77-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 1.5 Years for His Faith

(Minghui.org) A 77-year-old man in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, was recently sentenced to 1.5 years for practicing Falun Gong.

Mr. Zhao Yunfeng was arrested by Nangang District Police Department officers in March 2024 but released that same evening. The police began to monitor his daily activities and submitted his case to the Daoli District Procuratorate.

The Daoli District Court scheduled a hearing of Mr. Zhao’s case on April 8. It’s not clear whether the hearing indeed took place. Mr. Zhao was taken back into custody on April 25 and handed the verdict. Other details about his case aren’t clear.

Mr. Zhao took up Falun Gong in May 1996. He used to be addicted to smoking and gambling. He quit all of his bad habits after learning Falun Gong. Because he used to work in bitterly cold weather (nearly -60°F) repairing railway track, he developed severe rheumatoid arthritis. When the condition was in its worst, he was bed-bound and unable to use the restroom on his own. He recovered after practicing Falun Gong.

After the Chinese communist regime officially launched the persecution in July 1999, Mr. Zhao went to Beijing to appeal. An armed officer stopped him and asked him if he practiced Falun Gong as soon as he got off the train in Beijing. He was arrested and taken to the Qianmen Police Station. His local police and people from his workplace had to travel to Beijing to escort him back to Harbin. He was held in the Daowai District Lockup for 15 days and had a large amount of money extorted from him.

Due to the pressure of the persecution, Mr. Zhao stopped practicing Falun Gong for some time and started a business selling tofu. Not long after, he suffered a stroke and was unable to talk. He resumed practicing Falun Gong and recovered in a week.