(Minghui.org) Two Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province residents were recently sentenced to five years in prison and a third resident is facing trial, for their shared faith in Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Pan Yufeng was arrested at home on November 5, 2019. He was tried by the Shuangta Court on August 25, 2020. His lawyer entered a not guilty plea for him. The judge later sentenced him to five years.
Mr. Pan’s mother had Alzheimer's disease and relied on him for care. After he was arrested, her health quickly declined. She passed away a year later, without seeing Mr. Pan for the last time.
Another practitioner, Mr. Yin Baohe, was arrested on November 20, 2019 after being reported for posting informational material about Falun Gong. The police ransacked his home and sent him to the Chaoyang City Detention Center.
Mr. Yin appeared in Shuangta District Court on July 10, 2020. His two lawyers entered a not guilty plea for him. They argued that no law ever criminalized Falun Gong in China and that their client didn’t violate any law in practicing his faith. Judge Bai Lan said to the lawyers that this is a political case and they didn’t have to follow the law in the prosecution.
During Mr. Yin’s second hearing, the police submitted new evidence and accused him of being a repeat offender as he had been detained for practicing Falun Gong before. The judge also sentenced him to five years.
The third practitioner, Ms. Lin Jiangyue, was arrested at home on July 12, 2020. She has been held at the Chaoyang City Detention Center since. The Shuangta Procuratorate has indicted her and submitted her case to the Shuangta Court. It’s the same judge, Bai Lan, that is handling her case.
Related report:
Liaoning Woman Arrested for Practicing Falun Gong, Which Saved Her from the Verge of Death
