(Minghui.org) A 76-year-old resident of Shifang City, Sichuan Province, was sentenced to one year following a court hearing in late August 2024 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Zhu Chaobing (also known as Chao Bing) was arrested on June 4, 2024, after she was reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. She was taken to the Shigu Police Station. The police searched her bag and confiscated the Falun Gong informational materials in it, as well as 20 yuan in cash. She was released on bail hours later.
Two officers from the Shigu Police Station and people from the Shifang City Procuratorate went to Ms. Zhu’s home on August 5, 2024 and took her to the Deyang City Detention Center. Deyang oversees Shifang.
Ms. Zhu was released on August 20 but was taken to the Shifang City Court about three days later. A clerk asked if she intended to hire a lawyer. She wondered why she needed a lawyer and was told by a judge that she was scheduled to stand trial for practicing Falun Gong. It was unclear whether she was tried that day or later.
Her family learned in mid-September that she was sentenced to one year but was allowed to serve time outside of prison. Her son was tasked with monitoring her.
This is not the first time that Ms. Zhu has been targeted for her faith. She was arrested on October 13, 2007 by officers from the Nanquan Town Police Station and detained for 15 days. Her next arrest took place on March 23, 2020. She was sentenced to one year in prison on April 16, 2021 (see the related report for details). She served time at an unknown prison.
Three officers from the Nanquan Town Police Station broke into Ms. Zhu’s home on September 22, 2022 and confiscated her Falun Gong books. They photographed her but did not arrest her. She went to the police station three days later to ask for her books, but she was told the books were destroyed. The police proceeded to install two surveillance cameras outside her house. Chen Jian and another officer harassed her at home on December 1, 2023.
73-Year-Old Sentenced to One Year for Raising Awareness of the Persecution of Her Faith