(Minghui.org) A Beijing resident was sentenced to 3.5 years for not renouncing her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Liu Dongxing, 32, an employee of the Intel company in Beijing, was arrested around March 12, 2018 by officers from Hepingli Police Station. The police searched her office on March 14 and smeared her reputation among her colleagues.

Upon hearing Ms. Liu’s arrest, her parents, who reside in Jiaohe City, Jilin Province, traveled more than 700 miles to Beijing to seek her release. But the police refused to disclose where their daughter was detained.

Ms. Liu’s parents hired a lawyer to represent her. It was later confirmed that she was put on criminal detention at Dongcheng District Detention Center.

Ms. Liu appeared in Dongcheng District Court twice, first on April 19 and then on July 19, 2019. The authorities kept pressuring her to renounce Falun Gong during the prosecution process.

The judge announced her verdict on August 30, 2019.

Ms. Liu is now preparing to appeal the sentence.