Former Accountant Sentenced to Four Years for Her Faith

A former accountant in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province was recently sentenced to four years and fined 10,000 yuan (1481.26 USD) for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Prior to her latest sentencing, Ms. Zhang Chunhe, 63, had been constantly harassed and arrested for her faith. She was once held in a brainwashing center for over six months. She also served one year of forced labor and three years in prison, where she was deprived of sleep for 150 days. Unable to bear the pressure, her husband divorced her.

Ms. Zhang was again taken to a brainwashing center in October 2020 during the “Zero-out campaign,” which aims to force every Falun Gong practitioner on the government’s blacklist to renounce their faith. She wasn’t released until over two months later.

As she remained firm in her faith, the police arrested her on April 10, 2021, after tricking her into opening the door by claiming they needed to do a coronavirus test.

Using Falun Gong books and materials confiscated from Ms. Zhang as evidence against her, the police submitted her case to the Zengcheng District Procuratorate. The prosecutor approved her arrest on May 17 and transferred her case to the Haizhu District Procuratorate in early August. The Haizhu District Procuratorate has been assigned to handle Falun Gong cases in the Guangzhou area to expedite the prosecution process.

Ms. Zhang stood trial in the Haizhu District Court on November 19, 2021. She argued that she didn’t violate any law by practicing Falun Gong and that no evidence had shown how she had harmed anyone as alleged by the prosecutor.

On March 28, 2022, guards at the Zengcheng District Detention Center attempted to videotape Ms. Zhang as they tried to get her to renounce her faith. When she resisted, they handcuffed her, and dragged her to a cell, badly injuring her arms in the process. She started a hunger strike to protest the violence.

The judge announced through a virtual sentencing hearing on July 13, 2022, that she was sentenced to four years and fined 10,000 yuan.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Liu Biquan (刘碧泉), officer of the Xiyuan Police Station: +86-13928914886

Chen Qing (陈庆), officer of Zengcheng District Domestic Security Office: +86-13928908456

Liu Zhi (刘智), secretary of Xingfa Residential Committee: +86-20-82731475

Lin Jishen (林继深), prosecutor of Haizhu District Procuratorate: +86-20-89017703

Chen Wenling (陈文玲), presiding judge of Haizhu District CourtJia Cunjin (贾存锦), judge of Haizhu District Court: +86-18126766762

Yi Haijun (衣海君), judge of Haizhu District Court: +86-18819800899

Based on an original report by Minghui.org