BEIJING Jan. 8 - Four Falun Gong [practitioners] have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for [tapping] into cable television systems in western China to broadcast videos promoting the banned spiritual group, a court official said Wednesday.
The group was sentenced Dec. 30 by the Xining Intermediate People's Court, according to the official, who gave only his surname, Zhang. Xining is the capital of Qinghai province, which borders Tibet and is one of China's poorest regions.
China banned the Falun Gong in 1999 [...]. The group had attracted millions of followers with a mix of slow-motion exercise and [principles based on Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance].
Over the past year, Falun Gong members have staged a series of television [tapp-ins] to show videos criticizing the ban and proclaiming the group's good intentions.
[...]
In Xining, Falun Gong [practitioner] Zhang Rongjuan and three other people were sentenced to between seven and 20 years, according to Zhang, the court official. He wouldn't give other details or the identities of other defendants.
But a state newspaper said the [tapping] occurred in Xining and Lanzhou, capital of neighboring Gansu province.
The incidents occurred in July and August, said the Jiancha Daily, published by China's top prosecutors' office.
It identified the other defendants as He Wanji, Li Chongfeng and Duan Xiaoyan.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030108_756.html
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