Three Henan Practitioners Detained Over a Year, Then Sentenced to Prison for Seven to Ten Years

On the morning of July 19, 2002, three Falun Dafa practitioners detained over a year were given heavy illegal prison sentences in Qi County, Kaifeng City. Zhengzhou practitioners Yang Hongren and Li Junxia were illegally sentenced to ten years of imprisonment. Geng Hongli was given a seven-year sentence.

Although the three practitioners had been persecuted for over a year and suffered all kinds of torture, in court they appeared compassionate and dignified. Their kind and gentle way of speaking and their righteous words moved everyone in the court. Many bystanders crowded into the small house, rented as a temporary courthouse. For lack of space, even more Falun Dafa practitioners were stuck outside. Three Falun Dafa practitioners who had come to attend the court proceedings held palms erect in front of their chests to send righteous thoughts. They were immediately arrested and detained by the police. These three practitioners, two men and one woman, are protesting the arrest with a hunger strike.