(Minghui.org) A woman in Dalian City was sentenced to seven years in prison four months after her trial for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that is being persecuted in China.

Ms. Xu Guilan was also fined 10,000 yuan, which was included in the Shahekou District Court's verdict handed down on July 10, 2017. She filed an appeal the same day.

The attorney hired by Ms. Xu's family to appeal her case was not allowed to review her case files or to visit her in the detention center.

The appeals court later upheld the original sentence without holding a hearing. Ms. Xu was transferred to the Liaoning Provincial Women’s Prison on September 26.

Ms. Xu, 67, was arrested at home on June 28, 2016. She was subjected to a marathon interrogation before she was admitted to Yaojia Detention Center.

Ms. Xu was tried on March 8, 2017, nearly nine months after her arrest. Her lawyer pleaded not guilty on her behalf and argued that practicing Falun Gong was her constitutional right and that she had broken no law.

Related report:Dalian Woman Faces Trial for Her Faith