(Minghui.org) Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for Chinese families, who traditionally gather together and celebrate. However, 225 Falun Gong practitioners were reported to have been arrested during that time in 2014 and 2015, and 147 were illegally tried and/or sentenced. This amounted to 372 families losing their loved ones in a persecution that has been ongoing for the past 16 years.
225 Arrested
Twenty-nine arrests were reported in Heilongjiang Province in February 2014 and 2015, which is the province with the highest number of arrests. Shandong ranks second, with 27 arrests. The other top offenders are Liaoning, Hebei, Jilin, and Sichuan.
147 Tried or Sentenced without Due Process
One hundred forty-seven Falun Gong practitioners were reported to have been either tried, sentenced, or both in February 2014 and 2015.
Among the 34 sentenced in February 2014, Gansu Province claimed the most cases (10), followed by Yunan (4), Chongqing (4), Liaoning (3), and Sichuan (3).
Among the 63 sentenced in February 2015, Liaoning ranked first with 23 sentences, followed by Shandong (8), Jiangsu (7), and Hebei (7).
Out of the 50 illegal trials, 13 were reportedly held in Hunan Province, followed by Heilongjiang (7), Shandong (7), and Liaoning (5).
