Mr. Niu Ruiyi and Ms. Mao Xiulan from Tianshui City, Gansu Province Secretly Sentenced

Two Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Niu Ruiyi, 57, from Qijia Village, Xinxing Town, Gangu County, Tianshui City, Gansu Province and Ms. Mao Xiulan, 47, from Xiezhuang, Dashi Village, Dashi Town, also in Gangu County in Gansu Province, were arrested and taken from their home by the police. On January 21st, 2010, the police from Gangu County Detention Centre arrested Mr. Niu and a few days later on January 28th, Ms. Mao was also arrested. The police confiscated their computers, printers, Falun Gong books, and many other personal belongings. Both Mr. Niu and Ms. Mao were detained in the Gangu County Detention Centre since their arrest.

In late May 2010, Mr. Niu and Ms. Mao were put through a show trial and sentenced by the Tianshui City Gangu County Court in Gansu Province. Throughout the whole trial up until the final verdict, there was not a principal prosecutor present nor was their case open to the public. The defendants' family members were never notified of their trial. Their families never received any kind of legal documents or any other kind of notice explaining what happened to them.

Life has been hard on Mr. Niu's family since his arrest. He had always been the backbone and the mainstay of his family. After his arrest, his second son had to be taken to the hospital for surgery while his wife was left completely helpless. Currently, Mr. Niu's wife and the three sons are bearing great hardship and grief in his absence.

Ms. Mao's family has also been devastated by her arrest. Her in-laws are in their eighties and she is the one who would normally take care of them and her husband who is very sick. Without Ms. Mao there to take care of them, things began to fall apart for the family. Her husband started to complain a lot and threatened to commit suicide. Her second son had to quit secondary school to find work to help support the family.

Based on information provided by an individual who was recently released from Gangu County Detention Centre, Mr. Niu Ruiyi and Ms. Mao Xiulan were sentenced around late May or early June.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/8/3/227893.html