(Minghui.org) A total of 84 cases of Falun Gong practitioners sentenced for their faith were reported in April 2024.

The newly reported cases include 1 case that took place in 2017, 6 in 2022, 11 in 2023, and 66 in 2024. The 2024 cases further broke down to 2 cases in January, 2 in February, 27 in March and 23 in April, as well as 12 cases with unknown months of occurrence. With ever stricter information censorship under the Chinese Communist Party, many details about the practitioners’ indictment, trial, and sentencing were difficult (if not impossible) to collect, which caused further delays in reporting.

The 84 sentenced Falun Gong practitioners came from 15 provinces and 2 centrally controlled municipalities. Liaoning and Hebei topped the list with 25 and 17 cases, respectively. The remaining 15 regions had single digit cases between 1 and 9. The practitioners’ terms ranged from 4 months to 8 years, with 12 practitioners receiving 5 years or more.

The newly reported cases included four group sentencings, two of which took place in March 2024 and the other two in April 2024. The March cases saw nine practitioners in Changtu County, Liaoning Province sentenced to 4 months to 2 years on March 25, and four women in Gaomi City, Shandong Province wrongly convicted two days later. The two group sentencing that happened in April 2024 were both in Hebei Province, with six residents in Chengde City, aged 55 to 61, given 3 to 4 years around early April, and four practitioners in Cangzhou City sentenced to 2.5 to 3 years on April 17.

Among the 35 (41.7%) practitioners whose ages were known at the time of their sentencing, one was 37, two were in their 40s, nine were in their 50s, 11 were in their 60s, nine were in their 70s and three were in their 80s. The three practitioners in their 80s were sentenced to 15 months, 3 years and 4 years, respectively.

The sentenced practitioners included the mother of a U.S. resident and a father who quit his job to care for his autistic sister and 9-year-old son. The incapacitated wife of a Liaoning man cried for him every day after he was arrested in January 2024. His 81-year-old mother was also interrogated by the police. He suffered a stroke and lost mobility on one side of his body before he was sentenced to three years.

Some practitioners have been repeatedly targeted for their faith in the past 25 years before their latest conviction. A 44-year-old man who has been persecuted since high school was sentenced to 3.5 years, and a 52-year-old woman who has endured 13 years of incarceration and torture was given a fourth prison term of 3 years.

The authorities violated the law at every step of the prosecution process. In several cases, the police arrested the practitioners and ransacked their homes without proper warrants. When the practitioners’ cases reached the procuratorate, their lawyers and families were kept in the dark of their case status or not allowed to review their case documents. One court forged a lawyer’s signature to indicate that he had read his client’s indictment, when in fact he was only allowed to take a look at the document for the first time during his client’s court hearing. Another practitioner’s husband was listed as the sole prosecution witness, although he never said anything that would incriminate his wife when the police interrogated him.

The following are details of select sentencing cases. The full list of sentenced practitioners can be downloaded here (PDF).

Families’ Plight

A Widowed Husband and a 76-Year-Old Woman Sentenced for Distributing Falun Gong Materials

Two Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, residents were sentenced in April 2024 for practicing Falun Gong. Mr. Qin Shuhai, 58, was given three years. Ms. Liu Yulan, 76, was sentenced to two years.

Mr. Qin and Ms. Liu were arrested on January 18, 2023, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong in a nearby village months ago. Over ten officers, many of them in plainclothes, raided Mr. Qin’s home without showing their IDs or a search warrant. Mr. Qin’s 81-year-old mother, who lives with his family, trembled in fear. Mr. Qin was taken away after the raid. The same group of officers also ransacked Ms. Liu’s home on the same day and arrested her.

Four officers returned to Mr. Qin’s home the next day and questioned his mother if she knew where her son and Ms. Liu got the Falun Gong materials. She said that she had no clue. When the police ordered her to sign their interrogation records she said she was illiterate. They then had another elderly woman, who happened to be visiting, sign Mr. Qin’s mother’s name. Then they forced Mr. Qin’s mother to fingerprint the document.

Mr. Qin's mother

Mr. Qin’s wife, who has been incapacitated since 2013 after having a stroke, was devastated by his arrest and cried for him every day. Her condition quickly deteriorated and she died on February 13, 2024, the fourth day of the Chinese New Year and 26 days after her husband was arrested.

