(Minghui.org) An 83-year-old Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, resident was sentenced to three years in prison and fined 6,000 yuan on December 31, 2024, for raising awareness about the persecution of her faith, Falun Gong.
Ms. Wang Fengying
Ms. Wang Fengying was arrested on June 14, 2023, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. She was interrogated overnight and released the next afternoon after being found to have dangerously high blood pressure.
Three people from an unknown agency showed up at Ms. Wang’s door in early December 2024, and notified her that prosecutor Song Hongyang of the Xihu District Procuratorate had indicted her. They attempted to take her back into custody to await trial, but she refused to go, and they left.
Ms. Wang later picked up a copy of her indictment from the Xihu District Court. She tried several times but was unable to see prosecutor Song in person. She then submitted a request to his assistant and demanded that Song drop her indictment, but to no avail.
Ms. Wang received a text message from the Xihu District Court on December 19, 2024, saying that she was scheduled to appear in court on December 26. The message didn’t mention anything about Falun Gong, but accused her of being involved in a cult named Huidaomen. She called judge Liu Yufang, and said that if they were to prosecute her for practicing Falun Gong, at least they should indicate that in the document. She added that it was very unprofessional for the court to inform her of the court date through a text message. She said she would not attend the hearing, and Liu replied that it wasn’t a hearing, and that she just wanted to “have a conversation” with her.
Despite Ms. Wang’s resistance, she was still pressured by her family to appear in court. As soon as she entered the courtroom, several bailiffs pushed her into the defendant’s seat. She strongly protested. A female officer said to the male officers, “Why don’t you take action?”
Ms. Wang asked the female officer for her badge number, but she didn’t reply.
Judge Liu, another two judges, and prosecutor Song attended the hearing. Ms. Wang argued that there was no legal basis for the persecution of Falun Gong and that the prosecutor failed to demonstrate how she had undermined law enforcement or caused harm to anyone, or society at large. Even the court-appointed lawyer, who was instructed to enter a guilty plea for her, said that she shouldn’t be convicted for practicing Falun Gong.
The judge didn’t ask any questions about the prosecution evidence – Falun Gong materials confiscated from Ms. Wang.
After the hearing, someone ordered Ms. Wang to sign a document. She asked the person to read the content to her. That person responded, “It would take a long time.” Then he said, “If you don’t sign it, so be it.”
The police took Ms. Wang to two hospitals for physical examinations. A doctor took five tubes of blood from her. When taking her home, the police said to Ms. Wang’s daughter, “Tell your mother not to go out [to talk to people about Falun Gong] and to report to the court whenever she is summoned.”
Five days later, on December 31, Ms. Wang was notified by the court to go there to pick up her verdict. Her daughter forced her to sign the verdict, as the police had told her that even if Ms. Wang was sentenced, they wouldn’t admit her to prison, but would allow her to serve time at home.
Ms. Wang later took a look at the verdict, which bore the signatures of judges Liu, Fu Shaohua, and Zhang Yujuan. She was still sentenced for “undermining law enforcement,” and the Falun Gong books and materials confiscated from her were listed as “evidence” of her “crime.” The judge also accused her of being a “repeat offender,” because of her prior three-year sentence given in 2018 for practicing Falun Gong. The only fact in the verdict was the statement from the lawyer, “The defender agreed that defendant Wang Fengying didn’t violate the law. And because of her advanced age, she shouldn’t be held in custody.”
Ms. Wang filed an appeal on January 6, 2025.
Related Reports:
83-Year-Old Jiangxi Woman to Be Tried for Her Faith in Falun Gong
Widowed 79-year-old Woman Faces Financial Devastation After Serving Time for Her Faith
78-Year-Old Retiree’s Pension Garnished After Three-year Imprisonment
Jiangxi Woman, 76, Sentenced to Three Years for Her Belief
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