(Minghui.org) A 54-year-old resident of Pengxi County, Sichuan Province was sentenced to three years on June 29, 2023 for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
According to an insider, the prosecutor and the presiding judge in charge of Ms. Chen Qiuju’s case admitted that the local 610 Office and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, both extrajudicial agencies tasked with overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong, had ordered them to give her a heavy sentence if she refused to sign a statement to renounce Falun Gong. Ms. Chen held firm to her faith and the judge said he had no choice but to sentence her.
Ms. Chen was arrested a bit past 9 a.m. on April 5, 2020, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong on Mingxia Road in Suining City (which oversees Pengxi County). Four officers body searched, interrogated, and took pictures of her at the Nanjin Road Police Station before releasing her on bail at around 3 o’clock that afternoon.
The Pengxi County Court held a hearing of Ms. Chen’s case on May 25, 2023. She testified in her own defense and demanded an acquittal. The judge handed down a three-year term during the sentencing hearing on June 29. It is unclear whether Ms. Chen has been taken back into custody to serve time at the time of writing.
Three other residents in Suining and its subordinate counties have also been sentenced to prison in the first half of 2023 for practicing Falun Gong, including Mr. Zheng Wenzhi (3.5 years), Ms. Zhao Mingying (2 years), and Ms. Yan Changsu (one year in prison with two years probation).
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