(Minghui.org) Fifty-seven cases of Falun Gong practitioners being sentenced for their faith were confirmed in August 2022, including five cases that took place in 2021 and 52 cases in 2022 (including one in January, March and May each, 13 in June, 11 in July and 25 in August).
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. Since then, countless practitioners have been arrested, detained, sentenced, and tortured for upholding their faith. But due to strict information censorship in China, the incidents can’t always be reported in a timely manner, nor is all the information readily available.
The sentenced practitioners came from 14 provinces and municipalities. Liaoning topped the list with 13 cases, followed by Guangdong and Sichuan (each reporting 5 cases). The remaining regions had cases between one and five.
The practitioners were aged between 37 to 81 at the time of their sentencing. A total of three practitioners were in their 80s. Another seven were in their 70s and nine in their 60s. Some elderly practitioners struggled with medical conditions while in custody.
The sentencing terms ranged from one year to ten years, with an average of 2.9 years. Twenty-three practitioners were also fined 2,000 – 40,000 yuan, with a total of 223,000 yuan and an average of 9,696 yuan per person.
In addition to the terms newly handed down by the courts, two practitioners, including an 81-year-old woman and another woman who had been displaced for five years, were taken into custody to serve time, even after their terms had expired.
The sentenced practitioners came from all walks of life, including a retired doctor, a former teacher and a watch factory employee. After a financial manager was sentenced to 19 months, the prosecutor accused the judge of giving her too light of a sentence and appealed with a higher court, seeking a term of three years or longer.
The prison sentences also devastated practitioners’ families. One kindergartner and his college-bound brother were in dire situations after both of their parents were sentenced. The mother-in-law of another practitioner was dealt a blow by her sentencing and passed away in distress.
Before their latest sentencing, some practitioners had been repeatedly targeted for their faith in the past 23 years. One practitioner had served 11.5 years behind bars before being sentenced again. Another practitioner suffered a mental breakdown due to torture in a forced labor camp two decades ago, before receiving another three years.
Elderly and Sick Practitioners Not Spared
83-year-old Man Serving Time Suffers Medical Condition
Woman in Her 70s Sentenced to 3.5 Years, Struggles with Poor Health in Custody
Woman Suffers Memory Loss after Injection in Hospital, Sentenced to Four Years
80-year-old Retired Doctor Sentenced to 3.5 Years
Group Sentencing
Seven Women, Including Four in Their 70s and 80s, Sentenced for Practicing Falun Gong
Six Sichuan Residents Sentenced to Prison
Professionals Targeted
Former Teacher Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison
Prosecutor Appeals “Light” Prison Sentence Against 52-year-old Financial Manager
Family Tragedies
Kindergartner and College-bound Brother in Dire Straits after Parents and Aunt Sentenced
Liaoning Woman Secretly Sentenced to Four Years, Mother-in-law Dies in Distress
Serving Expired terms
81-year-old Woman Taken to Prison to Serve an Expired Term
Fujian Woman Arrested After Five Years of Displacement, Imprisoned for Her Faith
Repeatedly Targeted
Having Been Incarcerated for 11.5 Years, Shanghai Resident Sentenced Again
Tortured to Mental Breakdown 20 Years Ago, Shandong Woman Convicted Again
Targeted for Speaking Out
Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Giving Out a Falun Gong Flyer
Former Dermatologist Sentenced for Raising Awareness about Her Faith
Source: Reported in August 2022: 57 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced for Their Faith