(Minghui.org) Three residents, including a woman in her 80s, in Sichuan Province, were sentenced to prison by the same court in five days in December 2020.
On December 7, 2020, the Lu County Court sentenced Ms. Cheng Sigui of Luzhou City to four years in prison and fined her 8,000 yuan for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Four days later on December 11, two other Falun Gong practitioners, Mr. Wang Xianshu and Ms. Yi Qunren, both from Lu County, were sentenced to four years and four and a half years, respectively, in the same court.
Lu County is under the administration of Luzhou City.
81-Year-Old Arrested and Sentenced
Ms. Cheng, 81, recovered from cancer after practicing Falun Gong. However, she was detained and harassed for trying to tell people how she benefited from the practice.
On July 19, 2020, Ms. Cheng was distributing Falun Gong-related materials on the streets when three people clad in black snatched her bag and took her to the police station. The police forced Ms. Cheng to hold the materials she brought in hand and took pictures of her. They also forced her to walk around and recorded her gait and also her voice. She was released on bail that night.
In early September 2020, the police forced Ms. Cheng's son to drive her to Lu County after she returned from the market. She was taken to the hospital for a physical exam. At the police station, the police flashed a piece of paper in front of her and said she was formally arrested and would be detained.
Ms. Cheng was held in the police station from the afternoon until 8 p.m before the police took her to the Hejiang Detention Center. The detention center refused to accept her when she failed the physical exam. She was released after an hour. The police told her that they would find her again.
Prior to October 22, 2020, Ms. Cheng received a notice to appear in court. Her son then took her to the Lu County Court on October 22.
On December 7, 2020, the court sentenced Ms. Cheng to four years in prison and fined her 8,000 yuan.
Two Practitioners Arrested for Celebrating Birthday of Falun Gong's Founder
A group of Falun Gong practitioners in Lu County gathered at a practitioner's home on April 30, 2020, to celebrate the birthday of Master Li, the founder of Falun Gong. On their way home, the practitioners were arrested.
The next day, all except for Mr. Wang Xianshu, 67, and Ms. Yi Qunren, 54, were released. Mr. Wang and Ms. Yi were detained at Naxi Detention Center and later indicted.
The two appeared in Lu County Court on September 1, 2020.
Ms. Yi's court-appointed lawyer didn't inform her family of the trial, while Mr. Wang's daughter was the only relative present.
As Mr. Wang's legs seemed to have developed varicose veins and he had difficulty walking. Thus, when called upon to answer questions during the trial, he was a bit slow when getting up or sitting down. The judge then shouted at him.
During the trial, the prosecutor threatened to ask for a heavy sentence if the practitioners refused to plead guilty.
On December 11, 2020, Mr. Wang was sentenced to four years and Ms. Yi was given four and a half years.
Mr. Wang Previously Persecuted to the Brink of Death
This is not the first time that Mr. Wang has been persecuted for upholding his faith.
Mr. Wang, a shoe manufacturer and salesperson, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2015 after he was arrested in 2014 for distributing Falun Gong materials in Yunnan Province. He was persecuted to the verge of death and released on parole. After he recovered, he was taken back to Yunnan Prison.
In his criminal complaint against former communist regime leader Jiang Zemin who ordered the persecution of Falun Gong, Mr. Wang wrote about the abuses he endured at the detention center.
He recalled that he was often beaten or sworn at and was always hungry even though he had paid for his living expenses. Though starving, he was made to do unpaid labor and clean the floor.
After being detained for one year, two months and seven days, his body became swollen and shiny, and all ten of his fingers were so swollen that he could not clench them together. He developed a cough and had high blood pressure and heart disease; his lower body was numb. He had to bow down when walking.
Afraid that Mr. Wang would die, the detention center took him to the hospital. However, the doctor told him on the fourth day that there was no cure for him. Despite being emaciated and in a daze, he was dragged out of the hospital after being hospitalized for nine days.
While Mr. Wang was detained, his terminally ill wife passed away in March 2015, a few months before Mr. Wang was released in critical condition on October 12. He was not allowed to see his wife for the last time.
After returning home, Mr. Wang resumed practicing Falun Gong and recovered. However, four unidentified men took Mr. Wang to the detention center a few days after the Chinese New Year in 2017. He was taken to Yunnan Prison the next day to finish serving his term.
Ms. Yi's Previous Arrest and Sentence
Prior to the latest arrest, Ms. Yi had served four years for her faith.
On November 1, 2013, a group of police officers and village officials broke into Ms. Yi's home and confiscated her computer, printer, cell phone, and Falun Gong books. Ms. Yi, who was working in the field, was arrested and detained at Naxi Detention Center.
Ms. Yi was sentenced to four years in prison on November 4, 2014. Her son was only ten years old at the time.
After serving her term at the Longquan Women's Prison, she was released in November 2017 but continued to be harassed by the authorities.
Related reports:
Mr. Wang Xianshu and Ms. Zhao Zuli Facing Trial
Yunnan Practitioners Accused of “Subverting State Power” for Distributing DVDs about the Persecution
Terminally Ill Wife Dies, Denied the Chance to See Detained Husband One Last Time
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