(Minghui.org) A 76-year-old man was secretly sentenced to three years for raising awareness about his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Zhang Zhen, a Yitong County, Jilin Province resident, was arrested on November 1, 2019 for talking to people about Falun Gong. He was detained at the Yitong County Detention Center. His arrest was approved by the Yitong County Procuratorate around December 4. His family learned in August 2020 that he has been secretly tried and sentenced to three years.

This is Mr. Zhang’s second prison term for his faith. He was previously arrested on December 23, 2015, also for talking to people about Falun Gong on the street. After spending two months at the Yitong County Detention Center, he became unable to eat, drink or walk. Despite his condition, he was sentenced to two years by the Yitong County Court on March 10, 2016.

When he was sent to the Gongzhuling Prison on May 3, 2016, he was emaciated and dragged into the police car. When his family visited him in the prison on May 12 that year, he had been held in solitary confinement for a week. His body was covered with injuries after he was beaten for refusing to renounce his faith.

In addition to the two prison terms, Mr. Zhang has been arrested seven more times and served three terms in Siping City Forced Labor Camp and Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp. He was subjected to various torture methods while being incarcerated.