(Minghui.org) A 64-year-old woman was secretly sentenced to four years with five years’ probation around October 2020 for her faith in Falun Gong. Ms. Zhao Shuqin is still in custody at the time of writing.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.
Ms. Zhao, a Yitong County, Jilin Province resident, was harassed by the police and local government officials around September 10, 2020. They demanded that she sign statements to renounce Falun Gong. When she refused, the officers arrested her and took her to a detention center in the nearby Siping City.
Her family learned from sources that she was convicted in October, but more details of her case remain to be investigated.
Ms. Zhao was previously arrested on May 11, 2019, after being reported for talking to students about Falun Gong outside a tutoring center. According to a witness, three officers tried to drag her into the police car. She refused to cooperate and said to them, “I didn’t do anything wrong in practicing Falun Gong.” The officers then called for another police car, and together with the three backup officers, they forced Ms. Zhao, who was physically disabled, into the police car. She was detained for ten days and then released. It’s not clear whether her recent sentence is related to this arrest.
