(Minghui.org) Fifteen Falun Gong practitioners were arrested in Harbin City by officers from the Acheng District Police Department on February 25, 2017, for practicing Falun Gong.
Eight of the practitioners were released. It was learned recently that the remaining five have been sentenced to prison.
Mr. Zhang Guangli and Mr. Li Peng were both sentenced to nine years;Ms. Zhang Chunyu, sentenced to five years;Ms. Wang Yanqiu and Mr. Wang Zhongrong, both sentenced to a year-and-a-half.
Of the five practitioners sentenced, information is only available for Ms. Zhang Chunyu.
Police Determined to See Ms. Zhang Chunyu Sentenced
During the nine months that Ms. Zhang Chunyu was detained, the Acheng police tried to have her prosecuted, only to have her files rejected by the procuratorate three times. Determined to see Ms. Zhang sentenced, they handed over more materials to incriminate her. They finally succeeded in having her prosecuted.
Ms. Zhang pleaded not guilty. Agents from the police department, the procuratorate, and the court representatives told her that they would release her if she would renounce Falun Gong. They threatened that if she should not give up her faith, she would be sentenced to prison.
Procurator Gong Jinguang recommended that Ms. Zhang be sentenced from four to six years in prison. The court gave her five years.
Ms. Zhang is 64 years old. She began practicing Falun Gong in 1996, after which she recovered from her illnesses and became kind and compassionate.
Related articles:
Wanjia Forced Labor Camp: The Cruel Torture of Women Practitioners Continues
