(Minghui.org) Six residents of Tangshan City, Hebei Province, were sentenced on September 22, 2026, for their faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Xiong Fengyan, 62, and Ms. Yao Xiurong, 60, were both sentenced to three and a half years with a 10,000-yuan fine.
Ms. Xia Xiuhua, 83, received three years and a 10,000-yuan fine.
Mr. Xu Zhenguo, 68, and his wife, Ms. Zhao Shuping, were both given two years and fined 8,000 yuan.
Ms. Tang Guiyan, 67, was given one and a half years with a 6,000-yuan fine.
Judge Wang Xuemei from the Zunhua City Court and prosector Gao Yujie from the Zunhua City Procuratorate signed the verdicts. Both agencies have been designated to handle all Falun Gong cases in the greater Tangshan area.
The six practitioners were arrested on October 28, 2025, while talking to people about Falun Gong at a community fair. They were indicted around January 2026.
During the trial on June 4, 2026, Ms. Xia found out that the two lawyers her family hired for her had refused to enter a not guilty plea for her. She dismissed the lawyers immediately. Judge Wang said she had ten days to find a new lawyer and ordered her to leave the courtroom.
Ms. Xiong’s lawyer requested an adjournment of the hearing as the exclusion of Ms. Xia from the joint trial would be equivalent to splitting the case into two cases without proper legal procedures. Judge Wang dismissed the request and continued the hearing with the five remaining practitioners in court.
Around 4 p.m., Ms. Xiong suddenly fainted due to high blood pressure and was taken to the hospital. Her lawyer demanded an adjournment of the hearing, but judge Wang still finished the session with the remaining four practitioners.
Ms. Xia and Ms. Xiong were ordered to appear in court again on July 9, 2026. Ms. Xia was unable to attend due to health reasons. Ms. Xiong became unwell midway through the hearing, and judge Wang halted the session.
Judge Wang and prosecutor Gao led a court-appointed lawyer, two assistant judges, two bailiffs, and a clerk to Ms. Xia’s home at around 9:30 a.m. on August 12, 2026, to hold a hearing. She dismissed the court-appointed lawyer and represented herself. She entered a not-guilty plea, but her family twice snatched away the plea and ripped it up. The hearing was thus unable to continue, and judge Wang halted the session.
It is unclear whether judge Wang held any additional hearing of Ms. Xia and Ms. Xiong’s cases to finish their trial. It was confirmed that he sentenced both women and the other four practitioners on September 22, 2026.
Ms. Xia was released on bail hours after her arrest. Ms. Xiong was released on bail in early March 2026 due to health reasons. Ms. Tang was found to have metastatic late-stage cancer and released on bail around May 2026. It is unclear whether the three of them have been taken back into custody after their sentencing.
The other three practitioners remained at the Tangshan City First Detention Center throughout their prosecution. It is unclear when they’ll be transferred to prison.
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