(Minghui.org) A Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, resident was sentenced to 4.5 years on July 4, 2022, for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Lin Jiuliang, 67, was arrested on July 9, 2021, for talking to people about Falun Gong on the street. The police brought her home hours later and confiscated her Falun Gong books and other belongings. She was held at Chengdu City Detention Center.
While ransacking her home, the police locked Ms. Lin’s teenage granddaughter in a room. The girl was let out after the raid.
At 4 p.m. on July 3, 2022, the Dayi County Court called Ms. Lin’s daughter and said that a virtual hearing of Ms. Lin’s case was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. the next day.
When her daughter and two relatives were about to enter the courtroom the next morning, Liu Li, a street committee staff member, stopped them and ordered them to leave, claiming that the court didn’t allow them in and that the hearing wasn’t open to the public. With her strong protest, the daughter was led into the gallery, but the other two relatives were still denied entry.
The judge claimed that the police found over 1,000 copies of Falun Gong materials at Ms. Lin’s home. Ms. Lin argued that Falun Gong materials were her personal belongings and that her having the materials didn’t violate any law. Meanwhile, the number of items confiscated from her was significantly exaggerated.
The judge then accused her of being a repeat offender, because she had been sentenced to three years in 2015 by the same court for practicing Falun Gong. When Ms. Lin tried to explain to the judge, he stopped her and soon handed down her 4.5-year sentence.
While Ms. Lin’s two relatives were waiting outside of the courthouse during the trial, they were closely monitored by street committee staff members, who also followed them when they used the restroom. A tall man also patrolled outside of the courthouse and appeared rather nervous.
As the two relatives and Ms. Lin’s daughter drove home after the trial, the street committee staff members continued to follow them, including when they stopped at the gas station for a break and bought vegetables from a street stand.
Related report:
Sichuan Woman Gets 4.5 Years for Talking to People about Her Faith
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