(Minghui.org) A Huainan City, Anhui Province resident was recently sentenced to five years for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Ma Haiyun, a 59-year-old former cable factory worker, was arrested on October 23, 2020 after being reported for giving out pamphlets about Falun Gong. Her cellphone and computer were confiscated.

The authorities at Huainan City Detention Center blocked her lawyer from visiting her or her family from sending clothes to her, citing the pandemic as an excuse.

When Ms. Ma stood trial at the Tianjiaan District Court on March 18, 2021, the judge kept interrupting her lawyer’s not guilty plea for her, before eventually ordering the bailiff to remove the lawyer from the courtroom, accusing him of not following the Chinese Communist Party. Ms. Ma’s self-defense was also interrupted by the judge.

Prior to her latest term, Ms. Ma has been given an eight-year term at Anhui Province Women’s Prison in October 2003, also for practicing Falun Gong. Her husband, Mr. Xu Yufa, was once forced to live away from home to avoid being persecuted for their shared faith.