(Minghui.org) A Kunming City, Yunnan Province resident was sentenced to six years for doing Falun Gong exercises in public, while he was still waiting for the appeal hearing of a five-year term he was given earlier, also for practicing Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Li Wenbo has filed another appeal against his latest term, which was handed down by Xishan District Court shortly after his court hearing on December 18, 2019.
Mr. Li, 54, was last arrested on August 23, 2019 and has since been held at Jinning Detention Center.
An Earlier 5-Year Sentence
Mr. Li’s six-year term came while he was still awaiting the ruling of his appeal against a five-year term he was given in May 2019 for writing letters to the authorities.
In the letters, he requested that the authorities remove propaganda posters against Falun Gong displayed in his neighborhood and that the village officials return the 10,000 yuan fine levied against him for his faith.
Instead of seeing his requests addressed, Mr. Li was arrested on May 17, 2018 and sent to Jinning Detention Center. He developed a gastrointestinal hemorrhage, perforation of hollow organs, intestinal obstruction, and severe anemia after nearly six months of detention and was released on bail on November 2, 2018.
He appeared in Xishan District Court on May 23, 2019 and was convicted shortly afterwards. He appealed to Kunming City Intermediate Court, which has yet to issue a ruling of the case.
Past Eight Years of Incarceration
For upholding his faith, Mr. Li has been repeatedly incarcerated in the past two decades.
He was given three years of forced labor in 2005. He suffered reduced vision, lost six teeth and had an eight-inch-long scar on his left leg, as a result of the abuse at Yunnan Province No. 2 Forced Labor Camp. His term was also extended for three months because of his unwavering faith.
Only one year after he was released, he was arrested again and sentenced to five years in prison in 2009. The guards beat, verbally abused, and hung him up. He developed inflammation and ulcer in the esophagus, as well as a severe stomach problem.
Related report:
Yunnan Man Sentenced to Five Years for Writing Letters to Authorities about His Faith
