(Minghui.org) Ms. Li Zhongfang, a 68-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Huludao City, was sentenced to three years in prison by the Lianshan District Court in November 2016. She appealed to the Huludao City Intermediate Court, but the court upheld the original sentence.
She and her family have recently filed an appeal for a retrial.
Ms. Li was arrested on July 19, 2016, when she was putting up a sticker that read “Falun Gong Is Good” on a utility pole. The police ransacked her home and confiscated Falun Gong books, computers, printers, and other personal belongings.
Ms. Li was charged with “using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement,” a common charge used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to imprison Falun Gong practitioners in its persecution of the spiritual practice.
The Lianshan District Court tried Ms. Li on November 2, 2016. Ms. Li's attorney pleaded not guilty on her behalf.
The defense attorney made the case that the charges have no legal basis. He stated that placing a sticker on a utility pole did not constitute an act of undermining the enforcement of any law. He also pointed out the lack of evidence in the case and asked that Ms. Li be acquitted.
The court was adjourned without reaching a verdict. However, Ms. Li was sentenced to prison a few days later.
She is being held at the Huludao City Detention Center.
