(Minghui.org) A 59-year-old woman in Hefei City, Anhui Province was sentenced to one and a half years in prison and a 2,000-yuan fine on November 2, 2023, for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. Prior to her latest sentencing, she was previously sentenced to five years in 2010 and given another one-year term in 2020.
Mr. Wang Kezhen, who had been out on bail, was taken for a physical examination after the sentencing hearing and has since been in custody, though the exact location isn’t clear.
Arrest
Ms. Wang went to care for local practitioner Ms. Zhang Ping on August 3, 2022 after the latter injured herself in a fall. When Ms. Wang was about to go home that evening, four officers from the Sanlijie Police Station broke into Ms. Zhang’s place and arrested Ms. Wang. She was released on bail the next day.
In November 2022, deputy chief Xu Hailin of the Sanlijie Police Station and his officer Zheng Sipu submitted Ms. Wang’s case to the Shushan District Procuratorate, listing her of being reported several times for talking to people about Falun Gong.
Ms. Wang and her lawyer submitted a request to the procuratorate, urging the agency to dismiss her case and not indict her. Prosecutor Li Weihua ignored the request and indicted her in February 2023. Judge Ni Na of the Shushan District Court was assigned to the case, with judge Xia Yunjiao assisting her.
After her case dismissal request was also rejected by judge Ni, Ms. Wang and her family filed a complaint against Ni, prosecutor Li, deputy chief Xu, officer Zheng, as well as other officers involved in her arrest, including:
- Xie Jienan of the Qilitang Police Station, which oversees her neighborhood- Ruan Jigong, Yang Huai, Cai Ruijie, Xu Yongbing, Dong Keqiang, Yang Lu, and Gao Xiaogang of the Sanlijie Police Station
Trial
Ms. Wang stood trial on September 6, 2023, a few days after she filed the complaint. Prosecutor Li accused her of being a repeat offender, as she had in the past twice been sentenced to a total of six years, for her faith in Falun Gong. As a matter of fact, Ms. Wang’s latest arrest took place only one year after she was released from her second prison term.
Ms. Wang interjected, “No, those were both wrongful convictions as no law in China has ever criminalized Falun Gong.” She said that Falun Gong freed her from diabetes insipidus (a disorder that causes the body to make too much urine) and enabled her to live a normal life. She should never have been jailed for exercising her constitutional right to freedom of belief. She challenged Li to specify which law banned Falun Gong and the latter couldn’t answer her question.
Li alleged that the police had confiscated 130 pages of Falun Gong materials from her home. Ms. Wang’s husband refuted the number as he was home during the police raid and only saw them seizing two pages of materials.
Judge Li held a sentencing hearing on November 2, 2023. Ms. Wang was sentenced to 1.5 years and fined 2,000 yuan. She immediately said she would appeal. The court bailiff took her away for a physical examination and she hasn’t returned home since.
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