Reported in the First Half of 2024: 447 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith

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July 18, 2024 | By a Minghui correspondent

(Minghui.org) A total of 447 cases of law-abiding Chinese citizens sentenced for their faith in Falun Gong were reported in the first half of 2024.

The newly-confirmed cases included 1 that took place in 2017 and 2019 each, 5 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 18 in 2022, 159 in 2023, 218 in 2024, and 41 cases with unknown sentencing years. The delay in reporting was caused by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strict information censorship, which aims to keep the persecution of Falun Gong underground to avoid international scrutiny.

Sentencing Cases All Across China

China has 22 provinces, 4 centrally controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and 5 autonomous regions (Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Guangxi, Xinjiang, and Ningxia). Except for Shanghai, Tibet, Guangxi, Xinjiang and Qinghai, all other 26 jurisdictions reported sentencing cases. Shandong Province topped the list with 78 sentencing cases, followed by 65 in Liaoning and 50 in Jilin. Nine other jurisdictions also reported double-digit cases, and the remaining 14 had single-digit cases.

The Wulian County Court in Rizhao City, Shandong Province, sentenced 21 practitioners in prison in one day, charging them with “using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement,” a standard pretext used by the communist regime to frame and imprison Falun Gong practitioners.

Another court in Changtu County, Liaoning Province convicted nine locals for distributing Falun Gong materials on March 25, 2024. Only three family members of each practitioner were allowed to attend the session.

Several more group sentencings were also reported, including a court in Shiyan City, Hubei Province and another court in Laizhou City, Shandong Province that each sentenced seven practitioners to prison.

Heavy Terms Up to Eleven Years

The Chinese Supreme People’s Procuratorate announced in February 2024 that in recent years, 85% convicted criminals received three years or less, compared to 55% in 1999. Yet for the 447 sentencing cases of Falun Gong practitioners reported in the first half of 2024, their terms ranged from four months to eleven years, with 224 (50.1%) receiving three years or more. This signifies a more stringent sentencing criteria for Falun Gong practitioners, where they violated no laws in exercising their constitutional right to freedom of belief in the first place.

For some practitioners, their latest prison sentences were preceded by prior jail or forced labor terms, also for their faith. Mr. Gao Ke, a retired elementary school teacher in Heilongjiang Province, was given 4.5 years following his 16th arrest for practicing Falun Gong. He was previously given forced labor six times. Ms. Hu Yurong, a 54-year-old Sichuan Province resident, previously served two forced labor camp terms and two prison terms for a total of 16 years, before being sentenced again to 7 years.

Ms. Jiang Yongqin, a former college lecturer in Jilin City, Jilin Province, was sexually assaulted by the police with a “torture toolbox,” following her arrest on June 12, 2022. Her husband, who fled to Australia with their two daughters years ago to avoid being persecuted for practicing Falun Gong, worked tirelessly overseas to seek justice for her. He was devastated to hear about her five-year prison sentence handed down by the Changyi District Court on January 24, 2024.

Ms. Jiang Yongqin

Many of the practitioners were sentenced for raising awareness about the persecution of Falun Gong. Some were even targeted for merely ordering a cake with messages related to Falun Gong written on it or having new year decorations on their window.

Ms. Lai Dongping, a 66-year-old retired medical worker in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, was sentenced to four years for giving a 7-year-old boy an amulet with the words “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”

Ms. Song Yunling, a Tianjin resident, was arrested on May 13, 2022, the 23rd annual World Falun Dafa Day. She had ordered a cake the day before and requested that the bakery write “Celebrating May 13th World Falun Dafa Day” on the cake. Someone reported her to the police, resulting in her arrest and sentencing. Her husband, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law all passed away one after another during her detention, yet the authorities denied their requests to see her for the last time, much less allow her to tend to her husband’s funeral.

Ms. Zhang Juhong, a 54-year-old Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, resident, was arrested on April 25, 2022. She was accused of “openly spreading Falun Gong” by putting up the word “fu” (福, or luck) on her window to celebrate the Chinese New Year. She was sentenced to 7.5 years in February 2024.

