(Minghui.org) Three Xining City, Qinghai Province, residents, were recently sentenced to prison for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Zheng Xiaohua, 57 and who began practicing Falun Gong four years ago, was sentenced to three years. Ms. Zhang Xiulan, 71, was given four years. Ms. Rong Xianglian, in her 80s, received six months.
The three women were arrested in a police sweep of local Falun Gong practitioners across the city on May 9, 2023. Ms. Zheng’s computer, printer, laptop, and over 20,000 yuan in cash were confiscated. Because she placed some Falun Gong materials at her aunt’s place, her aunt, who didn’t practice Falun Gong, was also arrested. Ms. Zheng was held at the Xining City Detention Center, while all other arrested locals were released the next day.
Ms. Zheng, Ms. Zhang, and Ms. Rong appeared in the Chengdong District Court on September 30, 2024 and were sentenced weeks later.
Prior to their latest sentencing, Ms. Zhang was previously sentenced to five years and Ms. Rong served a labor camp term in the past two decades for not renouncing their faith. Both of them were brutally tortured in custody. Below are details of their past persecution.
Ms. Zhang became interested in Falun Gong after the persecution started. To find out what the practice is truly about, she read Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Gong. She was impressed by the teaching and became a practitioner in 2000 after she retired. In a short time, her chronic headaches, stomach condition, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions all disappeared.
On March 12, 2008, Ms. Zhang was arrested by officers from the Chaoyang Police Station and her home was ransacked. Her computer was seized. The local court later secretly sentenced her to five years without having a hearing or notifying her family.
While serving time at the Qinghai Province Women’s Prison, Ms. Zhang was forced to work for long hours every day without pay. Her right index finger was severely deformed. In addition to the physical abuse, the mental pressure to force her to renounce Falun Gong also left her deeply traumatized.
Ms. Rong was given an unknown term at the Qinghai Province Women’s Drug Rehabilitation Labor Camp in 2002.
In the winter of 2003, the labor camp head Xiang Jianmei attempted to force Ms. Rong to renounce Falun Gong. She refused to comply and clarified the facts about Falun Gong. Xiang poured hot water onto her face and slapped her in the face nearly 50 times. Ms. Rong’s face became severely swollen and her ear and nose bled profusely.
Xiang then called prison doctor Chen Qinghua to join her in torturing Ms. Rong. Chen shocked her with electric batons, leaving many holes on her clothes. Her skin that wasn’t covered by the clothing was severely burned.