners.
The police did not arrest him right there, but followed him home after the fair was over. As soon as he opened the door, the police barged in to raid his home. They confiscated his Falun Gong books and other valuables.
Mr. Pei was taken to the Li County Police Department for interrogation. He was held there for one month before being transferred to an unknown location. His family has since received no updates from the authorities. They managed to find out about his prison sentence, but still do not know any details of his indictment, trial, or sentencing.
This is not the first time that Mr. Pei has been targeted for his his faith. He was sentenced to four years in prison following his arrest in 2004. On September 9, 2009, he went to a fair in Li County and was arrested there by the Beiniantou Township Police Station after being reported for talking to fair-goers about Falun Gong. The police took him to the Li County Detention Center and later gave him two years of forced labor.
Mr. Pei was selling merchandise at a fair in Shisu Town, Suning County on April 18, 2013 when he was arrested by the Shisu Town Police Station officers. They seized the more than 1,000 yuan cash that he had with him and took him to the Suning County Detention Center. The Suning County Domestic Security Office, the Fuzuo Township Police Station, and the Fuzuo Township Government next jointly raided his home and confiscated all of his Falun Gong books and more than 3,000 yuan in cash.
Upon learning of his arrest, more than 600 locals signed a petition calling for his release. They all knew him as a filial son who took good care of his ailing parents and a good man who never hesitated to help those in need. The Suning County Court, however, barred Mr. Pei’s lawyer from defending him and later sentenced him to four years in the Jidong Prison.
Mr. Pei’s parents died while he was in prison. His wife later divorced him. After he was released, the local authorities still kept harassing him and attempted to make him renounce Falun Gong. More than ten officials from the Fuzuo Township Government showed up at his home on December 3, 2020. Mr. Pei explained to them why the persecution was illegal and urged them to not take part in the persecution. They said, “If you think Falun Gong is good, then practice at home.”
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