(Minghui.org) A 75-year-old woman in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, was sentenced to nine years and fined 36,000 yuan on December 18, 2025, for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Huo Guilan, a retired worker from a plastics machinery factory, was arrested on the night of April 11, 2024. The four arresting officers did not allow her to change her clothes or shoes before dragging her downstairs to their cruiser.
At least 12 other practitioners were also arrested around the same time. They were Li Congqiao, Zhang Yanqiu, Qin Yi, Qiang Huilan, Zhao Hongxing, You Yufang, Li Cuifang, Chai Xiufang, Xiao Bing, Wang Guaiyan, Liu Lingzheng, and Luo Cuilian. The police had monitored the practitioners for over a year before arresting them.
One of Ms. Huo’s ankles was severely injured during the arrest and became swollen, making it difficult for her to walk. The police took her to the Baoji City Second Detention Center the next day, where her condition kept worsening. She was dizzy and experienced chest pain, back pain, and had breathing difficulty. She also had vaginal bleeding. Her hearing and vision declined. Her family requested that Ms. Huo be released on bail but their request was turned down.
The Jintai District Court heard her case on December 17, 2024. Judge Liu Yan stopped the clerk from recording the court proceedings.
Judge Liu, prosecutor Wu Xuan, and two others deposed Ms. Huo at the detention center on March 13, 2025. They verified a few things with her, including 1) her employment and salary before her retirement; 2) her five-year prison term from early October 2001 to late September 2006 for practicing Falun Gong; 3) that she was given ten days of detention in 2020 for distributing Falun Gong informational materials but the police did not enforce the punishment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Liu also claimed that the police did not intentionally drag Ms. Huo downstairs during her arrest on April 11, 2024. Instead, they claimed “an officer accidentally fell and knocked her down.” Liu also said three community workers witnessed the home raid that day, but this was not true. When Liu asked if Ms. Huo changed her opinion about Falun Gong, she reiterated that no law in China has criminalized Falun Gong.
Ms. Huo repeatedly demanded to see the legal basis for the prosecution. Liu had nothing to show her but said, “You’ll know the legal basis once a verdict is issued.”
Liu held another hearing on Ms. Huo’s case on March 24, 2025, before convicting her on December 18, 2025. She has appealed.
Five other practitioners who were arrested on the same day as Ms. Huo have also been sentenced, with Li Congqiao given 8 years, Qin and Chai 5 years each, Wang 4.5 years, and Zhang three years with a 12,000-yuan fine.
Prior to her latest sentencing, Ms. Huo served two labor camp terms and a 5-year prison term for upholding her faith.
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