(Minghui.org) Three senior women from the 857 Farm in Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province, were each sentenced to four years for their shared faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Xu Rongshi, 78, has been admitted to a prison (exact name and location unclear), while Ms. Fu Lianhua, 77, and Ms. Guo Shufen were denied prison admission due to health reasons.
The three women were arrested at around 10 a.m. on November 16, 2020, for talking to people about Falun Gong at a local fair. While they were being held in the 857 Farm Police Station, more than a dozen officers from the Mudanjiang City Police Department (which also has jurisdiction over the 857 Farm) raided their homes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Their computers, cell phones, MP3 players, and Falun Gong books were confiscated. The raids took place when no one was home.
The police took the three practitioners to the Jixi City Detention Center the next day and submitted their cases to the Hongxinglong Nongken Police Department. It’s unclear why the latter police department, which is located in Shuangyashan City and about 175 miles from Jixi, was involved. It’s also unclear which procuratorate indicted the three women, when that happened, and which court sentenced them.
While the police soon released the three practitioners on bail back in 2020, they took Ms. Xu and Ms. Fu back into custody on July 14, 2023, after their sentencing. They didn’t target Ms. Guo that day because she was still recovering from an ankle fracture and was as yet unable to walk.
Ms. Xu and Ms. Fu were initially taken to the Jixi City Detention Center. Ms. Fu was denied admission, but Ms. Xu was admitted and later transferred to a prison.
Past Persecution of Ms. Fu
Ms. Fu was arrested by 857 Farm Police Station officers in 2001 and detained for half a month. She was arrested again and had her home raided in 2008 for putting up Falun Gong stickers. Her Falun Gong books and computer were confiscated. She was later sentenced to three years in the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison. Her pension (including the annual increase) was stopped during her imprisonment. Her husband was so worried about her that he developed a heart disease. Her mother-in-law was grief-stricken and died three months after her sentencing.
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