(Minghui.org) A Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province resident was sentenced to 4.5 years in December 2023 for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Ms. Xu Caili’s sentencing stemmed from her arrest in July 2022, after she was reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials at a fair in Wugong County, which is under the administration of Xianyang City. 

The arresting officers from the Wugong County Police Department kept Ms. Xu at the Puji Detention Center in Wugong County for six months before releasing her on bail. They took her back into custody in May 2023 and held her at the Qindu District Detention Center in Xianyang City.

The Qindu District Court secretly tried Ms. Xu in December 2023 without notifying her family. Her family found out about her wrongful conviction from an insider but knows nothing else about her indictment, trial, or sentencing. It is unclear if Ms. Xu has been admitted to prison at the time of writing.

Ms. Xu is not the only resident of Xianyang City and its subordinate counties who has been sentenced by the same Qindu District Court in recent years for their faith in Falun Gong. At least ten other practitioners have been sentenced to up to 9 years since 2020.

Ms. Liu Huirong, a Wugong County resident, was sentenced to one year and nine months following a court hearing on July 29, 2020. 

Mr. Zhang Peng, Mr. Wang Yuchao, Mr. Zang Jinda, and Mr. Ma Haipeng, all Xiangyang City residents, were sentenced around August 2021, with Mr. Zhang receiving 9 years and the other three 5-9 years each. 

Ms. Gao Guirong and Ms. An Caifeng, both Xianyang City residents, were sentenced to unknown prison terms following their indictment in November 2021. 

Three Liquan County residents were sentenced on April 25, 2023, with Ms. Li Jing and Ms. Li Xianghong each receiving 3-7 years, and Mr. Zhang Tao eight months. 

While the Qindu District Court has been designated to handle Falun Gong cases in recent years, the Weicheng District Court in Xianyang City was also known to have handled at least one Falun Gong case, sentencing Ms. Liu Qiaomei, Ms. Wang Yali, and Mr. Ding Qiang to 6.5 years, two years and eight months, and 2.5 years, respectively, on November 11, 2020.