(Minghui.org) An 82-year-old woman in Konglong Town, Huangmei County, Hubei Province, was recently sentenced to one and a half years with a 5,000-yuan fine for refusing to give up her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Shen Jinye’s sentencing stemmed from her arrest on the morning of October 4, 2019, while she was talking to people about the persecution out in public. The arresting officers from the Konglong Town Police Station released her that afternoon after interrogating her for more than six hours.
Officers from the same police station arrested Ms. Shen again on April 9, 2022, after spotting her talking to people about the persecution. She was interrogated at the police station before being released in the evening.
Because of the two arrests, the police sought to prosecute Ms. Shen. The Wuxue City Procuratorate, which was assigned to handle her case, placed her under house arrest on April 18, 2023. About seven officers delivered her indictment to her at home on May 17.
On July 20, four Konglong Town Police Station officers, one of them surnamed Xie, broke into Ms. Shen’s home. They said they were there to get her ready to be tried in her own home, per orders from the Wuxue City Court. They threatened to tape her mouth shut if she dared to say anything.
Ms. Shen refused to submit because she knew she had not broken any laws by practicing Falun Gong. The police then yanked her out of her bed and dragged her on the ground all the way to their cruiser. They drove her to the police station and took her to a third-floor room for a virtual hearing. The police again threatened to tape her mouth shut if she talked.
The Wuxue City Court later sentenced Ms. Shen to 1.5 years and fined her 5,000 yuan.
It is unclear if Ms. Shen was released after the hearing or remained in custody.
Finding Falun Gong
Ms. Shen used to be a Buddhist nun, but she returned to secular life more than two decades ago. She then came across Falun Gong and learned to be more considerate. Her once-fractured family became whole again, and she got along well with her two daughters-in-law and two granddaughters-in-law. Her relatives were also touched by her kindness, and their extended family got along well. Ms. Shen also took the initiative to do many good deeds to help out in her community and earned everyone’s respect.
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