Four Falun Gong Members Sentenced to Nearly 9 Years in Prison for Accusation of Stealing Their Own Properties

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Four Falun Gong practitioners at trial in mid-April

Defend the Defenders, May 17, 2018

Four Vietnamese citizens who have been practicing Falun Gong have been sentenced to a total of nearly nine years in prison on the allegation of stealing their own properties, Defend the Defenders has learned.

On the morning of April 11, the People’s Court in the northern province of Thai Nguyen sentenced Tran Thi Ngoc, 56 to 42 months, Tran Thi Tien, 57, to 36 months in prison, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, 23 to 15 months and Mr. Tran Kim Chung, 57, to 12 months in prison.

According to the indictment, the four defendants, together with other fellow, were exercising Falun Gong at the Vo Nguyen Giap square in Thai Nguyen city. Police from the Trung Vuong police came and accused them of causing public disorders so ordered them to stop and confiscated their louders and other items without a writen statement.

After police officers took their properties, the group went to the Trung Vuong police station to request for their items. They found their properties in the station and got back, and returned to their home.

On the next day, Thai Nguyen province’s police launched a probe, accusing the Falun Gong’s practitioners of stealing properties.

Falun Gong practitioners are under serious discrimination in Vietnam. They are subjects of police’s intimidation and persecution.

There have been many cases in which they were beaten and attacked by police in uniform, plainclothes agents and militia.