(Minghui.org) At least nine elderly men in two neighboring counties under the administration of Heze City, Shandong Province, have been sentenced since July 2024 for practicing Falun Gong.
Mr. Tao Huazhong, born in October 1944, was sentenced to four years in December 2024 and is currently serving time in Shandong Province Prison in the capital, Jinan. Due to the abuse, he has become seriously ill and is unable to eat. His family was not allowed to visit him.
Prior to his latest sentencing, the 81-year-old man was arrested on May 23, 2008, and sentenced to eight years. He was admitted to the fifth division in Taian Prison on December 25, 2008, and re-assigned to the second division on March 17, 2009. After he was released, he was placed under close surveillance and not allowed to go out without permission. The police also harassed him and raided his home frequently. His daughter-in-law was unable to cope with the pressure and divorced his son, who struggled to care for two young children by himself.
The prison terms of Mr. Yuan Mingxian, 81, Mr. Li Shanlai, 78, Mr. Yang Shoucan, 68, and Mr. Wang Jianzhong, 70, remain to be investigated.
Mr. Yang Xiuliang, 85, was sentenced to four years and fined 20,000 yuan. It is unclear what prison sentences were given to Mr. Zhang Mingjie, 85, or Mr. Pan Chenghua, 73.
Mr. Li Yichun, 69, was issued a formal arrest warrant on July 14, 2024, and he was later sentenced to three and a half years. He is incarcerated in the Shandong Province Prison.
In addition to Mr. Li Yichun and Mr. Tao, at least five other practitioners were admitted to the Shandong Province Prison between 2024 and 2025, though it is unclear who they are.