(Minghui.org) Three women in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province were sentenced on July 12, 2023 for their faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Liu Shunzhi was given eight years and fined 10,000 yuan. Ms. Liang Yening received six years and Ms. Pu Xingchi four years, both of whom were also fined 5,000 yuan each. Ms. Liu and Ms. Liang have filed appeals with the Shijiazhuang City Intermediate Court.
The three practitioners are still held at the Shijiazhuang Second Detention Center at the time of writing.
Ms. Liu and her three family members were arrested by agents from Fangxing Police Station and Yuhua District Police Department on January 23, 2022, one week before the Chinese New Year.
Ms. Liang and her husband, Mr. Zhang Linyu, were arrested on the same day by officers from the Zhengding County Police Department. Zhengding County is under the administration of Shijiazhuang City.
Ms. Pu, an art teacher, was also arrested on the same day, while giving online classes to her students. The Qiaoxi District Police Department and Hongqi Police Station were responsible for her arrest and they also harassed her prior to her arrest.
Ms. Liu, Ms. Liang, and Ms. Pu were later taken to Shuili Hotel in Yuanshi County, Shijiazhuang City, while their family members were released shortly afterwards. The three women were held in the hotel for nearly two months, during which time they were interrogated and abused. The police put black hoods over their heads, cuffed their hands, or sat them in metal chairs with their limbs cuffed or chained to the chairs.
The Yuanshi County Procuratorate put the three practitioners on criminal detention on March 16, 2022 and they were then transferred to the Shijiazhuang Second Detention Center.
The Qiaoxi District Procuratorate later took over the case and prosecutor Yan Hongyan proceeded to indict the three practitioners.
The Qiaoxi District Court held a hearing on February 24, 2023 and judge Xu Lina (who has since been transferred to Shijiazhuang City Intermediate Court) convicted the three practitioners on July 12.
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