(Minghui.org) A retired couple was resting at home when they were deceived into opening the door to what they thought was an electric bill collector. To their shock, ten plainclothes officers rushed in and arrested them. This unexpected incident triggered the husband's epilepsy.
When the wife's lawyer visited her the next day, he learned of the couple's arrest details and the confiscation of their valuables. The local police, however, refused to provide a list of the seized items despite repeated requests from the couple's daughter.
The police have now revoked the couple's right to receive visitors, including both family and lawyers. As a result, the husband never got a chance to meet his own lawyer.
Both husband and wife remain incarcerated in the same detention center. Their only “crime” is their practice of Falun Gong, a self-cultivation practice being persecuted by the Chinese regime.
Judicial Official Silent on Case
Mr. Tian Yifu and his wife, Ms. Zhang Guixia, were arrested on July 31, 2014. Their daughter, Ms. Tian, hired lawyers Shi Yongsheng and Zhang Keke for her father and mother, respectively.
On August 1, Zhang Keke met with Ms. Zhang Guixia in the Liaoyuan Detention Center, where he learned of the circumstances surrounding the couple's arrest.
The next morning, Mr. Zhang and Ms. Tian went to the Liaoyuan Procuratorate to inquire about the legal procedure lying ahead for Ms. Tian's parents. There, an official surnamed Li refused to handle the case, repeating Communist Party rhetoric used to defame Falun Gong as part of the regime's persecution campaign.
Mr. Zhang asserted, “Written instructions from higher level officials cannot be cited as law.” Changing the topic, Li replied, “We haven't received the case you're talking about. I can't say anything about it.” Mr. Zhang advised him not to issue the arrest warrant.
Officers Refuse to Give List of Seized Items
After leaving the Procuratorate, Ms. Tian and Mr. Zhang went to the Tai'an Police Department of Liaoyuan City to request a list of items seized from Ms. Tian's parents' home. Director Jin Zhenyu denied their request over the phone, stating that he was in a meeting, the officer who seized the gold ring was hospitalized, and they should return on August 20.
Ms. Tian and the two lawyers (Mr. Zhang and Mr. Shi) returned on August 20, but Jin told them that he could not meet with them because he was out. However, when another person asked for him, Jin appeared.
Ms. Tian took the opportunity to confront Jin. “No one in my family was home when you arrested my parents. You must show us the list of items you seized,” she asserted. Jin cursed Ms. Tian's parents before a group of officers surrounded Ms. Tian and grabbed her cellular phone, claiming that Ms. Tian was recording them. However, they found no recording.
When an officer questioned what Mr. Shi was doing there, he reasserted his role as a lawyer. Jin interjected, “How dare you defend Falun Gong in Liaoyuan!”
Lawyer Denied Meeting with Client
When Mr. Shi later went to the Liaoyuan Detention Center to meet with Mr. Tian Yifu, an official told him that no one, including a lawyer, was allowed to meet with a Falun Gong practitioner there.
Shocking Arrest Triggers Husband's Epilepsy
Mr. Tian and Ms. Zhang, both retirees in their 60s, had lived in Liaoyuan, Jilin Province for eight years.
Around noon on July 31, 2014, they heard a knock at their door by someone claiming to collect electricity bills. Having already submitted their payment, the couple ignored the man. After three more knocks, Mr. Tian opened the door. Over ten plainclothes police officers rushed in to arrest the couple. The shock triggered Mr. Tian's epilepsy.
Perpetrators involved in this case of persecution:Liu Wei (刘伟), Party Secretary, Liaoyuan Political and Legal Affairs Committee: +86-18904478001 (Cell), +86-437-3315187 (Office), +86-437-3320599 (Home)Pi Fuguo (皮富国), Director, Liaoyuan 610 Office: +86-13351560686 (Cell), +86-437-3317610Jin Zhenyu (金振宇), Director, Tai'an Police Department of Liaoyuan: +86-13504379000 (Cell) (Police ID: 402186)Sui Rongsheng (隋荣生), Director, Liaoyuan Detention CenterWang Shaoqian (王少倩), Deputy Director, Liaoyuan Detention Center: +86-13943791177 (Cell)
