(Minghui.org) Eight Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province residents were arrested on September 7, 2019 for their faith in Falun Gong. One of them was sentenced to prison three months later and three other practitioners were convicted a year later. Two more practitioners were recently sentenced. The status of the remaining two practitioners’ cases remain to be investigated.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
The eight practitioners targeted in the group arrest are: Ms. Tian Huiling, an employee of the Yingze District government; Mr. Zhang Yong, an employee of China Construction Bank; Ms. Zhou Na, an employee of the Shanxi Province Association for Science and Technology; Mr. Zhou, Ms. Zhou’s father, in his 60s, a retired employee of the Shanxi Province Association for Science and Technology; Ms. Gao Jiping, Ms. Zhou’s mother, in her 60s; Mr. Gao Wei (no relation to Ms. Gao), a retired police officer, in his 70s; Ms. Mi, in her 60s, given name unknown; and Mr. Zhao Jinzhong.
The male practitioners were held at the Taiyuan City No. 1 Detention Center and the female practitioners at the Taiyuan City No. 4 Detention Center.
Among them, Ms. Tian was sentenced to five years in December 2019. Both Mr. Zhou and his wife Ms. Gao were sentenced to three years with a 5,000-yuan fine, and their daughter Ms. Zhou was given two years and fined 3,000 yuan, in September 2020.
Minghui.org recently confirmed that Mr. Zhao has been sentenced to ten years and Mr. Gao to five years, at Jinzhong Prison. Both were also fined, but the exact amounts aren’t clear.
The status of Mr. Zhang and Ms. Mi’s cases isn’t fully known.
Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province: Eleven Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Five Days