Three Hebei Women Given Heavy Sentences for Their Faith Likely Abused in Detention Center
(Minghui.org) Three residents of Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province sentenced to prison for practicing Falun Gong were likely abused at the Shijiazhuang Second Detention Center.
Ms. Liu Shunzhi, 70, Ms. Liang Yening, and Ms. Pu Xingchi, an art teacher around 46, were all arrested on January 23, 2022, and held at a hotel for nearly two months before being taken to the Shijiazhuang Second Detention Center.
Ms. Pu Xingchi
All three were sentenced on July 12, 2023, with Ms. Liu given eight years, Ms. Liang six years, and Ms. Pu four years. Ms. Liu was also fined 10,000 yuan, and the latter two each fined 5,000 yuan. Ms. Liu and Ms. Liang filed appeals with the Shijiazhuang City Intermediate Court and are still awaiting a result.
While it is unclear whether the trio are still held at the Shijiazhuang Second Detention Center at the time of writing, an insider recently revealed that they were likely subjected to the same abuse imposed on other Falun Gong practitioners detained there.
The insider said that the detained practitioners were forced to kneel down to wipe the floor and clean the toilet every day. They were only allowed cold showers and barred from talking to each other.
The food consisted of only a meager amount of steamed buns, corn paste, and vegetable soup, none of which contained sodium. As time went by, the practitioners developed swelling in their legs and became dizzy as a result of the lack of sodium. They were also forced to do a two-hour night shift every day. The guards would wake them up while they were sound asleep and force them to stand for the entire two-hour shift. Since the practitioners were malnourished, quite a few of them passed out during their night shift due to low blood sugar.
There was also 24-hour surveillance, with panoramic cameras strategically placed to capture every move of the practitioners. The detention center guards also assigned inmates to monitor the practitioners around the clock, even when they used the restroom or took a shower.
Each practitioner was only given a 45-centimeter-wide space to sleep at night. They had to sleep on their sides. The cells were so crowded that if one person had to turn her body, everyone else had to do the same or she could not move.
Details of Arrests and Sentencing
Ms. Liu and her three family members were arrested by agents from Fangxing Police Station and Yuhua District Police Department on January 23, 2022, one week before the Chinese New Year.
Ms. Liang and her husband, Mr. Zhang Linyu, were arrested on the same day by officers from the Zhengding County Police Department. Zhengding County is under the administration of Shijiazhuang City.
Ms. Pu, was also arrested on the same day, while giving online classes to her students. The Qiaoxi District Police Department and Hongqi Police Station were responsible for her arrest and they also harassed her prior to her arrest.
Ms. Liu, Ms. Liang, and Ms. Pu were later taken to Shuili Hotel in Yuanshi County, Shijiazhuang City, while their family members were released shortly afterward. The three women were held in the hotel for nearly two months, during which time they were interrogated and abused. The police put black hoods over their heads, cuffed their hands, or sat them in metal chairs with their limbs cuffed or chained to the chairs.
The Yuanshi County Procuratorate put the three practitioners on criminal detention on March 16, 2022, and they were then transferred to the Shijiazhuang Second Detention Center.
The Qiaoxi District Procuratorate later took over the case and prosecutor Yan Hongyan proceeded to indict the three practitioners.
The Qiaoxi District Court held a hearing on February 24, 2023, and judge Xu Lina (who has since been transferred to Shijiazhuang City Intermediate Court) convicted the three practitioners on July 12, 2023.
Related Reports:
Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province: Three Sentenced for Their Faith in Falun Gong
Fifteen Falun Dafa Practitioners Tortured in Shijiazhuang City's Second Detention Center
Art Teacher Detained for Three Months and Counting for Practicing Falun Gong