Given advanced surveillance tools developed by the communist regime, the practitioners also faced greater danger for raising awareness about the persecution. When the police searched Ms. Zhao Xiuli’s home in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province on October 17, 2022, they specifically looked for the clothing and shoes she was seen wearing while distributing Falun Gong materials, as recorded by surveillance cameras. The police lied to Ms. Zhao’s husband, saying that they would release her in a few days, only to transfer her to a local detention on October 31, 2022, when she finished the original 14-day detention. Mr. Zhao, a 57-year-old tailor, was later sentenced to 4.5 years in prison.

Mr. Duan Zhisheng, a factory worker in Botou City, Hebei Province, was arrested at work on July 3, 2023. The police said they arrested him because he posted information about Falun Gong on WeChat using his cellphone. The local court held a secret hearing of his case and sentenced him to 16 months in the Tangshan Prison without informing his family.

95 Practitioners 70 or Older Sentenced

Among the 232 practitioners whose ages at the time of their sentencing were known, the ages ranged between 37 and 94, with the median age being 68. Mr. Hu Biao, a 78-year-old retired health official in Gulin County, Sichuan Province, was sentenced to nine years in prison. In Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, three elderly practitioners were convicted: Ms. Yu Guichun, 72, was sentenced to eight years; Ms. Li Yongmei, 79, was given five years; and Ms. Zhang Yujin, 79, a retired professor at Shenyang Ligong University, was sentenced to four and a half years.

Mr. Chen Deguang, a 78-year-old resident of Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, was sentenced to three years and eight months in early April 2024. This was not the first time that Mr. Chen, a retiree from the now-defunct No. 4 Metallurgical Construction Co., had been targeted for his faith. He and his wife, Ms. Sheng Chunmei, also a Falun Gong practitioner, were repeatedly arrested over the years. In particular, both were sentenced to nine years following their arrests in July 2011. Ms. Sheng’s health deteriorated as a result of being tortured at the Gansu Province Women’s Prison. The prison didn’t release her until she was on the verge of death. She passed away on October 12, 2017, seven weeks after her release. She was 65 years old.

Mr. Chen Deguang

Impact on the Practitioners’ Physical Health

Once in custody, the practitioners faced constant physical abuse and mental distress as they remained firm in their faith.

Ms. Dong Liping, of Gaizhou City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on July 21, 2023. Her lawyer visited her three times at the local detention center, on August 28, September 6, and September 25, 2023. Each time he visited, he observed her condition declining. When she stood trial on December 27, 2023, she was so weak that she needed help walking upstairs to the courtroom. Her voice was weak and her reaction time was slow. Despite her condition, she was handcuffed and shackled during the entire hearing. The judge later sentenced her to one and a half years in prison.

For writing a letter to the local police chief urging him to stop persecuting Falun Gong, and putting up Falun Gong materials, Ms. Qiang Xiaoxia, of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province, was arrested on March 27, 2023. Due to abuse while in detention, her left side became paralyzed and she could no longer take care of herself. A judge of the Qindu District Court sentenced her to three years and fined her 2,000 yuan on June 5, 2024. He threatened to increase her fine if she filed an appeal.

Ms. Lyu Yamin, a 78-year-old Chongqing resident, was sentenced to sixteen months in mid-April 2024. Her children applied to visit her in person, but were rejected by the prison’s supervising agency, which insisted that as long as Ms. Lyu refused to be “transformed” (renounce Falun Gong), no family visits would be allowed. Her children are now extremely concerned about Ms. Lyu, an elderly woman who is blind in her right eye.

Impact on Families

The practitioners themselves aren’t the only victims of the persecution, which also brought tremendous fear and pressure to their family members.

Mr. Qin Shuhai, a 58-year-old resident of Yi County, Liaoning Province, was arrested at home on January 18, 2024 after he was reported for distributing Falun Gong materials months ago in a village. His 81-year-old mother, who lives with his family, trembled in fear during the police raid. His wife, who has been incapacitated since 2013 after having a stroke, was devastated by his arrest and cried for him every day. Her condition worsened quickly and she died on February 13, 2024, the fourth day of the Chinese New Year and 26 days after his arrest.

