(Minghui.org) A 60-year-old Shouguang City, Shandong Province, resident, was sentenced to 3.5 years with a 30,000-yuan fine on September 19, 2024, for her faith in Falun Gong. Ms. Yuan Junhua expressed her intent to appeal the verdict right after the wrongful conviction was announced.

Ms. Yuan, a retired employee of the Xianxia Clothing Factory, was arrested at home on the morning of July 28, 2023, by Zhang Chunsheng of the Shouguang City Domestic Security Division and three officers from the Gucheng Street Police Station.

After taking Ms. Yuan to the Gucheng Street Police Station, the police interrogated her and attempted to force her to admit that it was her who placed the dozen-plus copies of Falun Gong booklets found in an apartment building in the Yizhong Garden Neighborhood in February 2023. The police threatened to take her to the Weifang Detention Center if she refused to admit to having distributed the materials. As her one-year-old grandson was left at home by himself following her arrest and his parents were working out of town, Ms. Yuan said yes to the police allegation against her will in the early afternoon. She was released the next day.

A few days later, Zhang and another officer harassed Ms. Yuan at home and videotaped her. They threatened to put her on house arrest. Ms. Yuan said that she didn’t distribute the materials as alleged and that it was the police who violated the law by holding her at the police station for over 24 hours and intimidated her into admitting to things she didn’t do. Zhang ignored her.

Zhang later submitted Ms. Yuan’s case to the Shouguang City Procuratorate, which then indicted her and moved her case to the Shouguang City Court on December 7, 2023. Her court date was then set for December 28, 2023.

Upon receiving a notification of the upcoming trial from Zhang, Ms. Yuan was forced to live away from home to avoid being tried. While in displacement, she wrote a letter to Li Yonghui, the presiding judge in charge of her case, urging her not to follow the communist regime in persecuting Falun Gong, but to no avail.

Ms. Yuan was followed by the police when she returned home on June 13, 2024 and arrested at her rental place hours later. She was admitted to the Weifang City Detention Center on the same day.

Ms. Yuan stood trial at the Shouguang City Court on July 4, 2024. Her lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her. Prosecutor Sang Zijun pushed for a sentence of 3.5 years.

Judge Li adjourned the session and later held a second hearing on September 2. Ms. Yuan was brought to the court handcuffed and shackled. Her ankles were bleeding from rubbing against the shackles.

Prosecutor Sang brought a box filled with Falun Gong materials and accused Ms. Yuan of distributing the materials. Her lawyer asked Sang where he got the materials and whether he had any evidence to show that his client distributed the materials. Sang remained silent.

Ms. Yuan’s sentencing hearing was held on September 19, 2024. Judge Li announced her sentence of 3.5 years with a 30,000-yuan fine. Ms. Yuan said she would appeal the verdict.