(Minghui.org) A 27-year-old woman serving four years for practicing Falun Gong is denied family visits because she refuses to renounce her faith.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Jiang Liyu (standing) and her older sister, Ms. Jiang Lianjiao
Ms. Jiang Liyu, a native of Shiyan City, Hubei Province working in Beijing, was arrested in May 2017 for raising awareness about the persecution of Falun Gong. She was sentenced to four years in prison with a 5,000 yuan fine on July 12, 2018. Her appeal was rejected by Beijing City No.2 Intermediate Court in September 2018.
Ms. Jiang was sent to Hankou Prison in Hubei Province in March 2019 and has been denied visits by her family or lawyer since.
When her parents called the prison to check whether she has received the deposits they’d made for her, the staff member answering the phone refused to disclose which ward Ms. Jiang is kept at, citing an internal policy. When her parents asked for the specifics about the policy, that person hung up the phone.
That staff member also told Ms. Jiang’s parents that they don’t process personal inquiries on the detainees’ situation and only accept inquiry requests from other government agencies.
The prison authorities harassed Ms. Jiang’s parents, Mr. Jiang Qixiang and Ms. Qiao Liangyu, in April 2019 and demanded that they write letters to Ms. Jiang to urge her to give up practicing Falun Gong. The guards said that they would allow family visits only after Ms. Jiang writes a statement to renounce her faith.
The authorities installed surveillance cameras in front of her parents’ home to monitor their daily activities.
Related reports:Hubei Woman Sentenced to Four Years for Speaking Out for Her Faith, Family Harassed for Requesting Visitation
