(Minghui.org) A Chongqing man was sentenced to 2.5 years in February 2025 for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Zou Bin, 47, was arrested on May 22, 2024, by officers from the Huayuan Road Police Station. He was held at the Nan’an District Detention Center and tried in the Jiulongpo District Court on December 19.
Mr. Zou’s parents have both passed away. His older brother’s legs are disabled, and he is unable to care for himself. Mr. Zou wrote to the police several times, demanding to be released to take care of his brother, but to no avail.
Mr. Zou graduated from Chongqing Jiaotong University. He had a decent job but was fired for upholding his faith after the persecution started. He was also given an unknown term of forced labor in May 2001. In the forced labor camp, he was beaten and stomped on and left exposed so bugs could bite him. He was released on medical parole in May 2002.
Mr. Zou was arrested again in late March 2011 and later sentenced to three years with four years probation by the Qingchuan County Court in Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province.
12 Others Also Sentenced by the Jiulongpo District Court Since 2023
Since 2023, at least 12 other Falun Gong practitioners have been sentenced to prison by the Jiulongpo District Court in Chongqing, the same one that sentenced Mr. Zou.
Ms. Xu Xiaoqin was arrested on February 27, 2020. After taking her to the hospital for a physical exam, officers restrained her on a tiger bench in the police station. They interrogated her, claiming they saw her on surveillance cameras distributing Falun Gong materials. She was released on bail the following day. She was taken back into custody on April 19, 2021, and held in the Yongchuan District Detention Center. The Jiulongpo District Court sentenced her to 3.5 years in May 2023. The Chongqing Fifth Intermediate Court ruled to uphold the verdict.
Ms. Yu Hong, around 71, was arrested at home on October 25, 2020, by police officers from both Chongqing and Shangshui County, Henan Province. They spent four hours ransacking her home and confiscated her computer and a flash drive. She was sentenced to a 4.5-year prison term on March 30, 2023.
Ms. Yang Chunrong (also known as Ms. Yang Xu), 40, was arrested on April 22, 2021, while reading Falun Gong books with three other practitioners, including Ms. Zhu Zonglan, around 40; Ms. Zhu Meiying, 51; and Ms. Ye Wenxiu, 76. Ms. Yang was sentenced to six years and nine months in April 2023 and Ms. Zhu Zonglan received four years. What happened to Ms. Zhu Meiying and Ms. Ye isn’t clear.
Mr. He Zubin, 49, and his wife Ms. Lyu Caili, 45, were arrested at home on the night of June 18, 2021. The Jiulongpo District Court later sentenced Mr. He to eight years in prison and Ms. Lyu to five years.
Ms. Liu Renxiu, 63, was arrested on February 22, 2022. The police claimed that she was reported by a shop owner for talking to him about Falun Gong. She appeared in the Jiulongpo District Court on February 14, 2023. Her lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for her. She also testified in her own defense. The judge sentenced her to 1.5 years.
Ms. Shen Guangxiu, 81, was arrested on August 26, 2022. The police raided her home and took her to the Yongchuan District Detention Center that afternoon. The Jiulongpo District Court sentenced her to nine months with a 1,000-yuan fine on May 23, 2023.
Ms. Chen Changlan, around 70, was arrested on September 16, 2022. She was sentenced to a 4.5-year prison term around September 2023.
Ms. Huang Daifang was arrested on April 24, 2023. She appeared in court on March 25, 2024, and was later sentenced to a year and a half.
Ms. Duan Zhenwei, a 76-year-old retired civil servant, was arrested at home on June 2, 2023. The Jiulongpo District Court tried Ms. Duan on November 9, 2023, but did not allow her family to attend the hearing. They learned on December 18, 2023, that she had been sentenced to one and a half years in prison and fined 2,000 yuan.
Ms. Duan Zaiying, 76, was arrested on December 20, 2023, and sentenced to 3.5 years on September 14, 2024.
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