(Minghui.org) Ms. Zhang Shuhua, 71, from Yushu City, Jilin Province, was taken back into custody on January 13, 2025 to serve a three-year-two-month term for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Zhang was arrested in August 2022 and later released on bail. The Dehui City Court held a virtual hearing of her case in her home on June 21, 2024 and convicted her on August 19. The prosecution evidence was several video clips showing the back of a woman. Ms. Zhang said it wasn’t her.
Although Ms. Zhang wasn’t initially required to serve a prison term due to her health, personnel from the Dehui City Court, along with officers from the Yushu City Domestic Security Division, showed up at her home on January 13, 2025
. They took her to Changchun (the capital city of Jilin Province) for a physical examination. Both Both Dehui and Yushu are under the administration of Changchun.
Ms. Zhang was found to have a systolic blood pressure reading of 220 mmHg (when a normal range is 120 or lower). She also had other severe health conditions. Nonetheless, the police took her straight to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison (located in Changchun) right after the checkup. She was reportedly on IV drips after she was admitted to prison.
This is not the first time that Ms. Zhang has been targeted for her faith. She lost her job as a street committee worker shortly after the persecution started and was given one year of forced labor in 2000.
For details of Ms. Zhang’s latest arrests and prosecution, see the related reports below.
70-Year-Old Woman Sentenced to Prison for Practicing Falun Gong