(Minghui.org) A 69-year-old man from Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province was recently taken into custody to serve a 7-year prison term for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Gao Xingtai, 69, has been under residential surveillance at home since his earlier arrest on April 27, 2018 for reading Falun Gong books with several local practitioners at his home. More than 20 police officers broke into his home and confiscated their Falun Gong books. Mr. Gao was taken to a hospital for physical examinations along with two other practitioners so that police could get them admitted to detention centers.
Mr. Gao failed the physical examination due to high blood pressure and was refused admission at Qinhuangdao City No. 1 Detention Center. He was placed under residential surveillance and released early the next morning.
Police submitted Mr. Gao’s case to the procuratorate. The Changli County Court sentenced him to seven years in prison with a 20,000-yuan fine on July 16, 2019. He was under residential surveillance due to poor health until he was taken back into custody on November 3, 2021.
He is currently detained at Haigang District Police Hospital and denied family visits.
Ms. Li Guibin, 78, was arrested along with Mr. Gao in 2018. She, too, failed the physical examination and was released and put under residential surveillance. Ms. Li was sentenced to four years in prison with a 10,000-yuan fine. Ms. Li was taken to Qinhuangdao Detention Center on November 18, 2020, and later transferred to Shijiazhuang Women’s Prison.
Ms. Shang Xiujun was also arrested at the same time as Mr. Gao and Ms. Li. She was taken to Qinhuangdao City No. 2 Detention Center and held there for ten days, during which time, she lost more than 20 pounds and suffered severe back pain. She passed away on June 17, less than two months after she was released on May 7, 2018. She was in her 50s.
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