(Minghui.org) Ms. Tong Jing, 59, from Fushun City, Liaoning Province, stood trial on June 24, 2025 because she practices Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. She was recently sentenced to three and a half years.
Ms. Tong’s conviction stemmed from her arrest on August 9, 2023, when she went to the Fushun City Police Department to submit her passport application to attend her son’s graduation ceremony in another country. She was held in custody for 14 days and released on bail on August 23, 2023.
The Zhanqian Police Station officers submitted Ms. Tong’s case to the Dongzhou District Procuratorate and arrested her again at 8:30 a.m. on March 7, 2025 when she went to pay her Internet bill. Officer Wang Fu took her to the Fushun City Detention Center where she was assigned to cell 206.
Ms. Tong’s 85-year-old mother went to the police station on March 19, 2025 and was told that they submitted an updated case to the Dongzhou District Procuratorate. The elderly woman went to the procuratorate on March 20 but was not allowed to enter the building.
As the police could only detain a suspect for 15 days without a formal arrest warrant, Ms. Dong’s mother went to the police station on March 22, 2025 to process her release paperwork. An officer turned on his body-cam and began interrogating the elderly woman. He demanded to know her home address. She refused to answer and he did not press further. She then asked why the police arrested her daughter. The officer ignored her and asked her to return in two months to inquire about the case status.
Ms. Tong’s mother was so devastated that she could not sleep or eat well. She often sat up all night. In just one month she lost about 26 pounds and her cheeks became sunken. On June 17, 2025, she learned that her daughter was indicted by prosecutor Dai Guoqiang. Three days later she was told that a court date was scheduled for June 24.
Judge Zhang Yang from the Dongzhou District Court presided over the trial at the detention center on June 24, 2025. Prosecutor Dai was unable to attend due to health reasons so prosecutor Su Congduo came in his place.
Ms. Tong refused to attend the hearing. The bailiffs restrained her in a wheelchair and took her to the makeshift courtroom in the detention center. She remained silent in protest throughout the entire session.
It is unclear when judge Zhang sentenced Ms. Tong after the hearing. Her mother was heartbroken to see a law-abiding citizen like her was targeted simply for practicing a spiritual belief that changed her life. Ms. Tong almost died during childbirth in 1992 due to heavy bleeding. While she survived, she was plagued with numerous complications, including gastrointestinal and urinary problems. It wasn’t until 1996 when she took up Falun Gong that her symptoms disappeared and she was able to live a pain-free life. Her husband died in an accident in 2000 and Falun Gong gave her the strength to carry on and raise their son alone.
Related Report:
Reported in 2023: 6,514 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested or Harassed for Their Faith
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