Mr. Qin was detained at the Yi County Detention Center and Ms. Liu at the Jinzhou City Women’s Detention Center. Mr. Qin suffered a stroke at 3 a.m. on April 3, and lost mobility on one side of his body. A detention center guard called his son and ordered him to pay for his medical treatment. The guard took Mr. Qin to the Yi County Chinese Medicine Hospital for a brain CT scan and gave him some injections after taking him back to the detention center. It’s not clear what injections were given.

Ms. Liu also developed high blood pressure in custody, with her systolic blood pressure reaching 200 mmHg, while the normal reading is 120 mmHg or lower.

Judge Huang Yanchun of the Linghai City Court held a trial for the two practitioners on April 12, 2024 and sentenced them at the end of the session.

Mother of San Francisco Resident Gets 7 Years for Her Faith, Files Motion to Reconsider Her Case After Losing Appeal

The Dalian City Intermediate Court in Liaoning Province ruled on March 25, 2024, to uphold the wrongful conviction of a local resident for her faith in Falun Gong.

Ms. Kong Qingping’s prison sentence stemmed from her arrest on February 25, 2020. The police interrogated her for 24 hours before releasing her under house arrest. When her one-year bail ended in March 2021, the police ordered Ms. Kong to report to them again. She left home to avoid being arrested, only to be arrested at her temporary residence on October 22, 2022. She was taken to the Dalian City Detention Center and has since been denied family visits.

Ms. Kong made three appearances at the Ganjingzi District Court in 2023 and was later sentenced to seven years and fined 30,000 yuan. After her appeal was rejected, she filed a motion with the Dalian City Intermediate Court to reconsider her case.

Ms. Kong is still held at the Dalian City Detention Center. Her daughter Ms. Liu Zhitong, who lives in San Francisco, U.S., is calling for her release.

Ms. Liu Zhitong holds a photo of her mother during a rally outside of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on November 3, 2022. The board reads, “Immediately release my mother Kong Qingping.”

Yunnan Man Sentenced to Prison, Wife Interrogated and Autistic Sister Taken to Psychiatric Hospital

Mr. Liu Zhiming, of Kunming City, Yunnan Province, was sentenced to 3.5 years and fined 10,000 yuan on April 22, 2024.

Mr. Liu, 51, worked as a mail carrier and a ride-share driver before staying home full-time to care for his autistic sister and 9-year-old son. The family relied on the income of his wife, a babysitter. After he was arrested on November 16, 2023, his wife, Ms. Cheng Yun, 39, was also arrested and interrogated. Her deposition was used against him without her knowledge. She also lost her babysitting job due to the incident. She is now job hunting while caring for her son and trying to get her sister-in-law back home after the latter was forcibly taken to a psychiatric hospital by the authorities.

Mr. Liu Zhiming and his son

45-Year-Old Jilin Woman Secretly Sentenced to 3.5 Years After Father’s Passing

Ms. Zhao Guokun, a 45-year-old resident of Jilin City, Jilin Province, was sentenced to three and a half years on April 15, 2024 for practicing Falun Gong. Her family, however, was not notified of her wrongful conviction until after she was admitted to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison. They still do not know which procuratorate indicted her or which court sentenced her, as the police and the judicial system never gave them any updates on her case status. The prison was instructed to only inform them of her jail term.

Ms. Zhao is not the only one in her family who was targeted for practicing Falun Gong. Her brother, Mr. Zhao Guoxing, around 52, was previously held in a labor camp for three years and jailed for ten years. Their mother, Ms. Li Yan, passed away at the age of 61 on February 5, 2012, after succumbing to the fear and mental distress stemming from the persecution.

The Zhao siblings were most recently arrested together with their father, Mr. Zhao Xudong, on May 4, 2023 and released on bail soon after. Mr. Zhao Xudong died on August 10, 2023, ten days after being harassed at home by the police. He was 77. Ms. Zhao was taken back into custody on December 6, 2023 and later secretly sentenced to prison.

Violation of Legal Procedure

Jiangxi Woman Secretly Sentenced to Prison, Appeals Judge Issues Pre-determined Ruling to Uphold Wrongful Conviction

The Nanchang City Intermediate Court in Jiangxi Province ruled in February 2024 to uphold the wrongful conviction of Ms. Zhou Qunhui for practicing Falun Gong.

