(Minghui.org) Because she refuses to give up her faith in Falun Gong, Ms. Qin Li has been incarcerated for a total of 9.5 years. Her first prison term left her husband so devastated that he passed away, leaving their teenage daughter on her own.
Ms. Qin, a 57-year-old former foundry worker in Chongqing, used to suffer from severe hyperthyroidism. Her hands shook and her eyes bulged. Shortly after she started to practice Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual discipline, in 1996, the condition disappeared.
Since the Chinese communist regime began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, Ms. Qin has been arrested multiple times. She was held in a brainwashing center three times and has been given two prison terms and a labor camp term.
After she was laid off by the Jiangbei District Foundry, Ms. Qin found a job at a real estate company. As she was taking a client to see a rental property on February 26, 2003, police officers on the lookout arrested her. They never knew that the property owner, a Falun Gong practitioner, had been arrested earlier for talking to people about the persecution. Ms. Qin was later sentenced to eight years in Chongqing Women’s Prison.
A few years into her term, her 49-year-old husband fell ill and passed away. Their 17-year-old daughter handled his funeral all by herself.
After Ms. Qin was released in 2009 (two years ahead of time), she began to offer tutoring classes at home to make a living. She was arrested again while teaching the class on December 26, 2011, and held in a brainwashing center for three months.
In 2012, Ms. Qin was given one year of forced labor but was allowed to serve the time at home.
Train station security officers stopped her on November 12, 2014, when she was on her way to attend a family member’s funeral. They scanned her flagged ID and found out she was a Falun Gong practitioner. She was taken back to Chongqing and sentenced to 3.5 years in July 2015.
Ms. Qin’s sentencing was a blow to her grandmother, who had been relying on her for care. The 102-year-old woman passed away in April 2016, and Ms. Qin wasn’t allowed to see her for the last time. Ms. Qin’s parents, especially her father in his 80s, also struggled with poor health when she was imprisoned.
In Chongqing Women’s Prison, guards Tang Anzhi and Li Xiaojuan tortured her. She developed problems with her liver, gallbladder, and intestines. She has been hospitalized several times since her release.
In recent years, the police and residential committee staff members have continued to harass Ms. Qin, who now lives with her 80-year-old mother Ms. Li Zhangqiong.
Ms. Li, who also practices Falun Gong, was given 1.5 years of forced labor in 2000 and 4 years in 2003. She was given one year of forced labor in 2011 for talking to people about Falun Gong but was allowed to serve the time at home.
Zhang Hongbo (张洪波), officer, Guanyinqiao Police Station: +86-13983940311Zheng Guolun (郑国伦), staff member, Guanyinqiao Residential Committee: +86-13983948015
Ms. Qin Li Tried in Chongqing City