Henan Man Sentenced to Two Years for Practicing Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) An Anyang City, Henan Province, resident, was recently sentenced to two years by the Wenfeng District Court for practicing Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Duan Yanlin, 51, was arrested at home on June 26, 2021. His arrest was part of a police sweep prior to the Chinese Communist Party’s centennial anniversary of its founding on July 1. When raiding his home, the police took phone calls to receive instructions. Mr. Duan heard someone on the other end of the line saying where to search, under which bed, or in which cabinet. After one hour of searching, the police confiscated two Falun Gong books.

Mr. Duan’s arrest also dealt his mother a heavy blow and she passed away four months later. The police rejected their family’s request to release Mr. Duan so he could attend his mother’s funeral.

Although the Beiguan District Procuratorate returned Mr. Duan’s case to the police, citing insufficient evidence, the police refused to release him and submitted his case again to the Wenfeng District Procuratorate. The prosecutor eventually indicted him and moved his case to the Wenfeng District Court. He has appealed the verdict after being sentenced. The details of his sentencing are not clear.

Prior to his latest arrest, Mr. Duan has been repeatedly targeted for practicing Falun Gong. His wife divorced him as a result. He was arrested on July 28, 2008, and given two years of forced labor, after the police found paper currency printed with information about Falun Gong at his home (printing on banknotes has been a creative way to overcome the strict information censorship in China). He was beaten, verbally abused, deprived of sleep, denied restroom use, and forced to do unpaid labor at the Xuchang Forced Labor Camp.

Related report:

Henan Man Detained for His Faith, Mother Dies in Distress