(Minghui.org) A 66-year-old woman was sentenced to 3.5 years and fined 8,000 yuan in July 2018 for distributing materials to expose the persecution of her faith, Falun Gong.

Ms. Zhou Yingjian, from Kunming, Yunnan Province, was arrested on September 17, 2017 after she was reported to police while distributing the materials at a plaza in Kunming. The police confiscated dozens of copies of Falun Gong informational materials from her purse and her home. She has since been held at Kunming City Detention Center.

The local procuratorate indicted her on September 27 with the charge of “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” a standard pretext to criminalize Falun Gong practitioners.

Wuhua District Court tried Ms. Zhou on May 1, 2018. Her lawyer delivered a non-guilty defense for her. He argued that it is her constitutional rights to practice and spread information about Falun Gong, and that none of the materials she distributed caused any harm to others. Ms. Zhou also spoke in her own defense.

The court handed down the 3.5-year sentence on July 30. Ms. Zhou has filed an appeal.

Ms. Zhou's latest ordeal was preceded by a three-year prison sentence and a two-year forced labor term. While she was detained at the forced labor camp, her father's health deteriorated quickly and her husband divorce her, which caused tremendous distress to her family.