(Minghui.org) A native of Ning’an City, Heilongjiang Province was arrested at her daughter’s home in Harbin (capital city of Heilongjiang) on January 28, 2023 for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Sun Xia, around 60, was taking care of her grandchild when agents from the Ha’nan Police Station broke in and seized her. She has since been held at the Harbin City Detention Center.
Ms. Sun attended a virtual hearing held by the Daoli District Court on June 14. The Harbin Judicial Bureau had offered to appoint a lawyer to represent her, but she refused the offer because she knew the lawyer would be instructed to enter a guilty plea for her. Ms. Sun testified in her own defense at the hearing.
This is not the first time that Ms. Sun has been targeted for her faith. She previously served 5.5 years and was brutally tortured in detention.
Past Persecution
Ms. Sun had multiple diseases since she was young, including rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, stomach disease, and chronic headaches. All her symptoms disappeared after she took up Falun Gong. Her strained relationship with her husband, who often beat her, also improved. She no longer thought about divorcing him and was able to see his good traits. She also took good care of his mother when the elderly woman was ill. He was moved and became a loving husband.
Having had positive experiences with Falun Gong, Ms. Sun never wavered in her faith after the persecution began in 1999. She was arrested by police officer Xu Huibin on June 1, 2000, for reading Zhuan Falun, the main teaching of Falun Gong, at home. She was taken directly to the Ning’an Detention Center. When she was about to be released on June 21 that year, the police extorted 5,000 yuan from her.
Ms. Sun and three other practitioners were arrested on April 22, 2008, while distributing Falun Gong informational materials. She was sentenced to 5.5 years by the Ning’an City Court around August 2008. While serving time at Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison (in Harbin), she was subjected to various forms of torture. She was once tied to a bed and tortured for 48 hours without being allowed to sleep. She went on a hunger strike in protest and was force-fed. The guards also forced her to do unpaid labor. Her health was damaged as a result of the abuse.
Three years after she was released, Ms. Sun was arrested again on March 26, 2016, for talking to people about Falun Gong.
Related Report:
Heilongjiang Woman Imprisoned 5.5 Years for Upholding Her Faith in Falun Gong
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