Heilongjiang Woman Sentenced to Eight Years for Her Faith in Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) Four members of an extended family in Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province stood trial on February 17, 2023, after seven months of detention for their faith in Falun Gong. It has been recently confirmed that Ms. Guo Chunling has been sentenced to eight years. It’s not clear whether her husband, daughter and mother-in-law were sentenced.

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

Ms. Guo, 46, her husband Mr. Zhang Guangcai, their daughter Ms. Zhang Jinfeng, and Mr. Zhang’s mother Ms. Yuan Meie, were arrested at their shared residence on July 11, 2022. The police searched their home from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Their Falun Gong books and printer were confiscated, and Ms. Zhang’s van was also impounded.

The four family members were tried by the Qiezi District Court on February 17, 2023. It was recently confirmed by Minghui.org that Ms. Guo was sentenced to eight years. She has appealed with the Qitaihe City Intermediate Court.

At least six other local practitioners were also arrested on the same day and held at the Qitaihe City Detention Center. They are Ms. Li Li, Ms. Zou Yunlan, Ms. Li Shaojuan, Ms. Wen Yanhua, Ms. Guang Hongyan and Ms. Zhang Shuli.

The police monitored the practitioners’ daily activities and collected their personal information for at least six months before orchestrating the arrests. They also threatened to arrest the practitioners’ family members if the practitioners themselves didn’t comply with the authorities.

Past Persecution of Ms. Guo

Ms. Guo took up Falun Gong in 1998. She went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong on June 28, 2000, and was arrested while demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises at Tiananmen Square.

As the police station near Tiananmen Square was packed with Falun Gong practitioners who came from around the country to appeal, the authorities transferred most of them to a stadium. Ms. Guo was held in the playground under the scorching sun, without being given any food or water.

A day later, Ms. Guo was transferred to the Huairou Detention Center in Beijing and also left in the yard under the baking sun. A guard kept verbally abusing her. After three days, she was taken back to Qitaihe and detained for another seven days.

The police kept Ms. Guo in an isolated room and force-fed her for two days. They deliberately pulled the feeding tube back and forth in her stomach, causing her excruciating pain. She was found to have severe heart problems when the police took her to the hospital for a checkup. Fearing that she might die in custody, the police released her.

Ms. Guo’s daughter was only one year old back then. The little girl cried every day and looked for her mother when Ms. Guo was detained.

Ms. Guo was arrested again in September 2002 after being reported for raising awareness about the persecution. She also developed a heart condition after spending a few days at the Qitaihe City No. 2 Detention Center.

Due to continued police harassment, Ms. Guo and her family were forced to move to another city in late 2007. The police never gave up looking for them, causing the family to live in fear.