(Minghui.org) Two women practitioners in Heilongjiang Province were recently sentenced to imprisonment for distributing materials related to Falun Gong, a spiritual practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance that has been suppressed since 1999.
Ms. Yu Guirong, who is in her 70s, was sentenced to three years, while Ms. Wang Hongxia, 47, received a term of six years. Both of them have already been sent to the Harbin Women's Prison.
These two practitioners, both from Nenjiang County, were followed by police on April 17 and arrested on the following day. They were first kept at the Qiqihar Second Women's Detention Center. After Ms. Yu fell and broke her leg in May, her daughter paid 10,000 yuan as bail for her to receive medical treatment in a hospital followed by recovery at home. After her sentence was announced, Ms. Yu was sent to the prison with metal pins still implanted in her leg.
This is not the first time these two practitioners have been targeted for their belief. After they delivered Falun Gong materials on June 23, 2009, police arrested them later in the day and ransacked their homes. After being detained for over five months, both were sentenced to prison without trial. Ms. Wang's term was six years and Ms. Yu's term was three and a half years.
Several family members of Ms. Wang also practice Falun Gong. Her older brother Mr. Wang Hongbin and younger brother Mr. Wang Hongfeng, became healthier with better work ethics after they applied the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in their daily lives. The family was well respected in the community prior to the suppression of Falun Gong in 1999.
In the past 19 years, however, these practitioners suffered tremendously for their belief. The older brother has been detained at a labor camp three times since 2000, plus 13 years of imprisonment. His wife, Ms. Liu Junlu, was arrested in 2001 with an imprisonment term of 12 years. One of her arms was broken due to torture in Liaoning Women's Prison. The young brother was also arrested in 2001 and sentenced to imprisonment of nine years.
Related Report:A Family's Suffering in Nenjiang County, Heilongjiang Province (Photos)
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