(Minghui.org) A woman in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province was recently sentenced to two years in prison for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Lyu Wei’s sister, Ms. Lyu Na, who lives in the U.S., has been calling for her release. Ms. Lyu Na had consulted multiple lawyers and they all said that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong and that the police had violated various laws in arresting her sister.
Ms. Lyu Wei, 47, studied at Heilongjiang Agricultural Reclamation Vocational College and became a teacher at Harbin City No. 64 Middle School after graduation. Her stomach and heart problems disappeared after she took up Falun Gong. She also became a kinder person. She was a well-regarded teacher and colleague.
Ms. Lyu was arrested on the morning of July 11, 2022, by more than ten agents from multiple agencies, including captain Zhang Xumin, Lyu Bingtao, and Xue Hui from Nangang District Domestic Security Office; Sun Tiesong, Guo Shengrui, and Huang Ao from Baojianlu Police Station; chief Fang Yang and deputy chief Wang Jiwei from Liaoyuan Police Station; chief Yu Guohui from Nangang District Police Department; chief Zheng Baiming from Tielu Police Department; secretary Wen Hongyu from Nangang District Political and Legal Affairs Committee.
Ms. Lyu was one of 36 Falun Gong practitioners in five cities across Heilongjiang Province who were arrested between July 11-12, 2022, per an order from the Heilongjiang 610 Office, an extralegal agency created specifically to persecute Falun Gong.
Nangang District Domestic Security Office submitted Ms. Lyu’s case to Daoli District Procuratorate on October 8, and she was indicted on November 3, 2022. The Daoli District Court held a virtual hearing on February 27, 2023, with her facing the judge remotely at the Harbin City Second Detention Center.
During the hearing, Ms. Lyu noted numerous mistakes in the indictment, and the prosecutor was unable to answer her questions. The judge ordered that the prosecutor correct the mistakes within 30 days. Despite this, the prosecutor recommended a one-year sentence against Ms. Lyu at the end of the hearing.
It was recently confirmed that the court sentenced Ms. Lyu to two years and fined her 5,000 yuan. It is unclear whether another hearing was held or what additional information the prosecutor included in her indictment that resulted in the heavier-than-recommended sentence.
Related Report:
Heilongjiang Province: At Least 36 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Two Days
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