(Minghui.org) Two residents of Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province were sentenced to prison on December 31, 2024 for their shared faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Kou Juying, 73, was given five and a half years with a 20,000-yuan fine. Ms. Dong Guijin, 62, received two years and a 10,000-yuan fine. Both are currently held at the Xi’an City Detention Center. Ms. Kou is in the process of appealing her verdict.
The two women’s wrongful convictions stemmed from their initial arrests in 2022. Officers from the Sanqiao Police Station first arrested Ms. Dong at home on the night of August 17, 2022, after monitoring her for six months. They next arrested Ms. Kou the following afternoon. Their counterparts from the Xinjiamiao Police Station and the Xi’an City Domestic Security Division joined the raid of Ms. Kou’s home. They confiscated her desktop computer, laptop, printer, cell phone and Falun Gong books.
The two women were taken for a physical examination the next day. Ms. Kou was found to have kidney stones, high blood pressure (with a reading of 220/150 mmHg when the normal range is 120/80 or lower), and lung inflammation. The police tried the Xi’an City Detention Center and the Ankang Hospital (a psychiatric hospital often used to persecute mentally healthy Falun Gong practitioners), but both refused to admit her. Ms. Kou was released on bail on the morning of August 20, 2024. Ms. Dong was also released on bail the day before.
The Xixian New Area Police Department later took over the cases. In November 2022, they requested to move forward with the prosecution of Ms. Kou and Ms. Dong. The Chang’an District Procuratorate consulted its supervising agency, the Xi’an City Procuratorate, which then instructed prosecutor Liu Honggang (+86-13909256588) at the lower procuratorate to formally start the prosecution process.
Officers Shi Yi and Yang Jinxiong submitted the cases to the Chang’an District Procuratorate in January 2023. The procuratorate returned the cases, citing insufficient evidence.
Several officers harassed Ms. Kou at home in February 2023 before arresting her and Ms. Dong days later on February 20. Both were taken to the Xi’an City Detention Center and had their fingerprints and pictures taken. Ms. Kou was held in cell 7 of team 2. She had to share a tiny room with 23 other inmates. It’s unclear which cell Ms. Dong is being held.
The Chang’an District Procuratorate issued formal arrest warrants against Ms. Kou and Ms. Dong on March 7, 2023. The police resubmitted the cases to the procuratorate in early May 2023. Prosecutor Xiang Jing moved the cases to the Baqiao District Procuratorate, one of three procuratorates designated to handle Falun Gong cases in Xi’an, the next month. Prosecutor Li Chun (+86-15389033169) at the latter procuratorate indicted Ms. Kou and Ms. Dong on July 12, 2023.
The two women stood trial at the Baqiao District Court on January 31, 2024. Judge Duan Wenwen (+86-13468753411) convicted both of them on December 31, 2024, ordering Ms. Kou to serve a 5.5-year term (February 20, 2023 – August 17, 2028) and Ms. Dong a two-year term (February 20, 2023 – February 16, 2025).