(Minghui.org) A 64-year-old retiree in Taian City, Shandong Province was sentenced to 5.5 years in March 2023 and admitted to prison three months later. The court that convicted him had sentenced his wife to seven years back in 2021.
Both Mr. Li Cunguo and his wife Ms. Xie Qingling, around 67 and a retired chemical fertilizer plant employee, were targeted for their shared faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Xie was seized on November 24, 2020, while distributing Falun Gong informational materials in nearby Liangzhuang Town. The police raided her home hours later and arrested Mr. Li. The couple’s Falun Gong books and materials, a computer, and a printer were confiscated.
Both Ms. Xie and Mr. Li were taken to the Xintai City Detention Center, but Ms. Xie was later moved to the Taian City Detention Center, where she appeared in a virtual hearing on July 15, 2021. Judge Shen Yuxian of the Taishan District Court later sentenced her to seven years with a 20,000-yuan fine. She was admitted to the Shandong Province Women’s Prison in early December 2021.
Mr. Li developed severe medical conditions after two months of detention and was released on bail around February 2021. He had surgery and moved in with his daughter after he was discharged from the hospital. The police threatened his daughter to not allow him to go out. The young woman locked Mr. Li at home when she went to work. She didn’t allow him to study the Falun Gong teachings or contact other local practitioners.
In June 2021, Mr. Li opened a window and climbed down from his daughter’s apartment building when she was not home. He then went into hiding. The police put him on the wanted list and captured him on September 13, 2022. The arresting officers, from the Taishan District 610 Office and Domestic Security Office, took him to the Taian City Detention Center. Tian Lin of the 610 Office submitted his case to the Taishan District Procuratorate in late December 2021.
The Taishan District Court held a hearing of Mr. Li’s case on March 23, 2023 without the presence of any of his family members. It is unclear whether the court ever notified his loved ones of the trial or didn’t allow them to attend the hearing. Mr. Li was sentenced to 5.5 years with a 15,000-yuan fine at the end of the hearing. He was admitted to the Shandong Province Prison in early June 2023.
Related Reports:
Two Shandong Residents Imprisoned for Their Faith
Two Shandong Residents Tried for Distributing Informational Materials about Their Faith
Tai’an City, Shandong Province: Eleven Residents Arrested in Two Days for Their Faith
Three Women in Shandong Province Sentenced to Prison for Their Faith
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