Authorities Violate Legal Rights of Three Practitioners in Hubei Province

(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Tao Xizhen, Mr. Xu Changhong, and Ms. He Guihong from Hubei Province were unlawfully sued by the local authorities for practicing Falun Gong.

They are detained in the Xian'an District Detention Center, Xianning City, Hubei Province.

Ms. Tao Xizhen's Ordeal

Ms. Tao Xizhen's attorney Mr. Zhang Keke visited her in the detention center on December 28, 2015. Ms. Tao told him that she was tortured at the brainwashing center before her transfer to the detention center.

Officials grabbed her by the hair and knocked her head against the wall, she said, and they used different types of torture equipment and ropes to torture her. They also forced her to watch daily videos that slandered Falun Gong.

Two individuals were hired by the Xian'an District authorities to monitor her in the brainwashing center. They swore at and tortured her. She was held in the brainwashing center for over two months and then transferred to the Xian'an Detention Center.

Torture reenactment: Knocking head against the wall

Attorney Zhang went to the Xian'an District Court immediately after he visited Ms. Tao. He asked judge Liu Ying for the case files. Liu refused to hand them over and informed him that Ms. Tao was already sentenced; therefore, he said, no attorney was required for the case.

Attorney Zhang made another visit to the court again on January 5, 2016, for Ms. Tao's case files. He was stopped by a security guard. Mr. Zhang tried to contact Liu, but was told the judge was not in. He was told again that the case was concluded and his services were not required.

In response, Zhang told him that the attorney could handle a case anytime as stipulated under existing Chinese law. For example, a lawyer can help a defendant appeal a conviction if necessary. Still, Zhang waited at the court until the end of the day, but could not get in contact with Liu.

He later visited Ms. Tao and was told that no official had notified her about being sentenced. The Xian'an District Procuratorate informed the lawyer that Ms. Tao had been secretly sentenced to three years in prison in May 2015.

Ms. Tao was illegally detained for 17 months.

Mystery Deepens about Dismissal of Attorney

Mr. Xu Changhong's family was recently notified that Mr. Xu dismissed his attorney. Mr. Xu's family went to the detention center to find any details about this dismissal on December 31, 2015. The guards showed a copy of the dismissal letter; however, they did not allow Mr. Xu's family to look at the copy. They only told the family to check the original documents at the procuratorate.

The Xian'an District Procuratorate filed a lawsuit against Mr. Xu on January 4, 2016. The next morning, Mr. Xu's family went to inquire with Judge Li Yongjun, but got the run around. Li first claimed that the case was still in the hands of the Procuratorate. He said, however, that he was not sure because of his large case load.

The family asked for information concerning the dismissal of Mr. Xu's attorney, and Li stated that this was Mr. Xu's decision. In terms of the family's request for a meeting between attorney Tang and Li, the judge refused. The family was not shown any evidence that Mr. Xu indeed dismissed his attorney, and instead Li claimed that the truth would be revealed during the trial.

Mr. Xu's family asked the chief of the detention center Wu Zongbin for the details about the dismissal of the attorney. The family asked for a meeting between the defendant and the attorney Tang. This request was also refused on grounds that the truth would be revealed during the trial.

No one was allowed to talk to Mr. Xu during this time.

Ms. He Guihong Interrogated

Ms. He Guihong's case is still held by the Xian'an District Procuratorate. Ms. He was interrogated by the Procuratorate on the afternoon on January 5, 2016.

Parties involved in the persecution of the three practitioners:Wu, Zongbin, chief, Xian'an District Detention Center: [phone]Fen Zhong, captain, Xian'an District Domestic Security Division: [phone]Xu Hongbing, president Xian'an District Court: [phone]Li Yongjun, presiding judge, criminal court in Xian'an District Court: [phone], [phone], [phone]Liu Ying, deputy presiding judge, criminal court in Xian'an District Court: [phone], [phone], [phone]Jiang Zhiqiang, head, Xian'an District Procuratorate: [phone]

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