(Minghui.org) Ms. Li Fengying, 51, from Wulian County, Shandong Province was sent to the Shandong Province Women’s Prison (located in the capital city of Jinan) on August 8, 2023, despite her frail health.
Just days later, Ms. Li had to be rushed to the Qilu Hospital of Shandong University. It is believed she is still hospitalized at the time of this report.
Ms. Li and four others were arrested on October 10, 2022 for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. All five of them were sentenced to prison on May 15, 2023. Ms. Li was given the heaviest term, eight years, and she was fined 20,000 yuan.
After she was detained for nearly ten months at the Rizhao City Detention Center, Ms. Li became emaciated and weak, but the police still transferred her to the prison on August 8. A staffer there condemned the police for still trying to jail a person in such precarious health, but the prison authorities decided to admit her anyway.
Breast Cancer Gone After Practicing Falun Gong
Ms. Li suffered from breast cancer and other diseases. Her medical expenses drained her family’s savings, yet nothing seemed to help. She lived in pain and despair and even thought about ending her life many times. She did not commit suicide because she was concerned about her young daughter.
Her fate changed in 2011 when she took up Falun Gong at the recommendation of her friends. She soon recovered from all her illnesses, and her good health enabled her to take better care of her loved ones. Her foster mother had been bedridden for years, and Ms. Li became her main caregiver. She fed and bathed her every day for more than a decade. Her arrest in October 2022 dealt the elderly woman a hard blow and she passed away three weeks later.
Details of Arrests and Sentencing
Ms. Li and Ms. Zheng Yunmei were first arrested on October 10, 2022, after being reported by a fruit vendor for talking to him about Falun Gong. The police ransacked both women’s homes and confiscated their Falun Gong books, informational materials, laptops, and printers.
Later that day, the police also arrested Mr. Wang Hongwu, Ms. Wang Shihua, and Ms. Yang Mingzhen. All five practitioners were interrogated in the police station and then taken to the Rizhao City Detention Center.
Ms. Yang is from Weifang City but moved to Wulian County, which is under the administration of Rizhao City, to avoid police harassment. The other four practitioners are from Wulian.
The Wulian County Court held a joint hearing of the practitioners’ cases on April 28, 2023. Two lawyers entered a not-guilty plea for them. The lawyers also pointed out that the police raided their clients’ homes without proper search warrants and they also failed to verify confiscated items with their clients. The police also threatened some practitioners while they were interrogated.
The court held a second joint hearing on May 8. The prosecutor was unable to provide solid evidence to show how the practitioners violated the law, but the judge still convicted them seven days later on May 15:
Ms. Li was sentenced to 8 years with a 20,000 yuan fine.Mr. Wang was sentenced to 4.5 years with an 8,000 yuan fine.Ms. Yang was sentenced to 4 years with a 10,000 yuan fine.Ms. Zheng was sentenced to 4 years with an 8,000 yuan fine.Ms. Wang was sentenced to 1.5 years with a 5,000 yuan fine.
Related Report:
Five Shandong Residents Sentenced to 1.5 to 8 Years for Practicing Falun Gong
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