(Minghui.org) As of December 31, 2022, 11 residents in Xianning City remained incarcerated in various prisons or detention centers for upholding their faith in Falun Dafa, a meditation practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ten of the 11 practitioners, eight of them males, are serving prison sentences ranging from three to eight and a half years. One of them was detained for three and a half years before being convicted. The following are brief summaries of their current situation.
1. Ms. Wang Huiyuan, 66, retired as a judge from Tongcheng County Court in Xianning City. She was arrested on August 30, 2017, and sentenced to seven years in the Chongyang County Court in 2019. She is being tortured in Wuhan City Women’s Prison.
2. Mr. Chen Shuang, 26, is a native of the Xian’an District in Xianning City. Bantian Police Station officers in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, arrested him on June 4, 2017. He was tried in July 2018, and the Longgang District Court in Shenzhen City gave him seven years in prison with a 10,000-yuan fine. He is now in Shaoguan Prison in Guangdong Province.
3 and 4. Mr. Liu Shehong, 55, from Daqiao Village and his wife Ms. Zhao Xiujuan were arrested on September 4, 2019, in Jingzhou City, Hubei Province. Mr. Liu was given seven and a half years and is now in Fanjiatai Prison in Shayang County. Ms. Zhao was given seven years and is in Wuhan City Women’s Prison.
5. Mr. Zhou Guoqiang, 58, used to work in an industrial and commercial bank in Chibi City, Hubei Province. Officers from the Wuhan City Police Department and Yujiatou and Shuiguohu Police Stations arrested him on December 26, 2018. They handcuffed and immobilized him in an iron chair in Yujiatou Police Station. They beat him in an attempt to make him “confess.” They also forced him to undergo a stringent physical exam.
Mr. Zhou stood trial in the Wuchang District Court on December 24, 2020. A judge sentenced him to eight and a half years with a 30,000-yuan fine on January 25, 2021. Mr. Zhou filed an appeal but it was rejected. The authorities transferred him to Fanjiatai Prison.
6. Mr. Xiang Debin, 59, used to work in a factory in the Xian’an District that manufactured steering devices. The police arrested him on June 22, 2017, and took him straight to Hubei Province Brainwashing Center. Two months later they transferred him to the Xian’an District Detention Center. His hearing was held 16 months later on December 27, 2018. The judge sentenced him to seven years with a 10,000-yuan fine in January 2021. He spent three and a half years in a detention center after his arrest. He is now serving time in Fanjiatai Prison.
7. Mr. Hong Haihua, 65, is a resident of Shadui Town. The police arrested him at his home on May 3, 2018, and took him straight to Tongcheng County Detention Center. He was transferred to Chongyang County Detention Center at the end of 2019. After four hearings, a judge sentenced him to seven years with a 10,000-yuan fine. He was admitted to Fanjiatai Prison on May 3, 2021.
8. Mr. He Guoao is in his 70s and retired from Tongcheng County Petroleum Company. The police arrested him on March 6, 2021, and put him in the Tongcheng County Detention Center. The authorities arbitrarily gave him three years and admitted him to Fanjiatai Prison on May 3, 2021.
9. Mr. Zhang Weiqing, 44, has a law degree from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. He, Ms. Ding Xiaolan, and Ms. She Qinghua went to Tingsi Town on April 20, 2020, to tell people there about the persecution of Falun Dafa. The police arrested them. Ms. Ding and Ms. She were held in the Tongshan County Detention Center for 15 days. Mr. Zhang was held in the Chibi City Detention Center for a month before being transferred to the Xian’an District Detention Center. A Xian’an District Court judge gave him three years in August 2021. He spent two years in the detention center before being transferred to Fanjiatai Prison in August 2022.
10. Ms. Li Yanhe is in her 70s and a resident of Tongcheng County. Tongcheng County Domestic Security officers arrested her in 2021. A few days later she was sentenced to seven years. She is now in Wuhan City Women’s Prison.
11. Mr. Liu Haiquan, in his 40s, is a resident of the Xian’an District. The police arrested him on April 13, 2021, and put him in Jiayu County Detention Center. He stood trial at Tongcheng County Court in December 2021. It’s been over a year and the judge has not issued a verdict. He is still in the detention center.