86-year-old Woman Sentenced to Three Years for Practicing Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) An 86-year-old Shenyang City, Liaoning Province resident was recently sentenced to three years and fined 20,000 yuan for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. She has appealed the verdict.

Ms. Liang Shuzhi was arrested at home on June 8, 2021. After strong demands from her family, she was released later that day.

The police claimed that a surveillance camera recorded Ms. Liang placing Falun Gong materials on cars near a police station in March 2021. By monitoring her daily activities, they also discovered that other Falun Gong practitioners were printing materials at her home. They claimed that this was a serious crime and that they intended to put her in prison.

The Heping District Domestic Security Office submitted Ms. Liang’s case to the Liaozhong District Procuratorate. A police officer called her family on May 9, 2022, threatening them that she would stand trial at Liaozhong District Court soon.

Ms. Liang’s family later learned that the prosecutor returned the case to the police on June 6, 2022, due to insufficient evidence. The police submitted her case again on June 17.

A group of officers and a prosecutor came to Ms. Liang’s home on August 2, 2022, attempting to force her to sign her indictment. She refused to comply.

Judge Lin Xiaojiao from the Liaozhong District Court, called Ms. Liang’s family on January 31, 2023, threatening to take Ms. Liang into custody after the Lantern Festival on February 5 if she didn’t renounce Falun Gong.

As Ms. Liang refused to give up Falun Gong, she was made to stand trial on February 8, 2023. Her lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for her. The judge announced her verdict on March 27, 2023. She has appealed with the Shenyang City Intermediate Court.

While the Shenyang City No.1 Detention Center denied Ms. Liang’s admission due to her health condition, judge Lin is still trying to send her to prison.

Prior to Ms. Liang’s latest sentencing, she was previously given another three years in 2002 for putting up Falun Gong flyers.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Lin Xiaojiao (林晓姣), judge of Liaozhong District CourtZhao Pin (赵品), prosecutor of Liaozhong District ProcuratorateZhou Weiyuan (周维远), president of Shenyang City Intermediate Court: [phone]

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)

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86-year-old Woman Threatened with Prison Sentence for Upholding Her Faith

85-year-old Woman Faces Prison Time for Distributing Materials about Her Faith