(Minghui.org) A 82-year-old woman in Beijing was imprisoned in August 2019 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Ma Xiuying was sentenced to a one-year prison term and a 2,000 yuan fine on April 18, 2019. The presiding judge ordered that she be taken back into custody, despite having been on bail before her sentencing. She was rejected admittance to the local detention center after she was found to have tuberculosis. The police placed her under house arrest and told her to wait for further notice.
In August, the police took her to the hospital and forced her to have another physical examination. She was then taken to Tiantanghe Women's Prison.
Ms. Ma's sentencing came nearly four years after she was arrested for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong on September 25, 2015.
Although she was released on bail, the police arrested her two more times, first in 2016 and then 2017. They also released her on bail each time.
Ms. Ma appeared in Daxing District Court on November 5, 2018. She entered a not guilty plea for herself. The judge sentenced her to prison five months later.
In addition to Ms. Ma, another woman in Beijing, Ms. Lu Xiuling, who is nearly 80, was arrested in August 2019 for practicing Falun Gong and is still being held in detention at the time of writing.
Related report:
82-Year-Old Woman Sentenced to One Year for Distributing Materials about Her Faith
