(Minghui.org) A Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, man was sentenced to 4.5 years and fined 10,000 yuan on May 19, 2023, for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
As Mr. Shi Keqin contracted tuberculosis during previous detention for practicing Falun Gong, he was taken to a local hospital for a physical examination after being convicted and then allowed to go home. Three days later, he was ordered to have another physical examination. His tuberculosis test result was negative and he was taken back into custody. He was held at the Qinhuangdao City First Detention for about four months before being admitted to the Hebei Province Prison Administration Group Jidong Branch Fourth Prison (located in Tangshan City) on September 19, 2023.
Arrest and COVID-19 Quarantine
Mr. Shi and his wife went to visit a friend in Beidaihe District of the same city on the morning of May 17, 2022. Not long after they arrived, a police officer from the Chezhan Police Station in Beidaihe District and a few others from Tianjintielu Police Department in Funing District, Qinhuangdao City showed up. They asked Mr. Shi some questions and left.
It is unclear why police in Beidaihe District and Funing District targeted Mr. Shi, a resident of Haigang District, but apparently they had been monitoring him and knew about his plan to visit the friend.
When Mr. Shi and his wife left their friend’s home, the residential complex security guard stopped them and asked for their address and phone numbers. Mr. Shi didn’t think much of it and offered his information.
Around the same time, officer Chen Teng in Haigang District went to Mr. Shi’s home but did not reveal the reason for the unexpected visit. At 3 p.m. that afternoon, he returned with a group of officers, including deputy chief Chen Chi and officers Guo Yimin, Liu Qiliang and Li Jingkun from the Chezhan Police Station. As Mr. Shi refused to open the door, they threatened to call a locksmith. Mr. Shi relented and let them in. Without showing their police IDs or search warrant, they confiscated his Falun Gong books totaling over 140, a computer, and a printer.
Mr. Shi and his wife were taken to the Chezhan Police Station. Deputy chief Chen threatened that the confiscated books were enough to get Mr. Shi and his wife sentenced to prison. Officer Guo added that the couple’s “crime” would implicate their children and grandchildren.
In the evening, Chen interrogated Mr. Shi and promised to fill out a search warrant, having already raided his home. But Mr. Shi was never shown any search warrant. He and his wife were held in a conference room overnight and watched by two officers.
The police attempted to take Mr. Shi to a local lockup the next day. But due to the pandemic, the lockup refused to admit him directly and insisted he be quarantined first.
After 21 days of quarantine at the police hospital, the lockup still refused to take Mr. Shi on the grounds that he didn’t receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The police thus took him back to the hospital for a vaccine shot. But during the pre-shot examination, Mr. Shi was found to have extremely high blood pressure, as well as having contracted tuberculosis. The doctor said he couldn’t give him the shot. Without taking him to the lockup, the police released him on June 9, 2022, after 23 days of detention. It’s unclear when his wife was released or whether she was subjected to prosecution.
Court Trial
The police submitted Mr. Shi’s case to the Beidaihe District Procuratorate on November 15, 2022, and the case was transferred to the Funing District Procuratorate on January 5, 2023.
Mr. Shi stood trial at the Funing District Court on April 19, 2023. Judge Lin Shuangquan presided over the trial. Prosecutor Wang Yi, judges Fu Yumei and Li Fengzhi, as well as clerk Wang Qi, were present.
Judge Lin said he would sentence Mr. Shi because he had Falun Gong books and printed Falun Gong materials at home. Mr. Shi argued that the books and materials were his lawful possessions and that he didn’t violate any law by having or printing them. He challenged prosecutor Wang to present and read some parts of the books in court to see whether they contained harmful information as alleged in the indictment, yet Wang said that he had destroyed those books.
Mr. Shi was released after the hearing. He received a call from the court on May 18, 2023, and was asked to report to the court at 8 a.m. the next day. He went and was told that he had been sentenced to 4.5 years and fined 10,000 yuan. The court bailiffs took him to the Qinhuangdao City Third Hospital for a physical exam and let him go home after that.
On May 22, 2023, deputy chief Chen of the Chezhan Police Station and officer Zheng Pengxiang took Mr. Shi to the same hospital again for another physical, which showed a negative result for tuberculosis. They took him to the police hospital for another examination, before taking him to the Chezhan Police Station. They later transferred him to the Qinhuangdao City First Detention Center, where he was held until he was admitted to prison on September 19, 2023.
Related reports:
Hebei Man Sentenced to 4.5 Years for Having Falun Gong Books at Home
Prosecutor Destroys Falun Gong Books Used as Prosecution Evidence Ahead of Hebei Man’s Hearing
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