(Minghui.org) A 68-year-old woman in Weihai City, Shandong Province was sentenced to three and a half years on October 23, 2023, for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. Ms. Zou Huaxiang has filed an appeal.
Sentencing Stems from An Earlier Arrest in 2022
Ms. Zou’s sentencing stemmed from her arrest on November 24, 2022, when she was handing out calendars with information about Falun Gong at a community market. With the keys snatched from her, the arresting officers from the Huancui District Domestic Security Office broke into her residence at noon and confiscated her printer, computer, cellphone charger, and 14,000 yuan in cash.
By law, the suspect and/or their family has the right to tally the confiscated items, but Ms. Zou was never given a chance to see what was seized from her home. She only realized the aforementioned items were missing after she was released. The police are also required to produce two copies of the list of confiscated items and have the suspect or their family sign both copies and then keep one copy for themselves. Ms. Zou again was never shown any list of confiscated items.
Ms. Zou was released on bail hours later after being interrogated and had a blood sample collected at the Huancui District Domestic Security Office. The police withheld 11,000 yuan of the confiscated cash as her bail bond. They’ve never returned the remaining 3,000 yuan to her or provided any information about it.
Taken Back Into Custody in April 2023 and Sentenced Six Months Later
Ms. Zou’s family suddenly lost contact with her on April 10, 2023. As they couldn’t find her two days later, they reported her disappearance to the police, only to be told that she had been arrested at home on April 10. She is currently being held at the Wendeng Detention Center.
The family met with Qin Xiaodong (+86-15562136007, +86-15588335111) of the Huancui District Domestic Security Office on April 13. Qin handed them Ms. Zou’s detention notice and asked them to hire a lawyer for her, as he planned to seek a prison sentence for her.
Qin said that they took Ms. Zou back into custody because of her earlier arrest on November 24, 2022. He submitted her case to the Rongcheng City Procuratorate. Prosecutor Sun Xiaoming (+86-631-3012129) indicted her and forwarded her case to the Rongcheng City Court.
Ms. Zou stood trial on September 28, 2023, and judge Wang Dongmei (+86-18660387562) sentenced her on October 23.
Two Decades of Persecution for Speaking Up for Her Faith
Ms. Zou struggled with poor health since childhood, and her family couldn’t afford medical treatment for her. She often felt helpless and that her life was unfair. In March 1996, she came across Falun Gong. Shortly after she took up the mind-body improvement practice, her ailments disappeared. She strove to live by Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and constantly reflected on how to improve herself.
She said she finally learned how to be considerate of others, and her family became harmonious. She said, “Practicing Falun Gong not only freed me from the suffering of physical ailments but also saved my soul. I didn’t know the true meaning and value of life until now.”
After the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, she felt compelled to let more people know about the practice, so they could benefit from it, instead of being deceived by the hate propaganda spread by the regime. Because of her courageous efforts, she was frequently arrested and detained. See the related report for details of her past persecution.
Related report:
Shandong Woman Secretly Arrested, Facing Prosecution for Telling People about Her Faith
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