(Minghui.org) A Falun Gong practitioner who has lost the ability to walk after nine months of detention for her faith, is set to start serving time in prison after her appeal was rejected and her medical parole request denied.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Wang Yuling, an employee of Botou City Tobacco Company in Hebei Province, was arrested on May 17, 2018 after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. The police ransacked her home twice, at 9:00 p.m. on May 17 and 11:00 a.m. on May 18. Her Falun Gong books and related materials were confiscated.

Ms. Wang's family and local Falun Gong practitioners urged officers from the Domestic Security Division and the 610 Office to stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.

Wang Wensheng, head of Botou City Domestic Security Division, promised to release Ms. Wang in just a few days. He, however, kept her at the Cangzhou City Detention Center for more than three months before transferring her to Renqiu City Detention Center (about 60 miles away), without informing her family.

Ms. Wang's health began to deteriorate while she was at the Renqiu City Detention Center. Her mother, in her eighties, brother, and other relatives repeatedly requested her release, but were given the run-around by the police and the court.

After six months of detention, Ms. Wang appeared in Renqiu City Court on November 14, 2018. Her lawyer entered a non-guilty plea on her behalf and argued that there was no legal basis for the persecution of Falun Gong. He demanded an acquittal for Ms. Wang.

According to Ms. Wang's family, who attended the hearing, she was unable to walk and had to be carried into the courtroom. They again requested medical parole for her but were rejected by the detention center.

Ms. Wang was sentenced to two years in prison two weeks later. She filed an appeal with the Cangzhou City Intermediate Court, which upheld the verdict on February 21, 2019 without a hearing.