After Ms. Zhou, 67, was arrested on March 15, 2023 and taken to the Nanchang City Detention Center, the police never updated her family about her case status. In October 2023, her family learned that she had been indicted and her case was now in the Xihu District Court. When they went to the court to ask about her, they were told that presiding judge Zhang Yujuan already held two hearings of her case.

When they asked Zhang about Ms. Zhou’s prison sentence, Zhang replied, “The verdict is in the drawer. It will be between one and three years. You aren’t allowed to hire a lawyer or appeal. It’s useless and a waste of money.” Ms. Zhou’s family was shocked to witness how Zhang could be so unscrupulous in wrongfully sentencing a person for merely practicing her faith.

On December 9, 2023, judge Zhang announced that Ms. Zhou was sentenced to three years and two months. Her family wasn’t informed of the sentencing hearing, either. They only found out about it when they went to the court to inquire about her.

The family also learned that the sentencing hearing was held virtually, even though there was no pandemic restrictions at the time. Ms. Zhou later told them that the audio quality was very poor, and she couldn’t hear anything the judge said during the hearing. She also said she was given a court-appointed lawyer. Since she couldn’t hear clearly due to the audio issue, she did not know if the lawyer entered a guilty plea for her.

Ms. Zhou’s family hired a lawyer to appeal her wrongful conviction. The lawyer reviewed her case file at the Nanchang City Intermediate Court and noted that the Nanggang Police Station listed her husband as the prosecutions’ sole witness. Her husband told the lawyer that the police threatened to arrest him when he refused to sign the interrogation records. Out of fear, he signed, but he never gave any testimony that would incriminate his wife.

The lawyer demanded judge Yin Guofu of the appeals court overturn Ms. Zhou’s conviction. Yin said he had no say over the appeals outcome and issued a pre-determined ruling days later that the guilty verdict would stand.

Two Hubei Women Appeal Wrongful Convictions, Defense Lawyer Testifies Against Trial Court for Forging His Signature

The Hanjiang Intermediate Court in Xiantao City, Hubei Province held an appeals hearing of two local women’s joint case on March 20, 2024. One of the defense lawyers pointed out that the trial court forged his signature and broke the law.

Ms. Yang Dongmei and Ms. Liu Yanqiu were arrested on May 7, 2023, when they were reported for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. The Xiantao City Court heard the women’s joint case on October 19, 2023 and convicted both of them on November 29. Ms. Yang was sentenced to two years and three months and fined 10,000 yuan. Ms. Liu was sentenced to one year and two months and fined 5,000-yuan.

During the appeal hearing, Ms. Liu’s lawyer testified against the Xiantao City Court for not allowing him to see his client’s indictment paper until the trial began on October 19, 2023. By law, lawyers should be given their clients’ indictment in advance so they could prepare their defense statement. In order to cover its mistake, the Xiantao City Court forged Ms. Liu’s lawyer’s signature on the indictment and claimed that he received it and signed the document before the trial.

Ms. Liu testified against the police for raiding her home without any legal basis as no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong.

Appeals judge Ding Yongjun and his assistant judge Yan Peng adjourned the hearing without issuing a verdict. Ms. Liu and Ms. Yang are likely still held at the Xiantao City Detention Center at the time of this report.

Elderly Practitioners Sentenced

80-Year-Old Liaoning Woman Given Second Prison Term for Practicing Falun Gong

An 80-year-old woman in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province was sentenced to one year and three months in April 2024 for practicing Falun Gong.

Ms. Wang Guixia’s sentencing stemmed from her initial arrest on the afternoon of September 25, 2022, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong at the local Beihu Park. The police also raided her home and confiscated her Falun Gong books. They later released her on bail.

On December 20, 2022, Ms. Wang submitted a request to the Shiqiaozi Police Station and its supervising agency, the Linghe District Police Station, asking to have her bail lifted, case dismissed, and the confiscated items returned. She received no response and thus filed an open information disclosure request with the Linghe District Police Station, which replied that her case did not qualify for open information disclosure.

Ms. Wang was secretly arrested on February 1, 2024 and taken to the Jinzhou City Women’s Detention Center. The police submitted her case to the procuratorate on February 19, and she was indicted the next day.

The Linghai City Court held a hearing of Ms. Wang’s case at the detention center on March 4, 2024. She was sentenced weeks later.

