Key Falun Gong organizers sentenced in Hainan

The Hainan Provincial Higher People's Court rejected the appeals of four key Falun Gong sect leaders and upheld the original ruling at a hearing today.

The four, Song Yuesheng, Chen Yuan, Jiang Shilong and Liang Yulin, continued to organize illegal gatherings in Beijing and a dozen other cities despite the ban on the Falun Gong organization issued by the Ministry of Public Security on July 22.

The Intermediate People's Court of Haikou sentenced Song to 12 years in prison, and gave jail terms ranging from two to seven years to the three others on November 22. The four had appealed these sentences to the higher court.

(China daily 1999/11/30)