(Minghui.org) A 71-year-old woman in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province was sentenced to a five-year prison term with three years probation in September 2023, for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Zhou Yawei was arrested at home on June 23, 2022, by agents from the Changling District Police Department and its subordinate Anping Street Police Station. The police raided her home and confiscated all of her Falun Gong-related materials. According to insiders, the police targeted her after receiving a tip that she had put up self-adhesive stickers bearing Falun Gong messages. They monitored her for months before making the arrest.
Ms. Zhou was taken to the Liaoyang City Detention Center. Her husband, who has mobility issues, struggles to care for their disabled son during her detention. The police later submitted her case to Dengta City, which is under the administration of Liaoyang City. The Dengta City Court sentenced her to five years with three years of probation in September 2023. The details of her indictment, trial, and sentencing remain to be investigated. According to insiders, the court gave her probation because her health had become extremely poor after more than one year of detention.
Now on probation at home (it is unclear when she was released after her prison sentencing), Ms. Zhou is under close surveillance and must seek permission before stepping out of her home and/or engaging in any social interactions.