(Minghui.org) Minghui.org recently confirmed that a 62-year-old Beijing resident has been admitted to the Beijing Women’s Prison after losing an appeal against a two-year term for her faith in Falun Gong.
Ms. Jiao Shuying was indicted in September 2023 and stood trial on October 18, 2023. Her family learned of her wrongful conviction in mid-March 2024 and helped her file an appeal. Her local intermediate court ruled to uphold the original verdict and Jiao was transferred from the Haidian District Detention Center to the Beijing Women’s Prison at an unknown date.
Ms. Jiao had over 20 health problems when she was young, including liver disease, stomach disease, rheumatism, and back problems. She was always in a bad mood because of her suffering. She was grumpy and often verbally abused people. When she was 36, Ms. Jiao looked like she was in her 60s. She was laid off from Changping Second Textile Factory due to her poor health.
Ms. Jiao’s outlook on life changed after she started to practice Falun Gong in 1998. All her health issues were gone and she could eat and sleep well. By following Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, she became gentle and kind and no longer cursed.
After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, Ms. Jiao was detained and forced to undergo brainwashing many times. Her two children grew up in constant fear of losing their mother at any time. Her husband died in 2004 as a result of the persecution.
Ms. Jiao, a native of Huairou District, Beijing, lives with her daughter’s family in the Changping District of Beijing. Her latest prison term stemmed from her initial arrest on January 23, 2022, at her daughter’s home. The arresting officers from the Changping District Police Department took her to the Changping District Detention Center the next day and released her on bail on February 23, 2022.
Soon afterwards, the Haidian District Police Department in Beijing arrested Ms. Jiao but released her on bail hours later.
Both the Changping District Police Department and the Haidian District Police Department used the same excuse to arrest Ms. Jiao. They claimed that a surveillance camera recorded her distributing Falun Gong materials in January 2021. They did not say whether the alleged incident took place in Changping or Haidian. It remains to be investigated exactly why the two police departments were involved in Ms. Jiao’s arrest in the first place.
Days after the 2021 “incident,” the Hongfuyuan Residential Area, where Ms. Jiao’s daughter’s home is located, was locked down due to the CCP’s Zero-COVID policy. All the residents were required to submit their personal information when the authorities ordered massive PCR testing of local residents. The police located Ms. Jiao via the information her daughter submitted for her. But instead of arresting her back then, they waited a year and arrested her weeks before the Winter Olympic Games were set to begin in Beijing on February 4, 2022, when the local police intensified the arrests and harassment of Falun Gong practitioners in an attempt to prevent them from protesting the persecution during the Olympics.
The Haidian District Police Department took Ms. Jiao back into custody on April 9, 2023. After drawing her blood against her will, the police took her to the Haidian District Detention Center. She was issued a formal arrest warrant days later.
The Haidian District Procuratorate twice returned Ms. Jiao’s case to the Haidian District Police Department citing insufficient evidence, but finally agreed to charge her when the police tried a third time. Her case was forwarded to the Haidian District Court in September 2023 and she stood trial on October 18, 2023. The judge declared that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute her and adjourned the hearing. However, Ms. Jiao was still sentenced to two years at an unknown date. Her family learned of her conviction in mid-March 2024 and sought to have it overturned, only to see her appeal rejected.
62-Year-Old Beijing Woman Sentenced to 2 Years for Practicing Falun Gong