(Minghui.org) A 46-year-old disabled woman in Taiyuan City was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
This is not the first time that Ms. Li Runfang has been targeted for her faith. She had been twice given forced labor and once sentenced in the past, spending a total of 11 years between 1999 and 2016 behind bars.
Ms. Li’s father, Mr. Li Xifu, also practices Falun Gong. He was last arrested on November 18, 2015 for trying to seek justice for his daughter. The 76-year-old man is now serving three years at Jinzhong Prison.
Ms. Li finished her 6-year prison term on July 15, 2016 and found herself in need of getting a new ID. The local Jianhe Police Station refused to process her ID application on the grounds that she still practices Falun Gong. Without it, she couldn’t find a job or even visit her father in prison.
Ms. Li went to the police station again on September 5, 2017 and presented a document to show that it is legal to practice and possess books of Falun Gong. Chief Wu Ruiming ordered his deputy Zhang Yongjian to arrest Ms. Li without taking a look at the document.
Ms. Li appeared in court on January 17, 2018. Judge Ji Liqing didn’t allow Ms. Li’s lawyer to present his defense argument. Ms. Li was soon sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. She is appealing her case.
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