(Minghui.org) A 58-year-old Siping City, Jilin Province resident was transferred to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison in early January 2023 to serve a seven-year term for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Wang Yaru was arrested in September 2022 for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. While being held at the Siping City Detention Center, she was tortured by the guards and denied family visits. She appeared in court in mid-October 2022 and was later convicted. Details about her sentencing weren’t available at the time of this report.
According to information collected by the Minghui.org website, at least 338 Falun Gong practitioners in Jilin Province were arrested in 2022. Another 384 practitioners were harassed, and 40 sentenced to prison. Four practitioners died as a result of the persecution.
The harassment intensified in July 2022, around the 23rd anniversary since the onset of the persecution, and in October 2022, when the Chinese Communist Party held its 20th Party Congress. The police often took photos of local Falun Gong practitioners without their consent and ordered them to sign statements to renounce Falun Gong. Some were taken to the local brainwashing center when they refused to give up their faith.