83-Year-Old Beijing Woman Sentenced to 3 Years for Practicing Falun Gong

An 83-year-old Beijing woman was sentenced to three years with a 3,000-yuan fine in late November 2023 for practicing Falun Gong.

Ms. Wang Lianzheng’s wrongful conviction stemmed from her arrest on August 23, 2019. The local street committee workers knocked on her door just past 10 a.m. that day. She did not let them in. Officer Chen Hongli then pried open the door. The police confiscated her Falun Gong books and materials, computer, printer, more than 6,000 yuan cash, and other valuables.

After being taken to the Chaoyang District Police Department Case Center that afternoon, Ms. Wang suddenly fainted and was found to have high blood pressure. The police notified her family to pick her up and said they were releasing her on one-year bail.

Two police officers showed up at Ms. Wang’s home on January 6, 2020, and said they were there to ask her the following questions per an order from the Chaoyang District Procuratorate: 1) Did she own the printer confiscated from her home on August 23, 2019? 2) Did she print the confiscated Falun Gong materials herself? 3) Who did she have contact with? 4) Did she still go out to distribute Falun Gong materials while on bail. 5) Did she continue to practice Falun Gong?

Ms. Wang replied that she’d of course keep practicing Falun Gong as it gave her a second life. Before she took up Falun Gong in January 1996 at the age of 55, she suffered from numerous diseases, including slow heart rate, low blood pressure, cervical spine strain, and insufficient blood supply to her brain. All her symptoms disappeared after she began to practice Falun Gong. She also quit her 36-year-long addiction to smoking without any trouble. The police left after hearing her story.

The Chaoyang District Procuratorate summoned Ms. Wang on January 13, 2024. She started feeling uncomfortable while on her way there. After arriving at the procuratorate, she was unable to talk. Her adult child who accompanied her answered the questions asked by the prosecutors. She managed to say yes when one prosecutor asked if she still practiced Falun Gong. She was then let go and asked to wait for a call from the Chaoyang District Court.

The court notified her of her prison sentence at the end of November 2023. It was unclear whether a trial was ever held and when she would be taken into custody to serve time.

Beijing Woman in Her 70s Given 1.5 Years for Practicing Falun Gong

Ms. Kou Rumin, a Beijing resident in her 70s, was sentenced to one and a half years on April 22, 2024 for practicing Falun Gong.

Ms. Kou’s sentence stemmed from her arrest on July 28, 2022. Several officers from the Beijing Domestic Security Division broke into her home at 6 a.m. that day and confiscated her Falun Gong books, music player, DVD player, desk calendars, wall calendars, 2,500 yuan imprinted with Falun Gong messages (a way practitioners in China raise awareness of the persecution), and other valuables.

The police took Ms. Kou to an emergency medical service for a physical examination. She was found to have some heart and blood pressure issues and was deemed unfit for detention. The police released her on a one-year bail the following night and pressured her family into admitting her to a hospital even though she did not feel any discomfort. She was forced to stay in the hospital for eight days.

The Chaoyang District Procuratorate summoned Ms. Kou on July 21, 2023 to renew her one-year bail. They called again on August 16 and told her they were submitting her case to the Chaoyang District Court. She was indicted three days later.

The Chaoyang District Court docketed Ms. Kou’s case on August 21, 2023 and gave her a copy of her indictment and the prosecutor’s recommendation of sentencing her to 1-1.5 years. Court clerk Chi told her family that a hearing would take place in one or two months.

Ms. Kou was later notified that her court date was set for October 31, 2023. The court, however, canceled the trial the day before. It was unclear when the hearing finally took place.

A court worker called Ms. Kou on April 18, 2024 and asked her to report to them in four days because they needed to verify something with her. She went to the court on the morning of April 22 by herself without telling her family.

Her older daughter Yun (alias) was notified by the court shortly after that Ms. Kou was undergoing a physical examination. She wanted to know why her mother was undergoing a physical examination, and the caller appeared surprised, “You didn’t know what’s going on (with your mother)?” When she said “no,” he hung up the phone without explaining what happened or revealing Ms. Kou’s whereabouts.

Yun then called the court-appointed lawyer and the lawyer said he hadn’t heard any updates from the court. Yun called the court many times but no one picked up the phone.

