(Minghui.org) It was learned recently that five residents of Qidong County, Hunan Province, were sentenced following their arrests in March 2023 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Kuang Zongyao was sentenced to eight years and fined 30,000 yuan. Mr. Qiu Xinnai was given seven years and four months and fined 20,000 yuan. Mr. Tang Bingsheng, 68, received seven years and two months and was fined 10,000 yuan. Mr. Zhang Xinfa, 73, was sentenced to three years and fined 10,000 yuan. Mr. Zhang Bailin, 71, was given one year and fined 5,000 yuan.
All five practitioners were sent to the Wangling Prison. They were arrested at their respective homes within hours of each other on March 14, 2023. Their Falun Gong books and informational materials were confiscated. In addition, the police seized Mr. Zhang Xinfa’s TV, camera, and satellite dish, as well as around 100,000 yuan cash from Mr. Kuang, and around 80,000 yuan cash from Mr. Qiu. Mr. Tang and Mr. Qiu also had their computers and printers confiscated.
A sixth practitioner, Mr. Zhang Zhihu, was also arrested on the same day. The day before (March 13, 2024), a seventh practitioner, Mr. Zhou Yangsheng, 81, was arrested after being reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials.
Mr. Zhou was later released on bail, and the other six practitioners were held at an unknown location. It is unclear when the five practitioners were indicted, tried, or sentenced, and whether Mr. Zhang Zhihu was subjected to prosecution.