Beijing Woman Given Two Years for Her Faith in Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) It was recently learned that a resident of Xicheng District, Beijing had been sentenced to two years for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Ms. Li Xiuying is currently appealing her verdict. She has developed some medical conditions while held at the Xicheng District Detention Center. Her application for medical parole is still pending.

Officer Li Yang ([phone]) of the Baizhifang Police Station submitted her case to the Xicheng District Procuratorate and prosecutor Tang Weijia ([phone]) in turn forwarded her case to the Xicheng District Court before April 5, 2022. 

Presiding judge Zhang Bingjie ([phone], [phone]), judges Wang Hongkui and Cheng Jie, as well as clerks Ren Dan and Ding Jiaxin, signed the verdict. Other information, such as when Ms. Li was arrested, indicted, tried, or sentenced, remains to be investigated.

At least four other Beijing residents have also been sentenced to prison in 2023 for practicing Falun Gong. 

- Ms. Deng Chunxian, an 82-year-old resident of Fengtai District, Beijing, was sentenced to three years and fined 3,000 yuan on June 15, 2023.- Ms. Hu Xingxi, an 81-year-old resident of Fengtai District, Beijing, was sentenced to three years and fined 3,000 yuan in late March 2023.- Ms. Gu Xiuying, an 88-year-old resident of Xicheng District, Beijing, was sentenced to two years around February 2023. She is now serving time outside of prison.- Ms. Hu Guilan, an 80-year-old resident of Haidian District, Beijing, was sentenced to one year and fined 2,000 yuan in the first half of 2023. She is currently on medical parole.

Past Persecution

Prior to her latest persecution, Ms. Li, whose age is unknown, was previously targeted a few other times for her faith. Three workers from the Yuetan Street Committee broke into her home at around 3 p.m. on March 9, 2016 and asked if she had filed a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin, former Chinese dictator who ordered the persecution of Falun Gong. 

She said yes and about six officers from the Baizhifang Police Station raided her home at around 5 p.m. that day. They confiscated her Falun Gong books and laptop and ordered her to go with them. She refused to comply and showed the police a printout of relevant provisions from the Constitution to say that it was her legal right to sue Jiang. The police took away the provisions and threatened to return the next day to arrest her. They did not follow through though.

Ms. Li was arrested on October 25, 2019 while distributing Falun Gong informational materials. She was held at the Fengtai District Detention Center for an unknown amount of time. 

Related report:

82-Year-Old Beijing Woman Loses Appeal Against 3-Year Prison Sentence, Vows to Continue Seeking Justice