Just after 1 p.m. that day, a court bailiff called Yun to say that her mother was sentenced to one and a half years. Yun asked when her mother was convicted and the bailiff said, “Today (April 22, 2024).” She asked to see her mother and the bailiff said, “No, don’t come. You won’t be allowed to see your mother.” Yun reminded the bailiff that her mother was elderly and had health problems. He replied that they had hospitals to take care of any medical issues that may arise.

At that point, Yun heard her mother’s voice in the background, “I haven’t been given anything to eat yet.” Yun was infuriated, “It’s past lunch time and she is an elderly and frail woman...” The bailiff hung up before Yun could finish her sentence.

Yun then called the lawyer to tell him about her mother’s prison sentence. The lawyer said he still hadn’t received a copy of the verdict.

Repeated Persecution

Persecuted for His Faith Since High School, Gansu Man Gets 3.5 Years in Prison

A 44-year-old man was admitted to the Weinan Prison in Shaanxi Province in late April 2024 to serve a 3.5-year term for practicing Falun Gong.

Mr. Li Xueyi, a native of Linxia City, Gansu Province, worked at the Yushen Industrial Park in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province. He and his coworker, Mr. Wei Suichun, also a Falun Gong practitioner, were arrested on April 1, 2023, after being reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials the day before. While it has been confirmed that Mr. Li was sentenced to 3.5 years by the Yulin City Court, Mr. Wei’s case status is still not clear.

Mr. Li has been targeted for his faith since high school. He was arrested at home on March 22, 2000. A police director slapped him in the face so hard on the third day that he lost most of his hearing permanently.

Mr. Li later attended a college in Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, but was forced to drop out of school on April 25, 2002 and leave home to avoid the persecution. He was followed by the police when he returned home on June 10, 2002 and was arrested. He was tortured at the Yongjing County Detention Center and given one year of forced labor.

Mr. Li returned to Xi’an after he was released, but was arrested again on January 16, 2006. Despite the freezing weather, the police stripped off Mr. Li’s clothes, poured cold water over him and beat him with wooden clubs.

During the 45-day detention at the Yanta District Detention Center, Mr. Li was forced to do hard labor without pay and was deprived of sleep. He was given another one-year labor camp term. The guards deprived him of sleep, held him in solitary confinement and forced him to sit on a small stool motionless for hours, with his back straight and his eyes looking ahead.

Torture reenactment: Sitting on a small stool

Mr. Li later landed a job as a real estate project engineer at the Shenglong Plaza in Xi’an, only to be arrested again on June 28, 2011 by police from his hometown in Linxia. After six months in detention, he was sentenced to four years and taken to the prison on January 9, 2012.

Mr. Li wasn’t the only one in his family to be persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. His father, Mr. Li Jiankui, 73 and a retired nuclear industry geology worker, was repeatedly arrested and detained. He had a stroke due to the torture he was subjected to in custody and suffered severe side effects. He was arrested again on November 25, 2020 and later sentenced to prison.

After 13 Years of Incarceration and Torture, Shandong Woman Sentenced to Another Three Years

A Pingdu City, Shandong Province, resident in March 2024 was sentenced to three years in prison, with a 10,000-yuan fine. This is the fourth time that she has been sentenced for her faith in Falun Gong.

Ms. Li Li, 52, was arrested at home on August 30, 2023. She was tried by the Huangdao District Court in the Pudong Detention Center in Qingdao City on February 2, 2024 and convicted a month later. Qingdao oversees Pingdu City.

Undated photo of Ms. Li Li and her husband Mr. Wang Huanzhong

Before her latest sentencing, Ms. Li previously spent more than a decade behind bars for her faith, including serving a 2-year labor camp term, two 4-year prison terms, and another 3.5-year prison term. She endured relentless torture while in custody, each time for not renouncing her faith.

Detained for Doing Falun Gong Exercises in a Park

On July 23, 1999, three days after the onset of the persecution, Ms. Li did the Falun Gong exercises in a park in protest. She was arrested and her home was raided. She was detained for 29 days and fired from her job. She was deprived of sleep and tortured by being forced to do the horse stance for long hours while in detention.

Held in Psychiatric Hospital for Appealing for Falun Gong

Ms. Li went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in October 1999. She was arrested and taken to the Qingdao Liaison Office in Beijing. The director, surnamed Cui, hit her and slapped her face for over two hours. She was handcuffed to heating pipes for two days and then taken back to Pingdu, where she was detained for another three days before being released.

