(Minghui.org) The Baoji City Intermediate Court in Shaanxi Province ruled on March 19, 2026, to uphold a 75-year-old woman’s nine-year prison sentence.
Ms. Hou Guilan’s family requested an open hearing, but the appeals judge said he couldn’t make the decision alone because the request had to go through the collegiate bench. It is unclear whether an open hearing was ever held before the ruling against her was issued.
Ms. Huo, born in June 1950 and a retired worker from a plastics machinery factory, was arrested on April 11, 2024, for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
The four arresting officers did not allow her to change her clothes or shoes before dragging her downstairs to their cruiser. One of Ms. Huo’s ankles was severely injured and became swollen, making it difficult for her to walk. After the police took her to the Baoji City Second Detention Center the next day her condition kept worsening. She was dizzy and experienced chest pain, back pain, and had difficulty breathing. She also had vaginal bleeding. Her hearing and vision deteriorated. Her family requested that Ms. Huo be released on bail but their request was denied.
The Jintai District Court heard her case on December 17, 2024. Judge Liu Yan stopped the clerk from recording the court proceedings.
Judge Liu, prosecutor Wu Xuan, and two others deposed Ms. Huo at the detention center on March 13, 2025. They verified a few things with her, including: 1) her employment and salary before her retirement; 2) her five-year prison term from early October 2001 to late September 2006 for practicing Falun Gong; and 3) that she was given ten days of detention in 2020 for distributing Falun Gong informational materials but the police did not enforce the punishment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Liu claimed that the police did not intentionally drag Ms. Huo downstairs during her arrest on April 11, 2024. Instead, they claimed “an officer accidentally fell and knocked her down.” Liu also said three community workers witnessed the home raid that day, but this was not true. When Liu asked if Ms. Huo changed her opinion about Falun Gong, she reiterated that no law in China has criminalized Falun Gong.
Ms. Huo repeatedly demanded to see the legal basis for the prosecution. Liu had nothing to show her but said, “You’ll know the legal basis once a verdict is issued.”
Liu held another hearing on Ms. Huo’s case on March 24, 2025, before sentencing her to nine years and fining her 36,000 yuan on December 18, 2025. Prior to her latest sentencing, she served two labor camp terms and a five-year prison term for upholding her faith.
Related Reports:
75-Year-Old Shaanxi Woman Sentenced to Nine Years After Violent Arrest for Practicing Falun Gong
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