(Minghui.org) More than 20 Falun Gong practitioners in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province have been sentenced for their faith by the local courts in the past few years. The latest victim is Ms. Shi Jianhua, 74, who was sentenced to six years and ten months and fined 30,000 yuan by the High-Tech Development Zone Court on May 24, 2023.
Below is a snapshot of the sentencing cases since 2019.
Sentencing by Ranghulu District Court
Married Couple Given Heavy Sentences
Mr. Guan Xintao and his wife Ms. Wu Yanhua were arrested on November 9, 2018. They were detained at Daqing Detention Center before being sentenced to 8 years and 7.5 years respectively on September 29, 2019, by the Ranghulu District Court. Mr. Guan is now serving time in Hulan Prison and Ms. Wu is in Heilongjiang Women’s Prison.
Ms. Wu was arrested at around 8 a.m. on November 9, 2018, when she went to pay the home association fee. When she didn't return by 1 p.m., Mr. Guan went out to look for her, and he was also arrested when on his way home.
Six officers knocked on the couple’s door at around 3 p.m. but before Ms. Wu’s mother could open it, the police barged in. They raided the place and confiscated the couple’s Falun Gong books and computers. The elderly woman, who is in her 80s, shook uncontrollably for hours after witnessing the police raid. Mr. Guan’s mother suffered a heart attack and stroke that same day, after learning of his arrest.
The couple was detained in the police department for two days and sent to the No. 1 and No. 2 Detention Center in Daqing City on November 11, 2018. When their family went to the police department to ask for their release, the officers threatened them.
Mr. Guan was sentenced to 8 years in prison and Ms. Wu to 7.5 years on September 29, 2019, after being detained for more than a year. They appealed to the Daqing City Intermediate Court, but the verdicts were upheld.
The couple have previously been harassed and arrested. Mr. Guan was arrested for going to Beijing twice to appeal. He was sentenced to 10 years in 2002 and served his time in Tailai Prison.
Five Practitioners Sentenced After Arrest in 2020
Six practitioners were arrested on November 22, 2020, after they were deceived into opening their doors for plainclothes officers pretending to be from property management.
The six practitioners are Ms. Wang Jianhui, Mr. Gao Hongbin and his wife Ms. Wang Luhua, Ms. Han Lihua, Ms. Zhang Lihua, and Ms. Hu (given name unknown). Mr. Gao had his home ransacked.
Mr. Gao Hongbin was sentenced to 5 years on June 3, 2021, and fined 50,000 yuan. He is currently imprisoned at Hulan Prison and had vision problems and could not walk properly.
Ms. Wang Jianhui, a 50-year-old former hospital technician, was also sentenced to 5 years and fined 30,000 yuan on June 3, 2021, and was taken to Heilongjiang Women’s Prison in early 2022, where she was subjected to beatings.
In December 2022, Ms. Wang Luhua and Ms. Zhang Lihua were sentenced to 4 years and 3 years and 4 months respectively.
Ms. Han Lihua, 71, a Daqing Oil Production Plant retiree, had her home ransacked during her arrest by over 20 other police officers. She was released on bail the same day. On July 1, 2022, she was informed of her court hearing. Her lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for her and urged the judge to acquit her. On January 3, 2023, Ms. Han was notified to pick up her verdict at the courthouse the following day. At the courthouse, she was told that she had been sentenced to eight years with a 50,000-yuan fine.
Since the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, Ms. Han has been repeatedly targeted for her faith. She was held in a brainwashing center for six months, given a three-year forced labor term (she didn’t serve the term due to her health), and sentenced to 7 years in prison.
Nine Practitioners Given Heavy Sentences
On April 4 and 8, 2020, many practitioners in Harbin City were arrested while making phone calls to the public about how the Chinese communist regime has been using similar tactics from the persecution of their faith to cover up the coronavirus epidemic
A married couple, Mr. Zhu Mingdi and his wife, Ms. Cai Xiuying, stood trial in December 2022. Mr. Zhu was sentenced to 9 years and 8 months, with a 60,000-yuan fine. Ms. Cai was given 10 years and fined 70,000 yuan.
