(Minghui.org) It was recently confirmed by Minghui.org that two residents of Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province have been sentenced to ten and seven years, respectively, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Liao Wenxian, 62, was arrested on April 21, 2022 after a surveillance camera recorded her distributing Falun Gong materials in Xichou County, which is under the jurisdiction of Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Ms. Fang Shimei, 57, who was with her, escaped the scene but was arrested later in the day. The police raided their homes and confiscated their Falun Gong books, informational materials, computers and printers.
Both women were held in the Xichou County Detention Center. Their families recently confirmed that Ms. Fang has been sentenced to ten years and Ms. Liao to seven years. But details about their indictment, trial and sentencing aren’t clear.
Ms. Fang, a former employee of the local tobacco company, suffered from poor health since childhood. She developed rheumatoid arthritis in her late 20s and had difficulty holding pens or squatting. She tried various treatments, including Chinese and Western medicine, folk remedies, and herbal medicine, but none had much effects on her. Just three months after she took up Falun Gong at the recommendation of a friend in 1997, she completely recovered.
Feeling grateful for Falun Gong, Ms. Fang remained firm in upholding her faith after the communist regime ordered the persecution in 1999. Prior to her latest lengthy term, she was thrice held in brainwashing centers and sentenced to five years in 2004. While serving time at the Yunnan Province No. 2 Women’s Prison, she was held in solitary confinement for over a year. The guards added toxic drugs to her food and she almost died.
Ms. Liao also credits Falun Gong for improving her health, but she is now targeted for speaking up for her faith as well.
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