(Minghui.org) Ms. Ma Yun, 59, from Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province was sentenced to eight years and fined 20,000 yuan on November 20, 2023 for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Ms. Ma Yun

Ms. Ma Yun’s sentence stemmed from her arrest at around 9 a.m. on April 22, 2023. She was returning home that day, when she was seized by the police who were waiting for her outside her door. The arresting officers were from the Xiangyang Police Station in Jiguan District, Jixi City. They raided her home and confiscated three computers, several printers, a few flash drives, and some Falun Gong informational materials.

The police interrogated her at the police station and took her to the Jixi City Detention Center around midnight that day.

Officer Zhang Duo led the arrest of Ms. Ma. Officers Tian Meng, Liu Jian, Li Le, Zhou Jiaxu, Sui Changyu, Gong Shisong, Yang Xiaoming, Li Gengchen, and Gao Xin were involved in her arrest and/or interrogation. Zhang, Tian, and Liu were later tasked with building a case against Ms. Ma.

Ms. Ma developed a severe heart condition in detention and was taken to a hospital. Despite her condition, the police refused to release her. The Jiguan District Police Department proceeded to put her on criminal detention. The Jixi City Procuratorate issued a formal arrest warrant against her on May 29 and designated the case to the Jidong County Procuratorate on July 28. Jidong County is under the administration of Jixi City.

The Jidong County Procuratorate indicted Ms. Ma and forwarded her case to the Jidong County Court. Judge Xu Zhongqi was named the presiding judge. Judges Chang Hong and Li Li, assistant to judges, Li Mo, and clerk Yang Feng were also assigned to the case.

Ms. Ma stood trial on November 14. Both she and her lawyer defended her constitutional right to freedom of belief and emphasized that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong. Prosecutor Liu Ying recommended a ten-year sentence. Presiding judge Xu sentenced Ms. Ma to eight years on November 20.

It’s unclear where Ms. Ma is currently held.