Ms. Li returned to Beijing to appeal in November 1999 and was arrested again. She fainted twice as a result of the torture. The police handcuffed her and left her on the ground one night. The authorities held her in the Tonghe Psychiatric Hospital for four months after taking her back to Pingdu.

Ms. Li recalled that while being held in the psychiatric hospital, she was forced to receive injections and take unknown drugs every day. When she resisted, the doctors ordered strongly-built male patients to hold her to the ground, and force-fed her the medicine. Afterwards, they tied her in a spread-eagle position or restrained her in a chair, pulled her hair backward, and force-fed her water. They didn’t stop until she almost suffocated.

Ms. Li held a hunger strike to protest the persecution, only to be force-fed again. The doctors found a thick and hard nasal tube and inserted it into her stomach, moving it back and forth to increase her suffering.

As a result of the drug administration, she gained weight quickly, became drowsy, and had uncontrollable drooling. She also lost control of her limbs and became disoriented. She couldn’t use the restroom or eat on her own.

As she still wouldn’t renounce Falun Gong, a doctor inserted electroacupuncture needles into her acupressure points and applied strong current to them, causing her head to shake and her teeth to chatter. She was released after 123 days of torture at the psychiatric hospital and being extorted 5,000 yuan.

Two-Year Labor Camp Term

Ms. Li was arrested one more time in 2001, for spray painting the message “Falun Dafa is good,” and was restrained in a metal chair for two days at the Taishan Road Police Station. The police later took her to a hospital for a physical examination. Two doctors performed a gynecological examination of her in front of the male officers.

Ms. Li held a hunger strike to protest the persecution in the detention center. The guards handcuffed and shackled her. The handcuffs were so tight that her hands became severely swollen and she couldn’t bend her fingers. Unable to stand up straight and walk normally due to the shackles, she had to crawl to the restroom when she needed to relieve herself. The guards didn’t unchain her until three weeks later. The inmates also beat and verbally abused her during that time.

Ms. Li was later given two years at the Wangcun Forced Labor Camp, where she was force fed, administered unknown drugs, hung up by the wrists, deprived of sleep, forced to sit or stand motionless for long hours, and savagely beaten.

First Prison Term of Four Years for Putting Up Falun Gong Posters

On the evening of January 21, 2004, the eve of the Chinese New Year, Ms. Li was arrested while posting information about Falun Gong. She was later sentenced to four years at the Shandong Province Women’s Prison. As she refused to renounce Falun Gong, the guards deprived her of restroom use and held her in solitary confinement. They sometimes didn’t give her any food, or gave her food laced with toxic drugs, causing her reactions to slow, and she fainted several times. She also developed unspeakable fear, which lasted a long time after she was released.

Second Prison Term of Four Years

Ms. Li was arrested again six months later, on July 24, 2012, for distributing information inviting the general public to attend the hearing of another practitioner. The detention center director ordered an inmate to stuff her mouth with socks. They also beat her, handcuffed, and shackled her. They refused to remove the handcuffs even when she used the restroom.

Ms. Li was given a second four-year term at the Shandong Province Women’s Prison not long after, where she was again brutally tortured. The guards didn’t allow her to buy daily necessities, especially toilet paper, because she refused to renounce Falun Gong. For 131 straight days, the guards beat her every day in a shower room without a surveillance camera. They stomped on her, hit her head and mouth with a shoe, and pulled her arms behind her back and then up. The pain was excruciating.

When Ms. Li’s mouth became swollen from the beating, an inmate gagged her with the towel she used to clean her feet. They even stuffed her nose once and almost suffocated her.

Several inmates held her to the ground, forced her to straighten her legs, and stomped on her legs. They then pried open her left eye, pricked it with hair, and tried to gouge her eye. Her left eye discharge fluid and she was unable to open for a long time after that.

Third Prison Term of Three and a Half Years

Only six months following her release, Ms. Li was arrested again on January 31, 2017. As it was still during the Chinese New Year holiday, the police released her in the evening. She was taken back into custody on April 11, 2017 and sentenced to 3.5 years on October 11, 2017.

During her term, Ms. Li was again subjected to brutal torture, including having shoe brushes and rags stuffed into her mouth every day, causing her entire mouth to fester and bleed; being stabbed with toilet brush on her private parts; being exposed to freezing temperatures; and being forced to do leg splits.

Related Reports:

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Reported in February 2024: 56 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith

Reported in January 2024: 122 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith