(Minghui.org) Ms. Pei Shanzhen, 72, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in August 2012 for her belief in Falun Gong. She was deprived of her right to family visits for three months, from November 2015 to January 2016, because she refused to give up her faith.
Ms. Pei's family was allowed to see her again on February 25, 2016. About five to six guards stood next to her and officials from their residential committee were with her son during the visit. They frequently interrupted the mother-and-son conversation during the 20-minute visit.
Due to the close monitoring, her son couldn't find out what had happened to her, but it was obvious that she had lost quite a bit of weight and her reactions were much slower. She was pale and looked slightly dull.
Previous Visits
Ms. Pei's husband and two sons were told that they could visit her almost seven months after she was imprisoned on April 18, 2013.
Before they entered the visitation room, they had to sign a statement promising not to discuss Falun Gong or related issues during the visit. A big glass partition separated them, and they had to use a phone to talk to each other.
Ms. Pei told her family that she received only one of the two letters that they had sent her. The other was confiscated by the guards.
During a son's visit the next year in April 2014, Ms. Pei told him that the guards tried to force her to give up her belief.
Secretly Tried and Appeals Denied
Ms. Pei, a retired teacher, was arrested on June 14, 2012, just for telling people about Falun Gong and the persecution. She was secretly tried on August 28, 2012.
Her family and lawyer were not notified of the trial until December 14, 2012, when her family received a notification from the Jing'an Court.
Ms. Pei asked that her family be allowed to attend, but the request was refused. At the trial, the procurator did not produce any evidence that she distributed Falun Gong informational materials.
Her family appealed on her behalf, but the local higher court upheld her verdict.
Prior to her latest imprisonment, Ms. Pei was given two years of forced labor in 2001 and four years of prison in 2005.
Related Reports:
Retired Teacher Ms. Pei Shanzhen Secretly Sentenced, Her Family AppealsRetired Teacher Ms. Pei Shanzhen from Shanghai Once Again Secretly Sentenced to Prison
