(Minghui.org) A Donggang City, Liaoning Province, resident was sentenced to one year and nine months on September 6, 2024, for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Ms. Sun Hua, in her 60s, was arrested on April 25, 2023, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. Led by the secretary of the Shuangshanzi Village, the arresting officers from the Beijingzi Police Station raided her home when no one was around. They confiscated her Falun Gong books and informational materials. They kept her at the Dandong City Lockup for 15 days before releasing her on bail.

Between May and June 2024, the Beijingzi Police Station, the Zhen’an District Procuratorate, and the Zhen’an District Court each dispatched agents to harass Ms. Sun at home, attempting to fabricate evidence against her.

The police took Ms. Sun back into custody on June 18, 2024, and held her at the Dandong City Detention Center. She made two court appearances on July 10 and 22, 2024. Her husband was removed from the courtroom during the second hearing when he questioned why the police raided his home on April 25, 2023, when no one was around. 

The Zhen’an District Court held a sentencing hearing on September 6, 2024. The presiding judge promised to give Ms. Sun a lighter sentence if she wrote a statement to renounce Falun Gong. She refused to comply and was given one year and nine months. 

This is not the first time that Ms. Sun has been targeted for her faith. She was previously given one year and three months of forced labor at the Masanjia Labor Camp following an arrest on April 14, 2012.