(Minghui.org) Three Luoyang City residents were sentenced to prison for informing the public of the Chinese communist regime’s persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Mr. Zhang Haifeng, Mr. Liu Junjie, and Ms. Gao Xuerong were arrested together in April 2016 while posting Falun Gong materials in neighboring Luanchuan County.
Mr. Zhang and Mr. Liu were sent to Luanchuan County Detention Center and Luoyang Detention Center, respectively, while Ms. Gao was released on bail due to her age.
The two men were tried around November 2016, though it’s unclear whether Ms. Gao ever appeared in court.
Ms. Gao was taken back into custody in January 2017. Because of her health condition, the local police have been keeping her at Luoyang 4th People’s Hospital, where she has been denied family visits.
The three practitioners’ families learned recently that they have all been given prison terms, with Mr. Zhang receiving 6 years, Mr. Liu 1 year, and Ms. Gao 3 years.
This is not the first time that Ms. Gao has been targeted for her faith. She was first arrested in January 2005 and secretly sentenced to 4 years in prison. The Xinxiang Women’s Prison released her on medical parole in October 2007, after she became gravely ill due to abuse at the prison.
The prison authorities took her back in February 2008, even though she hadn’t recovered from her poor health. Her family was told that she must finish her prison term.