(Minghui.org) Two women in Suining City, Sichuan Province, both over 70, were taken back into custody on July 31, 2024, to serve time for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Deng Xiugui, 74, and Ms. Du Yingfen, around 71, were arrested in December 2022 and released on bail hours later. They were indicted in May 2023 and convicted by the Chuanshan District Court on March 18, 2024. Ms. Deng was given one year and two months with a 3,000-yuan fine. Ms. Du was sentenced to one year and eight months with a 5,000 yuan fine.
Due to health reasons, the two women were each given six-month house arrest the day after their sentencing. Ms. Deng filed an appeal with the Suining City Intermediate Court shortly afterward. Officer Ding Kai from the Kaixuan Road Police Station took her and Ms. Du to the Chuanshan District Court on June 26, 2024, to sign some paperwork. It was unclear what it was about but it could be related to the women’s house arrest. Both of them wrote notes saying that Falun Gong restored their health and that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong.
That afternoon Ding took Ms. Deng and Ms. Du to the Yongxing Detention Center. They were again found to have high blood pressure and were unfit for detention. Ding drove them home after 4 p.m.
Ms. Deng heard back from the intermediate court in early July 2024 that her appeal was rejected. She and Ms. Du were forced to report to the Cardiovascular Department of the Hedong Branch of Suining Second People’s Hospital on July 9, 2024. Presiding judge Zhu Li, clerk Yang Jiali, and two court bailiffs were present. They forced Ms. Deng and Ms. Du to each pay a 2,000-yuan fee. Zhu next instructed doctor Luo Guiquan to conduct a comprehensive physical examination of both practitioners.
After the checkup, doctor Luo had Ms. Deng wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor for 24 hours and told her to return it to the hospital the next day.
At 3 p.m. on July 30, a police woman surnamed Nie from the Kaixuan Road Police Station called Ms. Deng and Ms. Du, and ordered them to report to the police station at 11 a.m. the next day. She said they’d also need to have lunch there. She claimed it would be the last time the police talked to them.
Ms. Deng and Ms. Du went to the police station on July 31 as instructed. As soon as they arrived, officer Ding produced an arrest warrant and seized them. They were taken to the Yongxing Detention Center.
Meanwhile, Ms. Yang Guihua, who was arrested and sentenced together with Ms. Deng and Ms. Du, was admitted to the Sichuan Province Women’s Prison to serve a one-year term.
Related Reports:
74-Year-Old Sichuan Woman Loses Appeal Against Wrongful Conviction for Practicing Falun Gong
Three Elderly Sichuan Women Sentenced to Prison for Practicing Falun Gong
Three Sichuan Women Indicted for Practicing Falun Gong, On Bail Awaiting Trial
Suining City, Sichuan Province: Four Elderly Women Arrested in One Day for Practicing Falun Gong
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