(Minghui.org) Ms. Li Shuwei, in her 70s, from the Pinggu District, Beijing was sentenced to 1.5 years and fined 3,000-yuan for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
This is not the first time that Ms. Li has been targeted for practicing Falun Gong. She was previously sentenced to prison in 2008 (exact term unknown) and tortured in a prison in Wuhan City, Hubei Province during the 18 months she was incarcerated there. She was released on February 3, 2010, only to be arrested again more than a decade later.
The police attempted four times to keep Ms. Li, in her 70s, detained since arresting her in 2022, but they failed because of her poor health. She is now on medical parole.
Arrest
Ms. Li’s latest prison sentence stemmed from her arrest in late 2022 (exact date unknown). She was held at the Yuyang Police Station overnight and taken to the local detention center the next day. She was denied admission after she was found to have a fever during the required physical examination. The police released her on bail.
Around late May 2023, the Yuyang Police Station and its supervising agency, the Pinggu District Police Department, together submitted her case to the Pinggu District Procuratorate, which ordered her to report to them on May 30. She did not go because she was feeling unwell.
In early June 2023, three people from the procuratorate showed up at her home to depose her. They confirmed that they received her case days prior.
Four officers from the Yuyang Police Station broke into Ms. Li’s home on June 9, 2023 and took her to the local detention center. She was again denied admission after a physical examination indicated she had severe illnesses. The police then released her under house arrest.
The Pinggu District Procuratorate forwarded Ms. Li’s case to the Pinggu District Court on August 9. The court summoned her a few times, including an episode on August 22 when she was ordered to meet with a court-appointed lawyer who was instructed to enter a guilty plea for her. She was also forced to sign all the interrogation records and deposition.
While she was awaiting trial, the police tried a third time to get her admitted to the local detention center, but she was still denied admission due to her poor health.
Sentencing and Appeal
The Pinggu District Court sentenced Ms. Li to two years around early October 2023 and ordered her to serve time outside of prison. She appealed and the local intermediate court reduced her sentence to one and a half years but fined her 3,000 yuan.
Around November 12, 2023, the police took Ms. Li back into custody per the intermediate court’s order to have her serve time at the local detention center. But she was denied admission a fourth time due to her poor health. The police then released her on medical parole.
Ms. Li’s son was grateful that Falun Gong resolved her brain tumor and other diseases, but he was traumatized by the way she was brutally persecuted. He became depressed after her first prison sentence and he has not recovered. He struggles to cope with his mother’s latest sentencing.
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