(Minghui.org) Four Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province residents were sentenced to prison on December 22, 2023 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Yu Jing, 56, and Mr. Wang Jingzhong, 64, were each sentenced to four years and fined 8,000 yuan. Ms. Wang Yinghua (no relation to Mr. Wang), 71, was given three and a half years with a 7,000-yuan fine. Ms. Dai Xiuhua, 60, was sentenced to one year with a 2,000-yuan fine. Ms. Yu has appealed the verdict.
Due to the physical abuse and mental distress, three of the practitioners are experiencing severe medical conditions in custody. Ms. Yu was found to have a 172 by 100 mm tumor in her abdomen and the doctor recommended immediate surgery, yet the authorities rejected it. Mr. Wang is struggling with extremely high blood pressure, with systolic pressure measuring over 200 mmHg, when the normal range is no more than 120 mmHg. He reported feeling dizzy most of the time. Ms. Wang also experienced dizziness.
Arrests and Sentencing
The four practitioners were arrested between March 9 and 12, 2023, after being monitored by the police for months. The police staked outside their homes, shadowed them on foot or in cars, took pictures of them, and even installed tracking devices on their electric bikes and button-sized listening devices on their doors.
The police later submitted the practitioners’ cases to the Linghai City Procuratorate, which indicted them and moved their cases to the Linghai City Court. A joint hearing of their cases was held on October 31, 2023, with the second and third hearing taking place on November 8 and December 8. Except for Ms. Dai, the other three practitioners hired lawyers to represent them. One of the three practitioners was also represented by two non-lawyer family defenders.
The practitioners were handcuffed and shackled when they appeared in court on October 31. One of their lawyers, Sheng (alias), requested that the handcuffs and shackles be removed, but presiding judge Huang Yanchun rejected his request and signaled for the hearing to start.
Prior to the second hearing on November 8, judge Huang attempted to pressure the son of a practitioner to quit being his mother’s family defender. He didn’t comply. The law firm that Sheng works at also received an intimidating letter, but he insisted on representing the practitioner in court.
The court notified the practitioners’ lawyers and family defenders that the second hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m., but when they arrived in court that morning, they learned that the start time had been changed to 9:30 a.m. without their knowledge. The session was further delayed until 10:10 a.m. when it finally started. One of the lawyers had to leave early due to another hearing scheduled for later in the day.
Nearly 30 family members of the four practitioners came to the courthouse that day. Just when they were about to enter the courtroom after hours of waiting, they were stopped by the bailiffs, who claimed that only two people from each family would be allowed to attend.
The judge announced the verdicts on December 22, 2023.
Persecuted for Upholding Their Faith That Brought Tremendous Benefits to Them
Ms. Yu took up Falun Gong in 1996. Although she was only 28 back then, she struggled with various ailments, including rheumatoid arthritis, gastric ulcer, nephritis, frequent headaches and lumbar disc herniation. Not long after she practiced Falun Gong, she regained health and was full of energy. She was always ready to help others. Even after her latest arrest, she shared her clothes and daily necessities that her family sent her with other detainees.
Similar to Ms. Yu, Ms. Dai’s many ailments also disappeared after she took up Falun Gong, including a heart condition, cranial neuralgia and gynecological disease. Her relationship with her husband also became more harmonious.
Mr. Wang said he had a few accidents, such as falling from a roof or injuring his leg while working on the farm, but by practicing Falun Gong, he recovered quickly each time.
Ms. Wang reported that Falun Gong turned her from a dominant woman to someone who is gentle and understanding. She also learned to think for others and was willing to sacrifice her own benefits for others’ good.
Because the practitioners remained firm in their faith after the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution in 1999, they have been subjected to arrests and incarceration prior to their latest sentencing.
Ms. Wang was arrested on October 12, 2000 for mailing informational materials about Falun Gong. She was given an administrative warning by the police in Inner Mongolia (it’s not clear whether her letters were addressed to people living there).
Mr. Wang was given one year of forced labor on July 1, 2008 for distributing Falun Gong informational materials. Because he refused to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong, the guards at the notorious Masanjia Forced Labor Camp tied him up across two adjacent beds and then pulled his four limbs apart.
Ms. Yu was arrested on April 17, 2009 and sentenced to three years by the Guta District Court in Jinzhou.
Related reports:
Four Liaoning Residents Tried for Practicing Falun Gong
Four Liaoning Residents to Stand Trial for Practicing Falun Gong
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