Mr. Ge Zhifu was illegally arrested by the police. When his mother and wife, who were just released after being extorted 9,000 yuan, hired a lawyer represent him, the police threatened them, "We will arrest you again if you don't fire your lawyer."
Ningan City Police Threaten Mr. Ge Zhifu's Family for Hiring a Lawyer
Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Ge Zhifu was illegally arrested by police in Ningan City, Heilongjiang Province. When his family hired a lawyer to represent him, the police threatened them, "We will arrest you if you don't fire your lawyer."
At around 6:00 a.m. on July 7, 2009, the Domestic Security Team of Ningan City Police Department and the 1st Police Station arrested Mr. Ge Zhifu, his wife, Ms. Tian Junhuan, and his mother, Ms. Mi Xinrong, at his home. Then they ransacked his home and confiscated his property, including the taxi that he drives to earn a living. Mr. Ge's father, who is over 70 years old and suffers from serious liver cirrhosis, was left home alone.
While Mr. Ge's wife was in custody, the police constantly threatened her until she suffered a mental breakdown. She didn't eat, drink or sleep, and was dependent on others. On July 22, the police released Ms. Tian and Ms. Mi, but only after extorting 3,000 yuan from each of them. The police forced the family to pay another 3,000 yuan for a so-called "expense" on Mr. Tian's mental health check-up.
On the morning of November 9, 2009, Mr. Ge's mother and the lawyer the family hired went to the Prosecution Section of the Procuratorate to get information about Mr. Ge's case. Section Chief Li Jige let them return at 9:00 a.m. on November 13, because the case information was locked by Liu Ying, who was in charge of the case and out of town for a training class in Harbin City.
The next day, Ms. Mi found that Liu Ying was not out of town, so she went to meet her in the afternoon. Liu Ying said that she had submitted the case several days before to higher levels. At around 5:00 p.m., Ms. Mi and the lawyer again went to the Procuratorate to meet with Li Jige. He told them to return 20 days later because the case lacked evidence and was returned to the police department.
On the morning of November 11, Ms. Mi went to the police department to find out more about the case. The head of the Domestic Security team, Duan Muqinhai, threatened her, "Where does your lawyer live? You should fire your lawyer, otherwise we will arrested you [Ms. Mi and Ms. Tian] again."