Seven Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced

The Zhaoyuan City Court of Shandong recently sentenced seven Falun Gong practitioners to imprisonment. Mr. Kao Fuquan was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment; Ms. Song Guihua, wife of Mr. Kao Fuquan, was sentenced to seven and a half years; Ms. Yang Lanxiang, a disabled person, was sentenced to seven and a half years; Ms. Diao Yunying was sentenced to seven years; Ms. Pang Cuirong was sentenced to four years; Mr. Yang Wenjie was sentenced to four years; and Ms. Teng Yingfen was sentenced to four years.

The family members who have received court notices have started the legal appeal process. Except for Mr. Kao Fuquan, the other six practitioners are being held in a detention centre.

The detention centre refused to accept Mr. Kao Fuquan because he is in critical condition due to the torture he endured at the hands of police officers, including Li Jianguang and Song Shaochang from the local 610 Office [an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong]. Mr. Kao is being detained at the Jinkuang Brainwashing Centre in Lingnan.

Mr. Kao's sister, Ms. Kao Fuying, and his brother-in-law, Mr. Sun Guo, are also detained at the brainwashing centre. The couple were arrested by the police and have been detained for over a month.

After the 610 Office in Zhaoyuan, Shandong arrested the seven practitioners in 2010, the practitioners were detained, tortured, and interrogated. The court and other legal departments have not allowed the practitioners or their families to hire lawyers. They have also not allowed family members to attend the trials. The family members who made it to the court were also arrested. In the end, the seven practitioners were secretly sentenced to prison.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/1/9/234693.html