(Minghui.org) A married couple in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province were recently sentenced to prison for their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Sun Guangli and Ms. Meng Suying, both natives of Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province who moved to Shenyang in recent years, were arrested on the evening of April 6, 2020 after being reported for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong in Liujianfang Town.

Both of them were interrogated by Li Wei and Zhao Wei, directors of the Domestic Security Office. Li also beat Mr. Sun, when he refused to answer his questions.

Led by Zhao, a group of officers ransacked the couple’s home and confiscated their Falun Gong books and cell phones. Due to the pandemic, the local detention centers refused to accept them and they were released on the next evening. Since then, the police have returned several times to harass the couple.

Five officers of the Dongjie Police Station arrested the couple again at around 7 p.m. on October 9, 2020. Mr. Sun was taken to the Shenyang No. 2 Detention Center. After Ms. Meng was rejected admission by the Shenyang No.1 Detention Center due to a fever, Zhang Yufeng and Li Jinglong, new directors of the Liaozhong District Domestic Security Office, put frozen bottles of water under her armpits. They also forced her to stand outdoors in the freezing cold.

While Ms. Meng’s temperature remained high, the doctor found she had high blood pressure during another physical examination. Zhang and Li attempted to force her to take blood pressure medicine, but she refused to comply. They forced the head of the detention center to accept Ms. Meng in the end.

The Liaozhong District Court held a virtual hearing in early March 2021. Their lawyers entered not guilty pleas for them.

On June 2, the couple’s family received the verdicts from the court and both of them were sentenced to four years.