(Minghui.org) A former music teacher in Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province, was sentenced to 3.5 years for raising awareness about the persecution of her faith in Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Gan Xuemei was arrested on August 29, 2020, while distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. The arrest came only three years after she served a previous 15-month term, also for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong.
Ms. Gan was tried by the Dujiangyang City Court on April 16, 2021, through a video conference. The court didn’t notify her lawyer of the hearing until three days prior. The court prevented several of her family members from attending the hearing. Only her husband, younger brother, and sister-in-law were allowed to enter the courtroom.
Ms. Gan’s lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for her. He argued that no law in China says that practicing Falun Gong is a crime and that none of the evidence demonstrated how Ms. Gan had harmed anyone.
Ms. Gan testified in her own defense. She recounted how her health and character improved by practicing Falun Gong. She maintained that she didn’t do anything wrong in upholding her faith.
After judge Nie Jianming handed down the 3.5-year sentence, Ms. Gan appealed to the Chengdu City Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold the original verdict on June 21.
Ms. Gan was taken to the Sichuan Province Women’s Prison in Chengdu City around August. Her family hasn’t been allowed to visit her once. She wrote two letters to them, but the letters weren’t received until much later.
Learning that she was suffering a heart condition from one of her letters, her family applied to the prison to have her released on medical parole. Their request was denied.
Perpetrators’ contact information:
Nie Jianming (聂建明), presiding judge of Dujiangyan City Court: +86-13901779960Ren Xiaofeng (任晓峰), presiding judge of Chengdu City Intermediate Court: +86-28-82915366, +86-13668181068Chen Wen (陈文), secretary of Dujiangyan City Political and Legal Affairs Committee: +86-13980568722
(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)
Related report:
Former Music Teacher Stands Trial for Practicing Falun Gong, Faces Second Prison Term
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