(Minghui.org) For upholding her faith in Falun Gong, an 85-year-old woman in Huaihua City, Hunan Province, has been sentenced twice and repeatedly harassed. Her pension has also been suspended since 2024.
Ms. Xiang Aimei, the former deputy mayor of Anjiang Town, Hongjiang City, Hunan Province, was sentenced to three years with a three-year probation in 2008. Details about her first prison sentence are unclear.
Ms. Xiang was arrested again on January 14, 2023, for talking to people about Falun Gong at the Hongjiang City Farmers’ Market. She was held at the Hongjiang City Police Department for one day and then placed under house arrest. She returned to the farmers market in May 2023 to raise awareness about the persecution. She was followed by local residential community workers and arrested. The Qiancheng Police Station collected information about the two arrests and submitted her case to the Hongjiang City Procuratorate.
Four police officers showed up at Ms. Xiang’s home on July 20, 2023, to order her to report to the Hongjiang City Procuratorate. As she wasn’t home, the police told her children that they would arrest Ms. Xiang if she didn’t appear at the procuratorate the following day.
Ms. Xiang went to the procuratorate with her lawyer and daughter-in-law the next day. The prosecutor ordered her to sign her case document. She refused. The prosecutor threatened to send her to a detention center and said that her children’s and grandchildren’s jobs and promotions would be affected. She was allowed to go home, but was placed under house arrest.
Between September and October 2023, officers from the Qiancheng Police Station, the Hongjiang City Procuratorate, and the Hongjiang City Court repeatedly harassed Ms. Xiang.
Three officers, including deputy chief Chen Min from the Qiancheng Police Station, went to Ms. Xiang’s home on October 19, 2023, and took her to the Hongjiang City Court. After she was given a physical exam, the police attempted to take her to the Zhongfang County Detention Center. Ms. Xiang’s son and son-in-law rushed to the police station and told the police that Ms. Xiang struggled with lower back pain and had mobility issues. After hours of standoff, the police agreed to have her undergo another physical exam the next day. After reviewing the results with the doctor, the detention center director decided not to admit her. She was then released on bail.
The Hongjiang City Court sentenced Ms. Xiang to one and a half years in April 2024. She was taken into custody at the Huaihua City Detention Center.
The Hongjiang City Police Department forcibly withheld 50% of Ms. Xiang’s pension payments between 2023 and April 2024. The total amount added to 83,000 yuan. Shortly after her conviction, her pension was completely stopped. The financial support that her family sent to her digital wallet on WeChat was also frozen.
In addition, the authorities also forbade Ms. Xiang from traveling by air or train. When her older brother, who lives in a different city, wanted to see her on his birthday, she was unable to go.
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