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. Three of them appealed the sentences but the higher court ruled to uphold their verdicts on December 10, 2021. The following are their prison sentences:
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, 71, was sentenced to nine years and four months with a 50,000 yuan fine.Ms. Zhao Lihua, 60, was sentenced to seven years and five months with a 40,000 yuan fine.Mr. Huo Xiaohui, 62, was sentenced to seven years and three months with a 40,000 yuan fine.Ms. Ding Yan, 61, was sentenced to four years and two months with a 30,000 yuan fine.Ms. Jiao Qihua, 61, was sentenced to four years with a 30,000 yuan fine.Ms. Li Yanqing, 57, was sentenced to one year and ten months with a 20,000 yuan fine.
Sentencing by High-tech Development Zone Court
Five Practitioners Sentenced After Police Sweep on July 12, 2022
On July 12, 2022, more than 100 practitioners were arrested (one police officer claimed that more than 300 practitioners were arrested that day). Five of them were later sentenced.
Ms. Cheng Qiaoyun, a 63-year-old property management professional, was sentenced to 8 years. Prior to her arrest in 2022, she was detained, sent to labor camp, and sentenced for her faith. She was also subjected to various torture methods, including brainwashing, being locked in a metal cage, force-fed, handcuffed to a metal chair, locked in solitary confinement, and having her body stretched.
Ms. Du Chunxiang, around 65, used to work at Daqing Drilling Research Institute. She was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months. She used to suffer from breast cancer, which led to a mastectomy of her left breast. She also struggled with cystitis, urethritis, and uterine erosion. Only one month after she took up Falun Gong in March 1997, she completely recovered and the scheduled surgery to remove her right breast was canceled.
Because of upholding her faith during the persecution, Ms. Du was detained four times and twice sentenced to prison. She developed tuberculosis and high blood pressure and became incapacitated due to the torture in prison.
Ms. Li Dongju, in her 60s, was arrested at home at 6 a.m. on July 12, 2022. Her Falun Gong books and informational materials were confiscated. She appeared in court on December 4, 2022, and was sentenced to 5.5 years.
Ms. Tang Zengye, 56, was arrested at home at 4 a.m. on July 12, 2022. Her Falun Gong books were confiscated. She held a hunger strike after being taken to the Daqing No. 2 Detention Center. The guards force-fed her concentrated saline water. Despite her serious condition, the guards refused to release Ms. Tang. Even after she resumed eating, she couldn’t keep food down and always vomited after she ate. She appeared in court on December 4, 2022, while sitting in a wheelchair. The judge announced her verdict on December 30. She was given 2.5 years.
Ms. Tang previously worked as an accountant at the Daqing Oil Production No. 3 Plant. She has been arrested multiple times for upholding her faith and was subjected to relentless torture in her previous detentions.
Ms. Zhao Li, 57, was arrested at home on July 12, 2022, by officers with the Daqing City Domestic Security Office. The High-tech Development Zone Court tried her on December 1, 2022, and sentenced her to 1.5 years on December 14. She appealed with the Daqing City Intermediate Court, but her verdict was upheld on March 16, 2023.
Ms. Zhao took up Falun Gong in October 1997 and she credits the practice for curing her insomnia, headaches, and a heart condition.
Sentencing Court Unknown
69-year-old Sentenced to 7 Years in 2021
Ms. Liu Shuzhen, 69, was arrested on November 2, 2021, for talking to people about Falun Gong. She was taken to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison to serve time after being sentenced to 7 years.
This isn’t the first time that Ms. Liu has been targeted for her faith. She was arrested on September 9, 2002, for talking to people about Falun Gong and given a labor camp term for an unknown length of time.
At the Harbin City Women’s Forced Labor Camp, Ms. Liu was hung up by her wrists, chained to a ring anchored to the ground, and deprived of sleep and restroom use. The guards also forced her to squat for long hours or bend down with her head against the wall, while pulling her hands up against the wall as well. In addition to the physical torture, she was forced to work without pay for 8 to 12 hours a day and not given enough food.
While she was serving time, her husband’s workplace, the residential committee and the police constantly harassed him and forced him to divorce her, which dealt her a heavy blow and caused her weight to quickly drop 30 lbs.
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