Mother and Daughter Sentenced for Shared Faith
Falun Gong practitioner arrested by police in Tiananmen Square during the early days of the persecution.
Ms. Cai Yuying and her daughter Ms. Yu Jiaoru were arrested at 6 a.m. on July 15, 2020. The police broke into their home, ransacked it, and confiscated their Falun Gong related items. Cai’s husband, who does not practice Falun Gong, was also taken to the local police station and detained briefly.
The mother, 66-years-old, and daughter, a 34-year-old accountant, were among two dozen local practitioners arrested on the same day and since then at least 12 of the practitioners have been sentenced to prison.
Eight practitioners, including Cai and Yu, were tried together. They were tried on April 9, 2021 in the Dehui City Court. Except for one practitioner’s father, the other practitioners’ family members and their lawyers were not allowed to attend the hearing. Another group of four practitioners were tried together on April 20.
The judge sentenced the 12 practitioners on July 26. Among them, one was given a ten year sentence, three were given nine year sentences, and the remaining were given sentences between 2-7 years. Cai was among those sentenced to nine years, while Yu was sentenced to six years.
Both Cai and Yu have appealed to the Changchun City Intermediate Court.
Based on an original report from Minghui.org:
