(Minghui.org) Ms. Ma Lingxian, 71, from Huili City, Sichuan Province, was sentenced to three years for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Ma Lingxian and three other Falun Gong practitioners were arrested on the evening of May 18, 2024, after surveillance cameras recorded them distributing Falun Gong informational materials. Her son received a call from the Huili City Court on September 11, 2024, that she had been indicted.
Judge Zhang Yupeng heard Ms. Ma’s case on October 17, 2024. Prosecutor Zhang Yuzhong alleged that a plainclothes officer took a picture of Ms. Ma standing next to an elementary school pupil on May 12, 2024 and that the student later reported her for talking to him about Falun Gong. Prosecutor Zhang also said the police found more than ten copies of Falun Gong informational materials in Ms. Ma’s bike basket.
Judge Zhang stopped prosecutor Zhang from talking about the events on May 12, 2024 and asked what Ms. Ma was found doing on May 18, 2024 (the day of her arrest) instead. Prosecutor Zhang did not answer.
Ms. Ma’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her and demanded her acquittal. Judge Zhang, however, still sentenced her to three years at an unknown time. Her lawyer notified her family of the verdict on January 10, 2025.
This is not the first time that Ms. Ma, a retired teacher from the Shaba Middle School, has been targeted for her faith, which she credits for eliminating her low blood pressure, skin irritations and long-term insomnia. The police extorted money from her three times. Her salary was suspended at one point and she was denied promotion at work twice. Her home was ransacked at least seven times and she was harassed countless times. She also served one labor camp term and two prison terms totaling more than six years.
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