(Minghui.org) It was learned in mid-March 2024 that a resident of Gaizhou City, Liaoning Province, was sentenced to one and a half years for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Dong Liping was arrested on July 21, 2023 by agents from the Gaizhou City Domestic Security Office and its subordinate, the Taiyangsheng Police Station. They raided her home and confiscated her computer, cell phone and Falun Gong books. She was taken to the Yingkou City Detention Center. Yingkou City oversees Gaizhou City.
The Zhanqian District Procuratorate in Yingkou City issued a formal arrest warrant against Ms. Dong on August 25, 2023. Her family hired a lawyer to represent her. The lawyer visited her three times at the detention center, on August 28, September 6, and September 25, 2023. Each time he visited, he observed her condition declined.
Ms. Dong appeared extremely weak during the first visit because she was on a hunger strike for three days prior to the visit. She walked with a limp during the second visit. She told her lawyer that the inmates beat her and forced her to keep eating even when she was already full. The lawyer said she was in a daze during the third visit. She pointed to her abdomen and said she suspected she had stomach or bladder problems. She also said she was incontinent for a few days.
Ms. Dong’s family reported her situation to the detention center but the guards denied that she had ever been beaten or mistreated. Her mother submitted a request in early September 2023 to the Gaizhou City Procuratorate, requesting that her daughter’s case be dropped. It’s not clear why the older woman did not address her request directly to the Zhanqian District Procuratorate, which was in charge of the case.
Prosecutor Jiang Peng (+86-417-2218027, +86-18241725569) from the Zhanqian District Procuratorate indicted Ms. Dong and forwarded her case to the Zhanqian District Court. She stood trial on December 27, 2023. She was so weak that she needed help walking upstairs to the courtroom. Her voice was low and her reaction was slow. Despite her condition, she was handcuffed and shackled during the entire hearing.
Judge Sui Chuanyi (+86-417-2991013) sentenced Ms. Dong at an unknown date.
It is unclear when Ms. Dong will be transferred to prison to serve time. For details of her arrest and abuse at the detention center, see the related report below.
Related Article in Chinese:
Related Report:
Liaoning Woman Detained for Her Faith Beaten and Forced to Keep Eating After She’s Full
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