Heilongjiang Woman Taken to Prison to Serve 3.5 Years for Practicing Falun Gong
(Minghui.org) A Ning’an City, Heilongjiang Province, resident was admitted to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison on February 2, 2024 to serve a 3.5-year term for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Chen Xueyan
Ms. Chen Xueyan, in her late 60s, was arrested on August 10, 2023, and taken to the Mudanjiang City Detention Center. Mudanjiang City oversees Ning’an City. Her case was later assigned to Hailin City, which is also under the administration of Mudanjiang City.
In recent years, the Hailin City Procuratorate and the Hailin City Court have been designated to handle Falun Gong cases in the five cities and one county in the greater Mudanjiang region, including Hailin City, Ning’an City, Muling City, Dongning City, Suifenhe City and Linkou County.
The Hailin City Court heard Ms. Chen’s case on December 14, 2023. Prosecutor Luo Jinpeng accused her of “using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement,” a standard pretext used to frame and imprison Falun Gong practitioners. Her lawyer refuted the allegations and demanded her acquittal. Ms. Chen intended to testify in her own defense but was stopped by judge Yan Junlong.
Ms. Chen’s sister was the only family member at her hearing. It was unclear whether other family members were not allowed to attend the hearing or whether they could not make it to the hearing.
Judge Yan sentenced Ms. Chen to 3.5 years in prison with a 1,000-yuan fine at an unknown date and she was transferred to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison on February 2, 2024.
Ms. Chen’s sentencing dealt a heavy blow to her younger brother , who had a stroke six years ago and became incapacitated. His wife had to work and their daughter lived in a faraway place. Ms. Chen offered to care for her brother while her sister-in-law worked.
Ms. Chen took meticulous care of her brother for the past six years before her arrest in 2023. Her bedridden brother now asks for her all the time, “Sister, where are you? Why don’t you come to see me anymore?”