(Minghui.org) The Rizhao City Intermediate Court in Shandong Province ruled on January 29, 2024, to uphold a local tea farmer’s three-year prison sentence for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Ding Yuande’s 82-year-old mother was so devastated that she died on February 5, 2024, five days before the Chinese New Year. His wife, Ms. Ma Ruimei, also a Falun Gong practitioner, is currently under close surveillance.
Mr. Ding and his wife live in Yanjiazhuang Village, Kouguan Town, Wulian County, Rizhao City. Xia Jingde, the village Party secretary, led the police to arrest the couple at around 5 a.m. on May 12, 2023, while they were working on their tea plantation.
The arresting officers were from the Kouguan Town Police Station, the Wulian County Police Department, and the Donggang District Police Department in Rizhao City. They confiscated the couple’s cellphones and powered off Mr. Ding’s phone.
They took the couple to their home, handcuffed Ms. Ma, and kept her in the police car with two officers. Her son happened to call her at that point. The police let her answer the phone and she told her son, “Bad guys came. They handcuffed me. My hands are numb.” The call ended in 33 seconds.
The police searched the couple’s home until 10 a.m. Many of their Falun Gong books and informational materials were confiscated. The couple was then taken to the Donggang District Police Department.
Ms. Ma was released on bail on May 24, 2023, but her husband remained in custody. He was transferred to the Rizhao City Detention Center on June 13.
Mr. Ding was issued a formal arrest warrant on July 20 and was tried in the Wulian County Court on November 28 and convicted on December 15, 2023. The Wulian County Procuratorate and the Wulian County Court have been designated to handle all Falun Gong cases in the greater Rizhao region.
The Rizhao City Intermediate Court did not hold a hearing as requested before issuing its ruling on January 29, 2024, to uphold Mr. Ding’s wrongful conviction. He is still likely being held in the Rizhao City Detention Center.
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