(Minghui.org) A married couple in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province both lost an appeal against heavy prison sentences for their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Cai Xiuying and her husband, Mr. Zhu Mingdi, were seized during a group arrest of local Falun Gong practitioners in April 2020. They were tried in late December 2022 and soon convicted. Ms. Cai was sentenced to ten years and fined 70,000 yuan. Ms. Zhu was sentenced to nine years and eight months with a 60,000 yuan fine.
The couple appealed but were denied. Ms. Cai was transferred to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison (+86-451-86639051) on May 15, 2023, and Mr. Zhu is still held in the Daqing City Detention Center.
Arrest and Sentencing
Mr. Zhu, a former deputy director of Songbei District Tax Bureau, suffered from high blood pressure, insufficient blood supply to the brain, and a severe heart condition when he was in his 30s. He sometimes fainted just walking down the street. One of the episodes was so severe that he almost died.
Ms. Cai, a former official of the Heihe Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, took up Falun Gong in the 1990s and introduced the practice to her husband. Shortly after he learned the exercises, his medical conditions disappeared. The couple is full of gratitude for the practice and is always eager to share their experience with others.
The couple and ten other practitioners were arrested on April 7 and 8, 2020, while making phone calls to the public about Falun Gong’s health benefits and how the Chinese communist regime has been covering up the coronavirus pandemic.
After being held in a hotel for a month-long brainwashing session, the couple was released on bail in mid-May 2020. Gu Songhai, the director of Heilongjiang Province Domestic Security Office, continued to harass and intimidate them.
Many of the couple’s personal belongings, including their car and Falun Gong-related items, were confiscated during their arrests. Upon returning home, Mr. Zhu frequently called officer Huang Kaichen of the Longnan Police Station, demanding the return of his confiscated items, but to no avail.
In early July 2022, Mr. Zhu called police chief Luan and sought the return of his confiscated items again. Days later on July 5, officer Huang called him and ordered him and his wife to pick up the confiscated items at the police station. The couple went there the next day, only to be arrested and held in custody. Their arrests were approved soon after.
The Daqing City Court held a trial of the couple’s case in late December 2022. Mr. Zhu was sentenced to nine years and eight months, with a 60,000 yuan fine. Ms. Zhu was given ten years and fined 70,000 yuan. Both of them appealed the verdicts but were turned down.
In addition to the couple, seven other practitioners arrested together with the couple in April 2020 were also sentenced to prison on November 17, 2021. The following are their verdicts:
Mr. Li Lizhuang, a 48-year-old former orthopedic surgeon, was sentenced to ten years and eight months with an 80,000 yuan fine.Ms. Tang Zhuyin, in her 70s, was sentenced to nine years and four months with a 50,000 yuan fine.Ms. Zhao Lihua was sentenced to seven years and five months with a 40,000 yuan fine.Mr. Huo Xiaohui was sentenced to seven years and three months with a 40,000 yuan fine.Ms. Ding Yan was sentenced to four years and two months with a 30,000 yuan fine.Ms. Jiao Qihua was sentenced to four years with a 30,000 yuan fine.Ms. Li Yanqing was sentenced to one year and ten months with a 20,000 yuan fine.
Related Reports:
Married Couple Given Heavy Terms for Making Phone Calls about the Health Benefits of Their Faith
Harbin, Heilongjiang Province: Twelve Arrested in Same District in Two Days, Six Face Prosecution
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