(Minghui.org) Two residents of Yilan County, Heilongjiang Province, were wrongfully convicted on February 11, 2025, for their shared faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Gao Jing, 60, was sentenced to four years and fined 50,000 yuan. Ms. Fu Guiqin, 74, received two years and ten months with a 100,000-yuan fine.
The two women were both arrested on February 8, 2024, two days before the Chinese New Year. Ms. Fu’s computer, laptop, and other personal belongings were confiscated.
The police took both practitioners to the Harbin City Second Detention Center. During the required physical examination, Ms. Fu was found to have a systolic blood pressure reading of 180 mmHg (a normal range is 120 or lower). She also struggled to walk on her own. The doctor warned the police that Ms. Fu was not fit for detention. Captain Liu Zhanming of the Yilan County Police Department dug out an old surveillance video showing Ms. Fu walking briskly and used that to persuade the detention center to accept her.
Ms. Fu’s health further deteriorated in detention, and was released on bail in late April 2024.
The Yilan County Procuratorate twice returned the cases against Ms. Fu and Ms. Gao, citing insufficient evidence. Captain Liu tricked Ms. Gao’s father-in-law, Mr. Wang Fuyou, into signing statements incriminating her. Mr. Wang, 83, had been diagnosed with brain atrophy and once went missing as he didn’t remember the way home. Liu also coerced Ms. Gao’s husband, son, and 83-year-old mother-in-law to provide “testimonies” against her. Liu further fabricated some evidence in the name of Ms. Gao’s family members. With the “additional” evidence, he got the procuratorate to accept the cases the third time.
Ms. Fu and Ms. Gao appeared in the Yilan County Court on December 17, 2024. Ms. Fu suddenly fainted and was rushed to the hospital. After she came to, she was brought back to the courtroom. During the trial, she was sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. As she couldn’t answer the judge’s questions, he had to halt the hearing.
Ms. Gao’s family noted that she was handcuffed and shackled. Her hair had all turned gray, and she lost most of her teeth. She also appeared emaciated.
During the second hearing (date unknown), the judge read aloud Ms. Gao’s husband’s “testimony” against her. Her husband swore that he had never said anything like that. The judge instructed the bailiffs to remove him from the courtroom. Only then did he and the rest of his family realize that they had been tricked by captain Liu into providing testimonies against Ms. Gao without their knowledge.
Ms. Gao and Ms. Fu were then convicted on February 11, 2025. It is unclear whether Ms. Fu has been taken back into custody to serve time. She was previously arrested multiple times for her faith and served two forced labor terms totaling three years.
Ms. Fu Guiqin's First-hand Account of the Long-term Persecution She Has Suffered