(Minghui.org) Practitioner Ms. Tian Xiaoping received a 14 year prison sentence in 2012 for her belief in Falun Dafa. Ms. Tian is now illegally detained at Heilongjiang Women’s Prison.
When family members visited her on March 14, 2013, they realized that she could not walk alone or speak clearly. Her body trembled due to severe spasms. The prison authorities asked her family to pay 2000 Yuan for a physical exam and provide her with medication to treat a heart condition. The family insisted on a medical parole for Ms. Tian.
Before she was sent to Heilongjiang Women’s Prison, Ms. Tian suffered a heart attack caused by intensive police interrogation in Heilongjiang No. 2 Detention Center. Torture left her with a severely injured arm. Despite her poor health, the Women’s Prison admitted her for ongoing persecution.
Summary of her Arrest by Agents of the Chinese Communist Party
Tian Xiaoping, 51, was arrested on November 13, 2011 and received a 14 year prison sentence in August 2012. The court proceedings were conducted under the jurisdiction of Heilongjiang Province’s Political and Legal Affairs Committee and the 610 Office.
The arrest occurred when Ms. Tian Xiaoping joined 40 other practitioners in a gathering to listen to the wife and daughter of Qin Yueming, who spoke about their difficult legal effort to find justice in the case of Mr. Qin ’s death. Mr. Qin, a Falun Gong practitioner, died in police custodian after being subjected to brutal torture.
When the meeting concluded, the group was surprised to see over 100 police officers forcibly entering the room. They used tear gas and electric batons to subdue the practitioners. Each practitioner was attacked by at least two officers. Ms. Tian was hit and cut on her forehead. Her shirt was torn to pieces, and her eyes were red and swollen for ten days from the effects of the tear gas.
The practitioners were taken to Shuangcheng City Police Patrol Unit, where the police interrogated them one by one. After midnight, some practitioners were sent to Harbin No. 2 Detention Center and Shuangcheng Detention Center, while others were sent to Shuangcheng Temporary Detention House.
Ms. Tian is Subjected to Brutal Torture During Her Detention
While in Harbin No. 2 Detention Center, Ms. Tian Xiaoping was subjected to an unimaginable form of torture.
Police officers Yao Shoujun, Lu Jun and a third man tied her up to a chair with arms behind her back. They used a high intensity light to burn her face, while Lu Jun violently kicked her knees. Ms. Tian’s lips were burned so badly that they cracked; her arms also turned purple from the assault.
Practitioners are Placed on Trial Before a Judge who Refuses Them Due Process
On May 28, 2012 at 9 a.m., the Shuangcheng Court brought six practitioners to trial, including Ms. Tian. The crime of record was “sabotaging law enforcement.” The practitioners denied the charge.
Five defense lawyers presented arguments that the practitioners should have freedom of belief and speech, as guaranteed by Chinese law. The judge was left speechless, but eventually countered that freedom had nothing to do with the case.
When two of the lawyers told the court that their clients were tortured by police and clarified the facts about Falun Gong, the judge became furious. He denied the lawyers’ challenge to call the perpetrators to court.
Then after failing to provide a logical explanation, the desperate judge called in guards to drag the two lawyers out of the courtroom. He also confiscated the lawyers’ personal computers.
Finally, the so-called public prosecutor suggested that the court give the six practitioners prison sentences from three to five years. The practitioners protested and filed an appeal.
A second trial took place in August, and the court delivered an astonishing verdict: Ms. Tian Xiaoping and three other practitioners each received 14 year prison sentences. The other two practitioners received 11 and 13 year sentences respectively.
Sources said that the heavy sentences were decided in an internal meeting by Heilongjiang Political and Legal Affairs Committee and the 610 Office.
