(Minghui.org) A 49-year-old woman in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, was admitted to the Hunan Province Women’s Prison on October 26, 2023, after losing her appeal against a three-year sentence.
Ms. Yu Yingzhu was arrested on March 29, 2023 for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. The Yuhua District Court sentenced her to three years on September 8, and the Changsha City Intermediate Court ruled to uphold her wrongful conviction at an unknown date. As Ms. Yu's family hasn’t been allowed any form of communication with her since her sentencing, they are very concerned about her wellbeing.
This is not the first time that Ms. Yu has been targeted for her faith. She previously served three forced labor terms totaling nearly eight years for practicing Falun Gong. For information on Ms. Yu’s past persecution, see the second related report listed at the end of this article.
Details of Latest Persecution
Ms. Yu, who used to work at the Zhuzhou City Smelter Plant, was arrested at home on March 29, 2023, and taken to Changsha (the provincial capital), about 50 miles away, overnight. She was admitted to the Changsha City No. 4 Detention Center the next afternoon.
The police claimed that they suspected Ms. Yu of participating in an activity organized by local Falun Gong practitioners over ten years ago. She said she didn’t know anything about the activity or the practitioners the police mentioned. She asked if the police were making things up to frame her. To protest, she started a hunger strike and was taken to the hospital several times for forced-feeding.
Ms. Yu became extremely weak and emaciated after two months on a hunger strike and was released under house arrest on June 1, 2023.
The Yuhua District Court in Changsha City ordered the police to take her back into custody on August 24. She has since been held at the Changsha City No. 4 Detention Center.
Ms. Yu appeared in court on September 8 and was sentenced to three years in prison by judge Yang Yong. The day before the hearing, many of Ms. Yu’s relatives, friends, and local Falun Gong practitioners were harassed by the police and community officials, who warned them not to attend her trial. Those who did manage to go to the courthouse were barred from entry by the police using various excuses.
Related reports:
Once Incarcerated for Nearly Eight Years, 49-Year-Old Woman Gets Three Years for Her Faith
Hunan Woman on Hunger Strike for a Month and Counting Following Latest Arbitrary Arrest
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