(Minghui.org) Minghui.org previously reported that the Huayuan County Court in Hunan Province sentenced Ms. Xiao Yongkang to three years for practicing Falun Gong and had still yet to rule in two other similar cases. Minghui has now learned of the legal outcomes of the other two cases.
Ms. Nie Jingxia, 61, was given four years. Mr. Liang Song, 57, was sentenced to two years. Both Mr. Liang and Ms. Xiao, 58, filed appeals with the Xiangxi Prefecture Intermediate Court but their appeals were denied. Ms. Nie did not appeal. The two women are currently held at the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Detention Center, and Mr. Liang at the Baojing County Detention Center. Huayuan County and Baojing County border each other and are both under the administration of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture.
While all three individuals were targeted for their faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999, their cases are unrelated and they were tried separately by the same court.
Mr. Liang works at the Jinfeng Ceramic Factory in Baojing County. He was arrested at around 2 p.m. on July 23, 2023, by officers from the Baojing County Domestic Security Division. They raided his rental place and family home and confiscated two computers, three printers, multiple Falun Gong books, and other valuables. He stood trial at the Huayuan County Court on December 20, 2023 and was sentenced at an unknown date.
Ms. Xiao is a vegetable vendor in Huayuan County. She was arrested on August 3, 2023, after a plainclothes officer who had been shadowing her spotted her talking to a customer about Falun Gong. He called in Sanjiaoyan Police Station officers to arrest her. She was kicked and punched before being dragged into a police cruiser and driven to the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Detention Center.
The Huayuan County Court held a two-day hearing on Ms. Xiao’s case on December 20 and 21, 2023. She had a non-lawyer family defender to represent her, but the latter was unable to finish reading the defense statement before the judge cut him off.
Ms. Xiao was sentenced to three years and fined 10,000 yuan on May 31, 2024.
This is not the first time that Ms. Xiao has been targeted for her faith. Her latest sentence was preceded by multiple prior arrests and two prison terms totaling seven years. See the related reports below for details.
Ms. Nie is a clothing shop owner in Huayuan County. She was arrested at her shop on September 4, 2023. The police raided her store and her home. Ms. Nie stood trial at the Huayuan County Court on February 25, 2024 and was sentenced at an unknown date.
Hunan Woman Endured Horrific Torture During Four-year Term for Practicing Falun Gong
Falun Gong Practitioners Tortured at the High-Security Division in Hunan Province Women's Prison
Ms. Xiao Yongkang Taken to Prison After Being Beaten and Whipped in Detention
Ms. Xiao Yongkang Still Being Held in Detention Center
Ms. Xiao Yongkang Detained for Sharing Information About Falun Gong