(Minghui.org) A Dalian City, Liaoning Province resident is appealing a five-year prison sentence for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Lin Maocheng was arrested at work on July 22, 2020 after being reported by a person named Li He for talking to him about Falun Gong. The police took Mr. Lin home and ransacked his place. His Falun Gong books, computer, printer, ID and driver’s license were confiscated.

After the police took Mr. Lin to their police station, they collected his fingerprints, voice and blood sample. He was then put under house arrest and released after midnight.

The Kaifa District Procuratorate summoned Mr. Lin on October 20 and told him that his case would be under investigation between October 20 and November 19.

The Kaifa District Procuratorate later transferred Mr. Lin’s case to the Pulandian Procuratorate, which approved his arrest on December 7. On the same day, the police took him back into custody at the Kaifa District Detention Center.

Before the Pulandian Court held a hearing on February 4, 2021, the judge attempted to pressure his lawyer not to mention the lack of legal basis for the persecution of Falun Gong during the hearing. It’s not clear whether the lawyer complied.

Following a second hearing on March 10, the judge sentenced Mr. Lin to five years with a 30,000-yuan fine on May 27. The judge also refused to provide a copy of the verdict to Mr. Lin’s lawyer, but asked him to look for it online himself.

Mr. Lin’s family learned from an insider that he isn’t doing well in the detention center. He had suffered from psoriasis before, but recovered by practicing Falun Gong. As he is now unable to do the Falun Gong exercises, his family worries whether the condition will relapse.