(Minghui.org) Six Falun Gong practitioners from Jilin City were tried on November 8 and 9, 2016. The individual prison terms ranged from three to eight years. They were arrested in May 2016 after hanging up banners that called attention to the persecution of Falun Gong.
Their lawyers were not provided with the case files and not allowed to defend the practitioners.
Mr. Zhang Shousheng, Ms. Lian Jinhua, and Ms. Yang Hongyan were each sentenced to eight years in prison. Ms. Li Xiuwen was sentenced to seven years. Mr. He Changlong was sentenced to three years with five years' probation, and Mr. Yang Rui was sentenced to two years with three years' probation. Mr. Wu Maotian was not charged and released.
As of January 15, 2017, the families of Ms. Li, Ms. Lian, Ms. Yang, and Mr. Zhang had not received official notices from the court regarding the verdicts. They learned of the verdicts from other sources.
Ms. Lian and Ms. Yang were transferred from a detention center to the Jilin Provincial Women's Prison, formerly known as the Heizuizi Women's Prison. Their families were not informed of the transfer, nor could they see the practitioners before the transfer, as the authorities had promised.
Ms. Li and Mr. Zhang might have been transferred to other prisons. Their families have not been notified of the arrests, hearing dates, or verdicts.
Arrests, Homes Ransacked, and Belongings Confiscated
Six practitioners, along with one or two other people, were videotaped while hanging banners with messages about the persecution of Falun Gong on May 1, 2016. The police then tapped their phones for 10 days and arrested them on May 11, 2016.
The practitioners' homes were ransacked and informational materials about Falun Gong and over 100,000 yuan were confiscated.
Mr. He's health deteriorated while he was being held in the Jiaohe Detention Center. One side of his face is paralyzed and he has symptoms of cerebellar atrophy.
Related article:Five Falun Gong Practitioners Facing Trial; Lawyers Denied Access to Case Files
