(Minghui.org) Three residents of Shulan City, Jilin Province have been sentenced to prison for their shared faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Jiang Yanping, 58, was sentenced to five years, Ms. Zhao Changyan, 66, was given three and a half years, and Ms. Liu Minjie, around 70, was given three years with four years probation. Ms. Jiang and Ms. Zhao are still held at the Jilin City Detention Center in Jilin Province at the time of writing.
Arrests
Ms. Jiang and Ms. Liu went out on the afternoon of March 16, 2023 to put up Falun Gong banners when they were spotted by police, who then shadowed them and arrested them at their respective homes that evening. Ms. Zhao was arrested at around the same time when she went to visit Ms. Jiang, not knowing the police were there.
Ms. Liu was released under house arrest hours later. Ms. Jiang and Ms. Liu were taken to an unknown location before being moved to the Shulan City Domestic Security Office on March 18, 2023. Both went on a hunger strike in protest. Ms. Zhao was given 15 days of criminal detention the next day and transferred to the Jilin City Detention Center on March 22. Ms. Jiang was transferred to the Jishu Police Station on March 20 and taken to the Jilin City Detention Center the next morning.
Sentencing
Ms. Jiang and Ms. Liu stood trial together on July 27, 2023. A different judge from the same Shulan City Court presided over the trial of Ms. Zhao on the same day. Ms. Jiang and Ms. Liu had a second hearing on October 26, and it was unclear whether Ms. Zhao appeared in court again. It was recently learned that all three of them were sentenced at an unknown date.
Ms. Liu remained under house arrest after each of her hearings and is now on probation. It is unclear when Ms. Jiang and Ms. Zhao will be transferred to prison from the Jilin City Detention Center.
Devoted to Their Families
Ms. Liu, Ms. Zhao, and Ms. Jiang all credit Falun Gong for restoring their health and turning them into more considerate and kinder people. They were known among locals as good mothers, wives, daughters and daughters-in-law.
Ms. Liu’s husband suffered from poor health, and she became the main breadwinner in her family. She worked hard in a coal mine and put their two children through school. Her husband is now almost completely incapacitated and Ms. Liu took care of him without any complaints. Her latest persecution dealt a blow to her husband, whose condition worsened as a result.
Ms. Zhao was tormented by neurasthenia for years and her husband even became depressed seeing her suffer so much. After she took up Falun Gong, her condition gradually improved, which further strengthened her faith in the practice. Her mother-in-law suffered from brain atrophy and no longer recognized people. Ms. Zhao took meticulous care of her until she passed away at 93.
Ms. Jiang used to have a bad temper and was addicted to playing Mahjong. After she took up Falun Gong, she quit Mahjong and her temper improved. She took good care of her husband and their daughter. She also became the main caregiver for her 80-year-old mother, who now cries often as her daughter is being jailed for being a good person.
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