(Minghui.org) Ms. Qin Yaling couldn’t wait to reunite with her family after serving 1.5 years for practicing Falun Gong, only to learn that her husband had just died of cancer one month ago.
Ms. Qin, a 56-year-old resident in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on May 7, 2019 after being reported for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Qin’s arrest and detention has left her family in deep distress, especially her cancer-stricken husband. As their daughter was still in college at the time, he was left alone at home and struggled to care for himself. Worried about the family, Ms. Qin’s ailing father, in his 80s, was distressed and lost his appetite.
The Wensheng District Procuratorate quickly approved Ms. Qin’s arrest and indicted her. During her hearing by the Wensheng District Court on August 23, her lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her. She also testified in her own defense.
The judge sentenced Ms. Qin to 1.5 years with 10,000 yuan fine on October 23, 2019. The court informed her of the verdict on October 31 and her lawyer around November 4, but never informed her family.
Ms. Qin appealed the sentence and the Liaoyang City Intermediate Court ruled to uphold her sentence in May 2020 following a virtual hearing. The higher court didn’t inform her family, as required by the law, of their ruling either.
After Ms. Qin’s daughter graduated, she didn’t look for a job, but devoted her time to care for her father, who was dealt a heavy blow by Ms. Qin’s prison sentence. He passed away on October 5, 2020, one month before Ms. Qin was released on November 6. His daughter and other loved ones decided to keep his body refrigerated and wait for Ms. Qin to return home to take care of his funeral.
Not long after Ms. Qin was released, her daughter was hospitalized, after developing ulcerative carbuncle due to both mental and physical exhaustion.
Despite the family’s plight, the authorities kept harassing Ms. Qin and attempted to force her to renounce Falun Gong. They threatened to “take action” against her if she didn’t comply.
Related report:Mother of College Student Sentenced to Prison for Her Faith, Family Devastated
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Category: Accounts of Persecution