Mr. Qin’s 81-year-old mother

Mr. Liu Zhiming, a 51-year-old Kunming City, Yunnan Province, resident, was sentenced to 3.5 years and fined 10,000 yuan on April 22, 2024. Mr. Liu worked as a mail carrier and a ride-share driver before staying home full-time to care for his autistic sister and 9-year-old son. The family relied on the income of his wife, a babysitter. After he was arrested on November 16, 2023, his wife, Ms. Cheng Yun, 39, was also arrested and interrogated. Her deposition was used against him without her knowledge. She also lost her babysitting job due to the incident. She is now job hunting while caring for her son and trying to get her sister-in-law back home after the latter was forcibly taken to a psychiatric hospital by the authorities.

Mr. Liu Zhiming and his son

The sentenced practitioners also included the mothers of two U.S. residents. Ms. Kong Qingping, the mother of San Francisco resident Ms. Liu Zhitong, was sentenced to seven years, and Ms. Meng Zhaohong, the mother of another California resident Ms. Ding Yue, received an unknown term.

Ms. Liu Zhitong holds a photo of her mother during a rally outside the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on November 3, 2022. The board reads, “Immediately release my mother Kong Qingping.”

Ms. Ding Yue and her husband called for the release of her mother Ms. Meng Zhaohong.

Violation of Law at Every Step of the Prosecution Process

From arresting the practitioners without search warrants, to detaining them beyond legally permitted time frames, and to indicting and sentencing them despite the lack of legal basis for the persecution, the police, the prosecutors, and the judges have violated the law at every step of the prosecution process in sentencing Falun Gong practitioners.

Prison Sentence Follows 2.5 Years of Displacement

Ms. Liu Duanhui, a 69-year-old resident in Baoqing County, Heilongjiang Province, was initially arrested on May 2, 2020, for distributing Falun Gong materials. The police raided her home and released her under house arrest after an unknown amount of time. Her local street committee was tasked with searching her home once every ten days. When her daughter called the police to try to get her mother’s case dismissed, an officer threatened Ms. Liu, “Tell your daughter not to call us anymore! If she does, we’ll smash open your door and turn your house upside down!”

After Ms. Liu was indicted and scheduled to appear in court on December 24, 2020, she decided to live away from home to avoid the persecution. After 2.5 years of displacement, she was arrested again on August 19, 2023, sentenced to one year in prison, and fined 5,000 yuan on August 25, 2023.

Jilin Man Gets Four Years after Violent Arrest and Secret Trial

Mr. Li Yuanming’s family confirmed in January 2024 that he was admitted to Gongzhuling Prison to serve a four-year term. The 50-year-old resident of Nongan County, Jilin Province, has been denied family visits on the grounds that he refused to renounce Falun Gong.

The village security director and a few police officers went to Mr. Li’s home on February 28, 2023, and attempted to collect his saliva and take his photo. It’s not clear if Mr. Li complied. After the police left, Mr. Li hid at his neighbor’s home, but was nonetheless arrested on March 3, 2023. According to those who witnessed the arrest, the officers kicked him down, held him on the ground face down, and handcuffed his hands behind his back. They then grabbed him by his legs and dragged him, causing his pants to almost be pulled off. They pulled up his pants and kept dragging him—all the way from his neighbor’s front yard to his front yard and to the main street behind his house, where they had parked their cruiser. They took photos of him, covered his face with his clothing, and shoved him into the cruiser.

The police refused to tell Mr. Li’s family anything about his situation. The family was finally able to confirm in January 2024 that he was sentenced and transferred from the Nongan Detention Center to Gongzhuling Prison. But they still don’t know anything about his indictment, trial, or sentencing.

Wife Forced to Sign Blank Paper as “Confession” Against Her Husband

Mr. Lyu Qing, a 52-year-old employee of the Second Petroleum Plant of Fushun Petrochemical Company in Fushun City, Liaoning Province, was sentenced to four and a half years with an 18,000-yuan fine weeks after he stood trial on May 16, 2024.

While Mr. Lyu was in detention, the police summoned his wife to the police station. She initially refused, but relented after the police threatened to list her as a “suspect” if she refused to be a “prosecution witness.” At the police station, the police ordered her to sign and fingerprint four sheets of blank paper. Under pressure, she complied.

Before Mr. Lyu’s court hearing on May 16, his wife submitted a written testimony against the police, but received no response. During the court hearing, she was shocked to hear that the police “recorded” a more than two-page-long “confession” she made “against” her husband during the interrogation.

