80-year-old Woman Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) An 80-year-old woman in Tianjin was sentenced to four years with a 20,000-yuan fine on April 26, 2023 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. Han Yuxia’s ordeal stemmed from her arrest on October 29, 2019, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. Over ten officers used an electric drill to break into her home, and confiscated her over 100 Falun Gong books, and a printer, computer, cellphone, some office supplies, as well as over 3,000 sets of calendars with information about Falun Gong that she had just made at home. She was held at a local lockup and released on bail on December 1, 2019.

Ms. Han was arrested again on October 15, 2022 after being seen by the police for visiting another practitioner, Ms. Sun Guixiang. Both women were taken to the police station for interrogation and their homes were ransacked.

Several officers showed up at Ms. Han’s home on December 5, 2022 and took her to the Hexi District Court. Only then did Ms. Han realize that she was taken there for a hearing.

Presiding judge Shi Guang questioned Ms. Han as to whether she still practiced Falun Gong. She said yes and stated that she hadn’t done anything wrong in practicing her faith or speaking up about it.

The police took Ms. Han to a hospital on April 23, 2023 for a comprehensive physical examination. She was found to have very high blood pressure and was taken back home later that day. The police came back the next day and took her to the Hexi District Detention Center. As her blood pressure remained very high, the police had to take her back home again. They called her a day later and asked her to go to the court. She refused to comply.

The police came to Ms. Han’s home on April 26 and took her to the court, where she was given the four-year sentence. It’s not clear whether she has been taken back into custody at the time of this report.

Ms. Han, her husband Mr. Guo Deyou, and their daughter Ms. Guo Chengru all took up Falun Gong in 1997. Because they refused to renounce Falun Gong in the face of the persecution, the family of three has been repeatedly targeted. The total time they have been incarcerated totals 31.5 years.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Shi Guang (时光), presiding judge, Hexi District CourtWang Jian (王健), judge, Hexi District CourtLi Weidong (李卫东), chief, Yuexiulu Police Station: [phone]Wang Lei (王磊), political instrucotr, Yuexiulu Police Station: [phone]

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

Related reports:

86-Year-Old Former Model Worker and His Wife Harassed for Practicing Falun Gong

Judge Suddenly Shows up at 79-year-old Woman’s Home to Try Her for Practicing Falun Gong

Once Incarcerated for Seven Years, Tianjin Woman Arrested Again for Practicing Falun Gong