(Minghui.org) A 77-year-old woman in Dalian City, Liaoning Province, was recently sentenced to three years for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Yang Xiumei was arrested on August 8, 2022. The police accused her of distributing Falun Gong informational materials in 2021. The materials she had at home and a photo of Falun Gong’s founder were confiscated.

Ms. Yang was held at the Yaojia Detention Center. The police later submitted her case to the Lyushun Procuratorate. The Lyushun Court announced its verdict on March 23, 2023.

Ms. Yang took up Falun Gong on June 3, 1995. Many of her ailments disappeared shortly after. Since the onset of the persecution in 1999, she has been frequently harassed, disrupting the lives of her and her family.

Ms. Yang was previously arrested on January 16, 2000, at the Dalian Train Station. She was detained for 17 days and fined 3,000 yuan.