(Minghui.org) Three Beijing residents were arrested in January 2016 for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime. Ms. Qing Xiuying, Ms. Xia Hong and Mr. Li Yeliang pleaded not guilty when they were tried on November 30, as no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong.
The defense lawyers received a notice from the court on January 20, 2017 saying that the Tongzhou Procuratorate has asked for a delayed sentencing and that the case be returned to gather more evidence. The court official indicated that the prosecution may withdraw its indictments against the practitioners.
Ms. Qing's husband, who didn’t practice Falun Gong but was also arrested when the police seized his wife, was found dead at home a few days after the court notice was issued. He had been in poor health and relied on his wife to care for him. Even though he was released after one and a half months of detention, he was left with no caregiver. It was on the Chinese New Year’s Day this year (January 28, 2017) that his body was discovered.
