(Minghui.org) Two residents of Qianjiang City, Hubei Province, were sentenced to prison on October 28, 2024, for exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of their faith, Falun Gong.
Ms. Xia Xiaofen, 77, was given one year and four months; Ms. Ding Guohong, 71, received one and a half years. Both were also fined 5,000 yuan. The rulings bore the signatures of presiding judge Li Ling, judges Feng Fang and Wang Hao, as well as clerk Tan Chunhui. It is unclear whether the two practitioners, who were out on bail, will be taken back into custody to serve time.
The wrongful conviction of Ms. Ding and Ms. Xia stemmed from their initial arrests after 7 a.m. on May 18, 2022, when they were reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials. The arresting officers from the Wuqi Police Station raided their homes and confiscated their Falun Gong books and music players.
The two women were restrained in metal chairs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day. They were then released, but faced constant harassment from the police and local community workers for the next few days.
Both women were reported to the police again on August 16, 2023, while distributing Falun Gong informational materials in Wangchang Town, Qianjiang City. They escaped arrest, but were captured two weeks later on August 30 when they went to a farmers’ market to talk to people about Falun Gong.
After a brief detention, the two women were released on bail. The Xiantao City Procuratorate indicted them on September 19, 2024. They stood trial at the Xiantao City Court on October 28 and were convicted.
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