By law, the verdict should include statements made by both the prosecution and the defense. The ruling against Mr. Lyu, however, did not make any mention of his wife’s testimony against the police for forcing her to sign the blank paper.

Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison Over Fabricated Witness Accounts

Ms. Li Guilin, a Yangquan City, Shanxi Province, resident, was arrested at home on October 19, 2023. When she appeared in the Pingding County Court on March 27, 2024, the prosecutor claimed that her cellphone retained the record of her sending Falun Gong videos and articles written by Falun Gong’s founder to seven people, including her daughter, a community worker, and five other people with unknown identities. Yet except Ms. Li’s daughter and the community worker, all other “witnesses” said they had no recollection of Ms. Li sharing the said videos with them. “If they can’t say for sure she did this [sending the videos], how can they be counted as witnesses in the case?” Ms. Li’s lawyer questioned the prosecutor.

The judge didn’t announce the verdict at the end of the hearing, but sentenced Ms. Li to a two-year prison term weeks later.

Chinese Judge: “You aren’t allowed to hire a lawyer or appeal. It’d be a waste of money!”

After two secret court hearings, a Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, resident was sentenced to three years and two months in prison for her faith in Falun Gong. Ms. Zhou Qunhui’s family was kept in the dark about her prosecution process. The judge didn’t allow them to hire a lawyer. She also wasn’t given a copy of her indictment.

Ms. Zhou, 67, was arrested at home on the afternoon of March 15, 2023. The police claimed that someone reported her for printing informational materials about Falun Gong at home. Her printers, laptop computer, Falun Gong books, and collections of experience sharing articles written by other Falun Gong practitioners were confiscated. A police officer said during the raid, “This is the first time I’ve done this. I’m learning while doing it.” Another one said, “We know that Falun Gong is good, but you aren’t allowed to practice it.”

After the police took Ms. Zhou to the local detention center, they didn’t provide her family with any updates about her case. Her family learned in October 2023 that she had been indicted and her case was sent to the Xihu District Court. They went to the court to inquire about her situation, only to be told that judge Zhang Yujuan had already held two hearings of her case. They asked Zhang about Ms. Zhou’s prison sentence and she replied, “The verdict is in the drawer. It would be between one and three years,” adding, “You aren’t allowed to hire a lawyer or appeal. It’s useless and a waste of money.”

Judge Zhang announced on December 9, 2023, to sentence Ms. Zhou to a three-year-and-two-month prison term. Her family still wasn’t informed of the sentencing hearing. They only found out about it when they went to the court to inquire about the case.

The family also learned that the sentencing hearing was held virtually, despite there being no pandemic restrictions at the time. Ms. Zhou later told her family that the audio quality was very poor, and she couldn’t hear anything the judge said during the hearing. So far, she hasn’t been given a copy of her indictment and still doesn’t know what charges were brought against her or the basis for the sentencing.

Trial Court Lies About Prison Terms and Deceives Family Into Dropping Appeals Lawyers

Ms. Dong Xiurong and at least 30 other Beijing residents were arrested in July 2022, four months before the 20th Party Congress was held on October 16-22. Ms. Dong and three other arrested practitioners, including Ms. Liu Yuhong, Ms. Liu Xing, and Ms. Jin Shuying, had their arrests approved around September 2, 2022. The Daxing District Court notified their families around April 2023 that they were sentenced to prison: Ms. Liu Yuhong was sentenced to two years, Ms. Liu Xing was sentenced to one year and nine months, Ms. Dong was sentenced to one year and four months, and Ms. Jin was sentenced to one year.

The practitioners’ families hired appeals lawyers for them, but the court deceived them into dropping the lawyers, by claiming that the practitioners would be released soon given their “light” sentences. The families thus dismissed the lawyers.

Ms. Jin’s family realized something was wrong in July 2023 when she was not released as scheduled. They later found out around December 2023 that the court had lied about the prison terms given to her and the other three practitioners. Ms. Jin, Ms. Liu Yuhong, and Ms. Liu Xing were all given four and a half years and fined 5,000 yuan, while Ms. Dong was sentenced to four years and fined 4,000 yuan.