(Minghui.org) A Luzhou City, Sichuan Province resident was sentenced to 3.5 years on December 30, 2022 for practicing Falun Gong. This is the second time that Ms. Yang Taiying has been incarcerated for her faith, since the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution of this ancient spiritual and meditation discipline in 1999.

Ms. Yang was arrested on March 5, 2022 after the police suspected her of distributing informational materials about Falun Gong in a residential area. She was detained at the Luzhou City Detention Center.

The Naxi District Procuratorate indicted Ms. Yang on June 6, 2022. She stood trial at the Naxi District Court on August 4 and August 26. Her two lawyers entered not guilty plea for her during both hearings. She also testified in her own defense and maintained that she didn’t violate any law in practicing her faith. 

The judge sentenced her to 3.5 years with a 5,000-yuan fine on December 30, 2022.

Ms. Yang was a former employee of Luzhou City Agricultural Machinery Bureau. She took up Falun Gong in 1997 and credits the practice for curing her kidney condition, chronic enteritis and high cholesterol.

Because of upholding her faith in the face of the persecution, she was given two labor camp terms for a total of 3.5 years between 2000 and 2004. She was arrested again in 2013 and sentenced to 4.5 years by the Jiangyang District Court. She was subjected to various forms of torture in prison. She was fired by her workplace and also deprived of pension after she was released.

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