(Minghui.org) Two residents of Shan County, Shandong Province, were both sentenced to one and a half years with a 10,000-yuan fine on December 8, 2023 for their shared faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

The sentencing of Ms. Meng Xianchun, 75, and Mr. Zhang Fangli, 63, stemmed from their arrests on July 16, 2023. Three other local practitioners (all in their 60s or 70s), Ms. Meng Fanxiu, Ms. Wang Yihua, and Ms. Wang’s sister (name unknown), were also arrested around the same time. Multiple police stations in Shan County and their supervising agencies, the Shan County Domestic Security Office and the Heze City Domestic Security Office, were involved in the arrests.

All of the practitioners’ homes were raided. Ms. Meng’s neighbor, Ms. Ma Yulan (who does not practice Falun Gong), was also arrested and held in custody for several hours before being released.

The four female practitioners were taken to the Shan County Case Handling Center after their arrests, before being taken to the Heze City Detention Center the next day. Ms. Meng Xianchun was denied admission after she was found to have high blood pressure during the required physical examination. Her son was summoned to pick her up and given a copy of her “released on bail” notice.

Ms. Wang’s sister, 66, was also denied admission initially after the detention center found out that she had colon cancer ten years ago. She had recovered after practicing Falun Gong but the detention center was concerned about a possible relapse. The police, however, still persuaded the detention center to admit her.

Mr. Zhang was taken to the Shan County Detention Center the day after his arrest. It is unclear when he and Ms. Meng Xianchun stood trial before they were convicted on December 8, 2023. It is also unknown whether Ms. Meng has been taken back into custody to serve time.