(Minghui.org) Ms. Li Ailian from Weifang City, Shandong Province, was sentenced to one year on September 28, 2024 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. She is currently serving time at the Shandong Province Women’s Prison (located in the capital city of Jinan).

Ms. Li was arrested on the afternoon of March 9, 2023, while she was talking to people about Falun Gong. A young man she spoke to earlier took a picture of her despite her opposition and called the police. Four plainclothes officers soon arrived to videotape and photograph her. They snatched her bag and handcuffed her, before shoving her into their car and driving her to the Nanguan Police Station.

The police raided Ms. Li’s home that night and took her to the Weicheng District Police Department the next morning to collect her blood sample and fingerprints. Afterwards, they took her to an interrogation room for questioning. After that, they ordered her to sign a document. She refused, but the police lied and claimed it was her release notice. Due to her poor vision, she couldn’t read what was written on the paper. She signed it and was then released. She learned later that it was actually a notice to say she was put on bail, not the unconditional release they claimed it was.

The police took Ms. Li back into custody in mid-April 2024 and put her in the Weifang City Detention Center. She was soon indicted and stood trial on September 28. The presiding judge sentenced her at the end of the hearing. It’s unclear when she was transferred to the prison.