(Minghui.org) It was reported by Minghui.org in April 2023 that four Beijing residents were sentenced from one to two years for practicing Falun Gong. It’s recently been confirmed that the authorities deceived the practitioners’ families into giving up on hiring appeals lawyers for them by lying about their prison sentences. All four practitioners were actually given four years or longer.

The four practitioners, including Ms. Liu Yuhong, Ms. Liu Xing, Ms. Jin Shuying and Ms. Dong Xiurong, were arrested in a police sweep between July 25 and 27, 2022. In Daxing District, where the four practitioners reside, at least ten other practitioners were also arrested, including Ms. Feng Yumei, Ms. Ji Wenhua, Ms. Ren Sulan, Ms. Li Shuyan, Ms. Wang Xiuling, Ms. Cui Jingwen, Ms. Wen Xixin, Ms. Zhou Liyun, Ms. Shen Defeng and Ms. Zhang Guizhi.

The four convicted practitioners had their arrests approved around September 2, 2022 and they were held at the Daxing District Detention Center. After their families hired appeals lawyers for them, the authorities deceived them into dropping the lawyers, by claiming that the practitioners would be released soon. After the families dismissed the lawyers, the authorities changed the narrative and refused to release the practitioners. 

It was previously reported that Ms. Liu Yuhong was sentenced to two years, Ms. Liu Xing to one year and nine months, Ms. Dong to one year and four months, and Ms. Jin to one year by the Daxing District Court. But now, their families have confirmed that Ms. Liu Yuhong, Ms. Liu Xing and Ms. Jin were all given four and a half years with a 5,000-yuan fine and Ms. Dong was sentenced to four years with a 4,000-yuan fine. Ms. Dong has appealed the verdict.

It was also reported that another practitioner arrested in the police sweep, Ms. Zhang, was sentenced to eight months. It remains to be investigated whether the information can be confirmed.