(Minghui.org) It was recently confirmed by Minghui.org that a Shaoyang City, Hunan Province resident's 1.5-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong was upheld by a local intermediate court in December 2018.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Yan Shuzhou, 57, was arrested on June 25, 2018 after being reported for handing out informational materials about Falun Gong.
On October 8, 2018, the Daxiang District Procuratorate charged her with “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” a standard pretext used by the Chinese courts to frame and imprison Falun Gong practitioners.
Ms. Yan appeared in Daxiang District Court on October 24, 2018. She testified in her own defense and denied any wrongdoing for upholding her faith.
Prosecutor Yang Zhigang cited her previous seven-year imprisonment and another 15-day detention for practicing Falun Gong as evidence against her.
Judge Xiao Wei sentenced her to 1.5 years in prison with a 5,000 yuan fine.
Ms. Yan appealed the verdict to Shaoyang City Intermediate Court. Judge Xiao Lizhong upheld her sentence on December 7, 2018 without a hearing.
Ms. Yan's latest sentence came shortly after she was released from a previous 7-year term at Hunan Women’s Prison, given by the same trial court in 2010.
When her family visited her in the prison around August 2011, they noticed that she had edema all over her body, her forehead appeared bluish, and her fingers had injuries from being pricked by bamboo sticks.
The prison prohibited her husband and daughter from visiting her again for the next three years, because they also refused to renounce their faith in Falun Gong.
Related reports:
Mother and Daughter Arrested One Day Apart for Practicing Falun Gong
Details of the Recent Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in Shaoyang City
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