(Minghui.org) A woman in Baishan City, Jilin Province, was sentenced to three and a half years for refusing to give up her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body improvement discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1999.

Ms. Zhang Chunxiang was arrested on January 17, 2019, for talking to a student about Falun Gong and urging him to quit the youth organizations affiliated with the CCP. 

Although Ms. Zhang, in her late 60s, suffered from persistent high blood pressure and numbness in her limbs while she was being held in Baishan City Detention Center, she was denied bail for medical reasons.

Ms. Zhang was tried in the Jingyu County Court on November 14, 2019. Her daughter was the only family member allowed to attend her trial. The court didn’t notify her daughter of the trial until the day before. 

Ms. Zhang testified in her own defense because the authorities had forced her lawyer to drop her case.

A fire truck and an ambulance were on standby outside the courthouse in case Ms. Zhang needed medical attention. She appeared emaciated after several months in detention, and her daughter is very worried about her.

Related report:

Court Files Complaint Against Lawyer for Representing Detained Falun Gong Practitioner