![]() | ||||
|
Ms. Li Xiumin Unlawfully Held in the Women's Prison of Hebei Province and Denied Family Visitation Rights
(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Li Xiumin, a practitioner from Zhijiazhuan, Hebei
Province, was tortured in a forced labor camp and developed several severe
diseases. In March 2007, she was temporarily released for medical treatment. On
May 2, she was taken away again. She is currently detained in the women's prison
in Hebei Province. The prison claimed that she would not be allowed family
visits for one month. Staff from Shangcheng Police Station, the No.2 Detention
Station in Shijiazhuang, the court, and Hebei Province Women's Prison have been
making excuses and/or lying to prevent her elderly parents from visiting her for
the past year. On the night of May 23, 2007, Ms. Li Xiumin and Huo Junmei got lost while on
business. They went to Xisanzhuan County in the Xinhua District and posted a
flyer stating, "Falun Dafa is good!" They were reported and taken to
Shangcheng Police Station (previously known as Shijiazhuang Police Station). Ms. Li's parents spent a whole day looking for her. The police told them to
pick her up. Her parents are nearing 70. They arrived at the police station at 8
p.m. that night. The policeman on duty, who was very rude, said that the
supervisor was not around and that they would have to come back the following
day. On the morning of May 25, the elderly couple went to the police station early
and found the supervisor, surnamed Guo, who was in charge of the case. Guo said
that their daughter was anti-CCP and that the police had to report her to
upper-level officials. During this period, the police there beat Ms. Li twice,
once because she requested to go to the bathroom and again when she asked for
food. Guo lied to her parents, saying, "We treat her well. There is no need
for you to worry." At around 4 p.m. that afternoon, before her family
returned, Shangcheng Police Station officers took her to the No. 2 Detention
Station in Shijiazhuang. On May 30, several family members went to Shangcheng Police Station to demand
the release of Ms. Li Xiumin. Supervisor Guo convinced them to go look for
Captain Fan Zhimo at the Xinhua Police Branch. Consequently, pictures were taken
of all the family members. In the morning on June 6, while her family members
were at Shangcheng Police Station, several policemen forced them out of the door
and then locked them out. The next day, her family called Supervisor Guo, who
refused to answer the phone. Later they called his cell phone and asked him why
he did not keep his promise to release Ms. Li. Guo answered, "Don't look
for me again. She was arrested and only upper level officials can determine her
case." On July 19, the No. 2 Detention Station in Shijiazhuang informed Li Xiumin's
family that she had retinitis and that her facial nerve paralysis had recurred.
The detention station reported this news to the Procuratorate in the
Xinhua District, who agreed to send her for medical examination. Her family
pleaded with the police to release her temporarily for medical treatment. During her term of "re-education" by forced labor, Li Xiuming
developed mammary gland proliferation and a tumor in her cervix that increased
to three centimeters, among other problems. She was temporarily released for
medical treatment in March 2007 before being illegally arrested
again and taken to the detention center. The poor environment there caused her
health to deteriorate further. She was very weak and had blurry vision, possibly
a complication due to cancer. Her life will be in danger if the persecution
against her continues. Li Xiumin's parents are nearly 70 years old. After hearing the news, they
were extremely worried and consulted more than 10 lawyers. Most of the lawyers
were sympathetic about the ill-treatment towards practitioners but were afraid
of pressure from the CCP and dared not get involved in the case. Finally, Ms.
Li's family managed to find a lawyer who was willing to help, but the law firm
returned the fee and forfeited the contract two days later, expressing apology
and sympathy. Some law firms were even more arrogant. When asked about who made
the regulation that Falun Gong cases were not allowed attorneys, the staff
answered, "upper levels" but refused to provide any documentation. There was another case in Shijiazhuang when practitioner Mr. Zuo Zhigang was
tortured to death. His family appealed for more than six years. His death was
never even investigated. However, posting a flyer stating "Falun Dafa is
good" became an "anti-revolution crime," and a CCP "procuratorate"
immediately investigated and tried to sentence the victim. This case is just one
example of the so-called "best period in human rights" that the CCP
promised to the international community. On September 26, 2007, the court held a show trial in which Ms. Li was not
sentenced. A month later, the court informed her family that she had been
sentenced to five years in prison. She appealed the decision, but the court
refused to budge. Her family asked for a written judgment, but the court could
not produce it. Later, the court allowed attorneys in the case but ignored their
strong defense supported with evidence. The court informed Li Xiumin herself of
the decision but not her family. On February 18, 2008, Li Xiumin's mother went to the No. 2 Detention Station
and asked to see her daughter. However, the deputy director of the Detention
Station with the last name "Wang" was not around, and they told her to
come back on the next day. She returned the next morning and learned that the
court had upheld the original judgment and that her family could not see Li
Xiumin without a certain document. The family did not know much about these
legal procedures, so they consulted a lawyer, who told them that as long as Ms.
Li was sentenced, the family should be allowed to visit; otherwise it was
illegal. Ms. Li's mother called Deputy Director Wang at noon and asked why they would
not allow family visits, mentioning that doing so was illegal. The deputy
director could not give an answer. In the afternoon, the family went to the
detention station again. The director with last name "Liu" told them
that Li Xiumin had already been sent to the women's prison in Hebei and that it
was not their business anymore. On February 20, Ms. Li's family went to the prison to visit her. The staff
told them that family visits were not allowed until one month after prisoners
were sent to different districts of the prison. The prison even checked their
records in the computer and said that Li Xiumin was not in their records. The
family grew very worried because they did not know where Ms. Li was. On March 5, 2008, after going back and forth, the family finally confirmed
that Li Xiumin was in Hebei Women's Prison. Her family wants to visit Xiumin,
but the prison refused to allow the visit for another month. Telephone numbers of the people involved in the kidnap and detention of Li
Xiumin Shangcheng Police Station in the Xinhua Branch of the Shijiazhuang Police
Department: Address: LianMengXilu, #771, Shijiazhuang Front Desk: 86-311-87755396 Supervisor Guo Lianxi (in charge of persecuting Falun Gong): 86-311-87759766
(Office), 86-13785139999 (Cell) Related article: http://clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/2/4/94017.html
Posting date: 4/17/2008
feedback@clearwisdom.net |
|||||||