(Minghui.org) An 86-year-old woman out on bail is scheduled to be taken back in custody on December 30, 2024 to serve a three-year prison term for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. She has appealed the verdict.
Ms. Liang Shuzhi, a resident of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, was sentenced to three years with a 20,000-yuan fine on March 27, 2023. She was initially put on bail due to health reasons, but the judge who convicted her recently ordered her to start serving time right before the new year. Prior to Ms. Liang’s latest sentencing, she was previously given another three years in 2002 for putting up Falun Gong flyers.
Details of Latest Prosecution
Ms. Liang was arrested at home on June 8, 2021. After strong demands from her family, she was released later that day.
The police claimed that a surveillance camera recorded Ms. Liang placing Falun Gong materials on cars near a police station in March 2021. By monitoring her daily activities, they also discovered that other Falun Gong practitioners were printing materials at her home. They claimed that this was a serious crime and that they intended to put her in prison.
The Heping District Domestic Security Division submitted Ms. Liang’s case to the Liaozhong District Procuratorate. A police officer called her family on May 9, 2022, threatening them that she would stand trial at Liaozhong District Court soon.
Ms. Liang’s family later learned that the prosecutor returned the case to the police on June 6, 2022, due to insufficient evidence. The police submitted her case again on June 17.
A group of officers and a prosecutor came to Ms. Liang’s home on August 2, 2022, attempting to force her to sign her indictment. She refused to comply.
Judge Lin Xiaojiao from the Liaozhong District Court, called Ms. Liang’s family on January 31, 2023, threatening to take Ms. Liang into custody after the Lantern Festival on February 5 if she didn’t renounce Falun Gong.
As Ms. Liang refused to give up Falun Gong, she was made to stand trial on February 8, 2023. Her lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for her. Judge Lin announced her verdict on March 27, 2023. She appealed with the Shenyang City Intermediate Court but the legal outcome was unclear.
The Shenyang City First Detention Center denied Ms. Liang’s admission due to her health condition. She was then put on bail and subjected to close surveillance by the local police and community workers.
Judge Lin attempted to have Ms. Liang taken back into custody in September 2024, but she was still found to be unfit for detention. The Shenyang City Procuratorate, however, recently urged Lin to send Ms. Liang to jail as soon as possible. Lin then scheduled for the Maluwan Police Station to take her to the detention center on December 30, 2024.
Related Reports:
86-year-old Woman Sentenced to Three Years for Practicing Falun Gong
86-year-old Woman Threatened with Prison Sentence for Upholding Her Faith
85-year-old Woman Faces Prison Time for Distributing Materials about Her Faith
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