(Minghui.org) Three Nongan County, Jilin Province residents were given heavy sentences for their faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Su Xiufu, around 59, was sentenced to 13 years and is currently held at the Nongan County Detention Center. Ms. Xu Yafen and Ms. Yin Guiying, in her 70s, both received 12 years and were admitted to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison on August 14, 2024. Ms. Xu is held in Division Eight and it’s unclear in which division Ms. Yin is held.
The three practitioners were arrested at noon on August 24, 2022, by agents from the Changchun City Police Department, the Nongan County Police Department and the Helong Police Station. Changchun is the capital of Jilin and oversees Nongan County.
According to insiders, the police monitored the practitioners for more than six months before making the arrests. They confiscated Ms. Xu’s Falun Gong books, a portrait of the founder of Falun Gong, and her computer. Ms. Yin and Mr. Su’s homes were also raided. The police even seized Mr. Su’s child’s computer.
The three practitioners were taken to the Changchun City Second Detention Center and issued formal arrest warrants on September 7, 2022. Ms. Xu’s lawyer was not allowed to see her after that. He was told that he had to seek approval from the Changchun City Judicial Bureau and the Lawyers’ Association first. After that, he needed permission from the Nongan County Police Department.
The Changchun City Judicial Bureau turned the lawyer away, claiming they had nothing to do with the matter. He then went to the Nongan County Police Department. Officer Li Derui, who was in charge of the case, was either “not in” or refused to see him.
The police later directed the lawyer to seek permission from the Dehui City Court, which had been assigned to the case. The court said it was not their business to determine whether the lawyer could meet with his client at the detention center.
The lawyer was thus unable to visit Ms. Xu and knew nothing about her case. Ms. Yin’s and Mr. Su’s families were also not given any updates about their cases.
It wasn’t until recently that the three practitioners’ families learned of the length of their sentences, but they still have not received copies of the verdicts. Ms. Xu and Ms. Yin were transferred to prison on August 14, 2024 and Mr. Su is still held at the Nongan County Detention Center.
Prior to their latest sentencing, Ms. Xu and Mr. Su were previously jailed for their faith.
Ms. Xu and Her Husband Both Sentenced Before
Ms. Xu Yafen went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong around October 2000 and was arrested. She was given an unknown term of forced labor and served time at the Heizuizi Labor Camp in Changchun City.
Ms. Xu and her husband, Mr. Fu Cheng, were arrested on May 27, 2007 for producing banners bearing Falun Gong messages. Ms. Xu was released four months later, but Mr. Fu was sentenced to four years on November 2, 2007. His term was increased to seven years in March 2008 and he finished serving time in May 2014.
While her husband was in prison, Ms. Xu was arrested at home on September 13, 2011. She was beaten severely during interrogation and passed out twice as a result. She was still unable to turn her body twenty days later. Ms. Xu was later sentenced to four years in the Jilin Province Women’s Prison. Both she and her husband were unable to attend their only daughter’s wedding. Ms. Xu was released from prison in May 2015.
Mr. Su Previously Served One Year of Forced Labor and Seven Years in Prison
Mr. Su Xiufu was arrested after 9 p.m. on October 26, 2002, after more than ten officers from the Zhengyang Police Station used a metal rod to pry open his door. They punched and kicked him. When his then 13-year-old daughter tried to stop the police, they threatened to beat her up. Mr. Su was later given one year of forced labor.
The police attempted to arrest Mr. Su again in 2007, but he escaped. He lived away from home afterwards and was put on the wanted list. He was arrested again in October 2012 and stood trial on October 11, 2013. He was sentenced to seven years weeks later. The other seven practitioners who were tried with Mr. Su also received sentences ranging from 7 to 12 years. Their appeals were denied on April 9, 2014 and they were all admitted to the Gongzhuling Prison in Changchun City.
Related Report:
Eight Practitioners Sentenced Up to 12 Years—Attorney Files Complaints Against Key Perpetrators
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