(Minghui.org) A Yangquan City resident was dumbfounded to see his wife in Pingding County Court when he went there on October 12, 2018, to seek her release. She should have been in Yangquan City Detention Center following her arrest for her faith.
His wife, Ms. Tian Yanhua, was arrested with another practitioner, Ms. Zhang Aimei, on May 8, 2018, for handing out informational materials about Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the communist regime since 1999. With strict informational censorship, many practitioners are using grassroots methods and handing out information in person to raise awareness about the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong.
Ms. Tian's husband asked around and realized that the court wasn't going to notify her family and was trying her in secret. The other practitioner, Ms. Zhang, wasn't seen in the courtroom.
When he asked to attend the hearing, he was turned down. He peeked inside and saw many spectators he didn't know.
He learned in early November that the court had secretly sentenced his wife to two and a half years in prison and a fine of 20,000 yuan and Ms. Zhang to one year in prison and a fine of 10,000 yuan.
Wife's Arrest Leaves Family in Dire Straits
Ms. Tian's poverty-stricken family came from the countryside. They moved to Yangquan City in recent years, seeking opportunities for a better life. Her husband became a taxi driver, and Ms. Tian worked odd jobs. She worked as a waitress in a restaurant, as a vegetable vendor, and as a home health care aide. She often used her own money to buy food for the elderly she took care of.
Her arrest earlier this year has left her husband devastated. He was so distraught that he ran several red lights and had his driver's license suspended. After he took the exam and had his license reinstated, he was in an accident and had to pay 10,000 yuan to settle the case. He is now in despair, with no idea where to come up with the 20,000 yuan to pay the fine levied by the court.
