(Minghui.org) Five residents of Tonghua City, Jilin Province were admitted to prison around mid-December 2024 to serve time for their shared faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Xu Deming, 47, his wife, Ms. Sun Jingna, 51, Mr. Qu Xiaofei, 60, Ms. Luo Xizhen, 58, and Ms. Liu Xiaoyan, were all arrested on March 1, 2024, and were issued formal arrest warrants around April 20. The Liuhe County Court convicted all five on an unknown date, sentencing Mr. Xu and Ms. Sun each to five years, Mr. Qu and Ms. Luo to three years, and Ms. Liu to two years. They were transferred from the Tonghua City Detention Center to unknown prisons around mid-December 2024.
At least four other practitioners were also arrested on the same day. Ms. Song Dianhong is currently being held at the Xishan Drug Rehabilitation Center. Ms. Cheng Shumei and Ms. Ge (first name unknown) are being held at the Tonghua City Detention Center. Ms. Qu Dan has been released on bail. Their case status is unclear.
Past Persecution
Mr. Xu and Ms. Sun were both bank employees. Ms. Sun went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in 2001 and was put under surveillance by her employer. Mr. Xu’s employer fired him in February 2002 and sent him to a brainwashing center because he held firm to his faith. Following the couple’s latest arrest, their daughter, a college student in Beijing, struggled to pay her tuition.
Mr. Qu, a worker at the Tonghua Automobile Manufacturing Company, had previously been sentenced to three years in prison following an arrest in April 2004. After his latest arrest, his 82-year-old mother sought his release but was arrested by the police. The police cruiser overturned while en route to the police station, and the elderly woman suffered chest fractures and severe head injuries. She fell into a coma and remained incapacitated after being discharged from the hospital.
Ms. Luo was previously incarcerated for more than eight years, including a two-year forced labor term and two prison terms totaling six years and three months.
Following the latest arrest of Ms. Liu, a widow, her daughter, a college student, struggled to pay tuition.
Related Reports:
Ms. Luo Xizhen Arrested Again and Her Whereabouts Unknown
Jilin Province Practitioner Ms. Luo Xizhen Has Been Persecuted for Several Years
CCP’s Internal Regulation: Falun Gong Practitioners May Not Hire Their Own Lawyers
All content published on this website is copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
