(Minghui.org) Six of the nine Handan City, Hebei Province residents who were arrested on July 18, 2022, for their shared faith in Falun Gong have been sentenced to between 1.5 and 4.5 years in prison.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.
Below are the details of their cases.
Mr. Xing Jingyu Sentenced to 1.5 Years
Mr. Xing Jingyu, a 75-year-old farmer, was arrested on July 18, 2022, for raising awareness about the persecution of Falun Gong. His cell phone was monitored by the police prior to his arrest. The Daming County Police Department put him on criminal detention a day later and he was officially arrested on August 24. Prosecutor Sun Baogang of the Feixiang District Procuratorate indicted him on January 9, 2023, and moved his case to the Feixiang District Court.
Presiding judge Liu Yanfeng held a hearing of Mr. Xing’s case on May 13, 2023, and sentenced him to 1.5 years with a 3,000 yuan fine. He has been admitted to the Jidong Prison in Tangshan City at the time of writing.
Mr. Liu Yantao Sentenced to 2.5 Years
Mr. Liu Yantao, a 36-year-old taxi driver, was arrested in a residential building. It’s not clear whether he was visiting a friend or distributing Falun Gong materials there. Prior to his arrest, the police had harassed him several times through phone calls, and his cell phone was also monitored.
The police first submitted Mr. Liu’s case to the Hanshan District Procuratorate, which then forwarded it to the Feixiang District Procuratorate.
Mr. Liu’s father called judge Liu of the Feixiang District Court on January 4, 2023, and confirmed that his son had been indicted by Sun of the Feixiang District Procuratorate. It’s recently confirmed that judge Liu has sentenced Mr. Liu to 2.5 years in the Jidong Prison. It’s not clear whether he received any court fine.
Mr. Ji Ruiling Sentenced to 3 Years
Mr. Ji Ruiling, 71, was arrested by Yang Yang and Jia Bingqun, the chief and deputy chief of Kaiyuan Police Station while working in the security office in a local hospital. The police took him to his home for a raid, confiscating his four cell phones, a computer, and a printer.
Similar to Mr. Liu, the police also submitted Mr. Ji’s case to the Hanshan District Procuratorate first, which then forwarded it to the Feixiang District Procuratorate. Prosecutor Sun indicted him and presiding judge Liu sentenced him to three years in Jidong Prison with a 7,000-yuan fine on March 24, 2023.
Ms. Cui Xiuzhi Sentenced to 3 Years
Ms. Cui Xiuzhi, 69, was arrested by officers of the Hanshan District Police Department. Her home was ransacked. Due to her poor health, she was released for medical treatment. Prosecutor Jia Wenying of Feixiang District Procuratorate later indicted her.
Ms. Cui appeared in Feixiang District Court twice, on June 20 and July 24, 2023, and was sentenced to three years with a 3,000-yuan fine by judge Liu. She has appealed the verdict.
Ms. Liu Xin Sentenced to 3 Years
Ms. Liu Xin, a 64-year-old physician, was arrested by officers of the Hanshan District Police Department and had her home ransacked. She was put on house arrest on July 20, 2022. The police submitted her case to the Feixiang District Procuratorate on March 29, 2023, and prosecutor Jia Wenying indicted her on May 18, 2023. Presiding judge Xiao Yanfang of the Feixiang District Court held two hearings of her case on June 20 and July 28, 2023, before sentencing her to three years with a 5,000-yuan fine. She has appealed the verdict.
Mr. Tong Ruiqing Sentenced to 4.5 Years
Mr. Tong Ruiqing, 76, was arrested for talking to people about Falun Gong. He was put on criminal detention by the Daming County Police Department the next day and had his arrest approved by the Daming County Procuratorate on August 24, 2022.
Prosecutor Sun of Feixiang District Procuratorate indicted him on January 9, 2023, and moved his case to the Feixiang District Court. Judge Liu held a hearing of his case on May 13, 2023, and sentenced him to 4.5 years in Jidong Prison with a fine of 10,000 yuan.
Three Other Practitioners’ Case Status Unknown
In addition to the six practitioners who have been sentenced, three other practitioners, including Ms. Xing Jinhong, Ms. Deng Xiuying, and Mr. Deng Junxue, were also arrested on the same day, but their current case status isn’t clear.
Related reports:
Handan City, Hebei Province: Nine Arrested in a Day, Three Have Been Sentenced
71-year-old Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Practicing Falun Gong
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