(Minghui.org) Two Kunming City, Yunnan Province residents were recently sentenced to prison for their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Gao Qiongxian, 82, and Ms. Wang Jin, 60, were arrested around October 27, 2020, by the Anning City Domestic Security Office. While Ms. Wang has been detained since, Ms. Gao was released on 1,000-yuan bail due to her poor health.
Ms. Wang’s mother, Ms. Xie Jiayang, 89, was terrified by her arrest. She suffered a stroke and fell in the restroom one evening. Although she survived after resuscitation, she became incapacitated afterward. She passed away months later on April 5, 2021.
In the same month, Ms. Wang and Ms. Gao were indicted by the Xishan District Procuratorate.
When they later appeared in Xishan District Court, both testified in their own defense. They maintained that they didn’t do anything wrong or violate any law in practicing Falun Gong and living by its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. Ms. Wang’s lawyer, Li Yan, and Ms. Gao’s lawyer, Li Haiming (appointed by the court) entered pleas of not guilty on their behalves.
Ms. Gao fell at home in August 2021 and broke her legs. The court scheduled the second hearing in December and ordered her to install a camera to attend the hearing virtually, but her family refused.
The judge ruled to put Ms. Gao’s case on hold on December 17. But prosecutor Zhang Li renewed the indictment on December 20, still trying to press charges against Ms. Gao. Meanwhile, the police and prosecutor have harassed her at home several times.
The Xishan District Court held two separate trials of Ms. Gao and Ms. Wang on April 19, 2022. Ms. Gao was charged with practicing Falun Gong, distributing Falun Gong materials and having the materials at home. As she was still in the probation period from an earlier 2017 term, the judge sentenced her to six years and fined her 13,000 yuan,
Ms. Wang was also charged with distributing Falun Gong Materials. The computer, printer, cellphone and Falun Gong materials confiscated from her were all used as prosecution evidence. She was sentenced to three years with a 5,000-yuan fine.
Perpetrators’ information:
Zhang Li (张丽), prosecutor of Xishan District ProcuratorateZhang Linmin (张林敏), presiding judge of Xishan District CourtHua Liqiong (华丽琼), judge of Xishan District CourtZhu Yueyuan (朱跃元), judge of Xishan District Court
Related reports:
Prosecutor Renews Indictment Against an 83-year-old Bedridden Woman for Practicing Her Faith
Two Yunnan Women, Including One in Her 80s, Arrested for Their Faith
Police Arrest 81-year-old Woman by Mistake and Hold Her in Custody for Two Days
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