(Minghui.org) The Rizhao City Intermediate Court in Shandong Province ruled on January 29, 2024, to uphold a local tea farmer’s three-year prison sentence for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Ding Yuande’s 82-year-old mother was so devastated that she died on February 5, 2024, five days before the Chinese New Year. His wife, Ms. Ma Ruimei, also a Falun Gong practitioner, is currently under close surveillance.
Details of Arrest and Sentencing
Mr. Ding and his wife live in Yanjiazhuang Village, Kouguan Town, Wulian County, Rizhao City. Xia Jingde, the village Party secretary, led the police to arrest the couple at around 5 a.m. on May 12, 2023, while they were working on their tea plantation.
The arresting officers were from the Kouguan Town Police Station, the Wulian County Police Department, and the Donggang District Police Department in Rizhao City. They confiscated the couple’s cellphones and powered off Mr. Ding’s phone.
They took the couple to their home, handcuffed Ms. Ma, and kept her in the police car with two officers. Her son, Mr. Ding Lebin, who lives in Berlin, Germany, happened to call her at that point. The police let her answer the phone and she told her son, “Bad guys came. They handcuffed me. My hands are numb.” The call ended in 33 seconds.
The police searched the couple’s home until 10 a.m. Many of their Falun Gong books and informational materials were confiscated. The couple was then taken to the Donggang District Police Department.
The younger Mr. Ding, who is also a Falun Gong practitioner, called on the international community to help seek his parents’ release after learning of their arrests in that brief phone call. Several organizations wrote to Zhang Hui, then Rizhao City Party secretary, urging him to release the couple and other detained Falun Gong practitioners. (See the related reports at the end of this article for the extensive coverage of the younger Mr. Ding’s rescue efforts.)
Ms. Ma was released on bail on May 24, 2023, but her husband remained in custody. Their son continued to work tirelessly to seek his father’s release. The police, however, refused to free the elder Mr. Ding. He was transferred to the Rizhao City Detention Center on June 13 and two officers went to harass Ms. Ma the very next day, threatening to throw her husband in jail because of their son’s rescue efforts overseas.
Mr. Ding was issued a formal arrest warrant on July 20 and was tried in the Wulian County Court on November 28 and convicted on December 15, 2023. The Wulian County Procuratorate and the Wulian County Court have been designated to handle all Falun Gong cases in the greater Rizhao region.
The Rizhao City Intermediate Court did not hold a hearing as requested before issuing its ruling on January 29, 2024, to uphold Mr. Ding’s wrongful conviction. He is still likely being held in the Rizhao City Detention Center.
Related Reports:
European Parliament Passes Resolution Demanding CCP Immediately End the Persecution of Falun Gong
Bitter Winter: European Parliament Condemns Persecution of Falun Gong in China
France: Members of European Parliament and Residents Condemn the Persecution
European Parliament Passes Resolution Demanding CCP Immediately End the Persecution of Falun Gong
France: Seminar Held in Agde to Expose the Persecution of Falun Dafa
Germany: International Society for Human Rights Writes to Police Department Director in Shandong Province, Urging Him to Release a Falun Dafa Practitioner
Germany: Politicians Send Letters of Support as Falun Gong Practitioners Rally to Protest 24-Year-Long Persecution
Germany: Practitioners Expose Persecution of Falun Dafa During CCP Premier's Visit
Japan: Local Officials Request the Release of Falun Gong Practitioner Detained in China
Vienna, Austria: Motorcade With Display Boards Promotes Falun Dafa in Vienna
Austria: Parade and Rally Held in Vienna to Tell People About the Persecution of Falun Dafa
Belgium: People Condemn Organ Harvesting Targeting Practitioners at Event in Brussels
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