Heilongjiang Woman Sentenced to Three Years for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) A Mishan City, Heilongjiang Province resident was sentenced to three years with a 10,000 yuan fine on December 30, 2021, for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Zhang Yuling, in her 60s, has been repeatedly arrested, harassed, and detained since the onset of the persecution. Her latest arrest was on August 19, 2020. Her computer, printer, and photo of Falun Gong’s founder were confiscated. Led by Wang Dayong, the head of Jinsha Police Department, the police harassed many practitioners in 855 Farm, where Ms. Zhang lived, on the same day.

Ms. Zhang was held at the Jixi City Detention Center. Her arrest was approved by the Jiansanjiang Procuratorate on September 21. Officers from the Jiansanjiang Court, Domestic Security Office, 855 Police Station, the local appeals office and the residential committee came to the detention center one after another, trying to force her to plead guilty and renounce Falun Gong. She refused to comply.

Ms. Zhang was tried by the Jiansanjiang Court on December 27. The police listed 1,000 copies of Falun Gong materials as prosecution evidence against her.

Five witnesses were listed in her case, including Luo Hongyuan and Yang Gongchen, of 855 Farm 610 Office, Du Chuanjun, a station head of the 855 Farm, Jiang Futao, the secretary of Jinsha Community, and Wang Nanwan, the residential committee secretary.

Luo claimed that he heard from Yang that the latter saw Falun Gong materials at Ms. Zhang’s home and reported her to the police. Jiang added that after he saw Falun Gong materials in the neighborhood, he and Yang went to Ms. Zhang’s home on August 19 and saw a photo of Falun Gong’s founder.

Du said he saw Falun Gong posters on the utility poles and in the apartment building. Another witness Wang said she noticed Falun Gong pamphlets in the Jintai Subdivision she lived at and someone was distributing the materials in different neighborhoods every ten days. But neither she nor Du provided evidence to show that it was Ms. Zhang who distributed the materials. None of the five witnesses appeared in court to accept cross-examination either.

Ms. Zhang testified in her own defense. She pointed out that Jiang and Yang never went to her home and the witness accounts they provided were fake.

Ms. Zhang’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her. He argued that it’s illegal for the police to ransack her place in the pretext of a “visit.” The Falun Gong materials confiscated from her were her personal items and the prosecutor failed to explain how that caused harm to society or any individual.

The judges in charge of the case, Zhang Xuefeng, Chen Hui, and Ma Changjiang, sentenced Ms. Zhang to three years with a 10,000 yuan fine on December 30. She is scheduled to be released on August 19, 2023.

In the past few years, Jiang Futao has actively worked with local authorities in harassing Falun Gong practitioners, forcing some to live away from home. In 2020, at least 47 practitioners were targeted and ordered to write statements to renounce Falun Gong. Some had their photos taken without their consent and followed by the officers when they went out. The harassment also caused their family members to live in fear.

Perpetrators’ contact information:
Wang Dayong (汪大勇), head of Jinsha Police Department: [phone]Jiang Futao (姜富涛), secretary of Jinsha Community: [phone]Luo Hongyuan (罗宏元), director of 855 Farm 610 Office: [phone]Wang Jianjun (王建军), police chief: [phone], [phone]Liu Congying (刘聪颖), police officer: [phone], [phone]Liu Xiangrui (柳向瑞), police officer: [phone], [phone], [phone]

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)