(Minghui.org) A woman in Changchun City, Jilin Province, sentenced to five years for practicing Falun Gong has been denied family visits since she was admitted to prison in December 2022.
Ms. Yu Guizhen, 57, was arrested at home on October 16, 2021. She was held at the Weizigou Lockup for 15 days before being transferred to the Changchun No. 4 Detention Center. During the entire time she was prosecuted, her lawyer was never allowed to visit her and was never given any updates on the status of her case. The detention center also destroyed the debit card that her family gave her to use and hasn’t allowed them to get her a new one. Ms. Yu was unable to buy daily necessities.
When they submitted her case to the procuratorate, the police fabricated evidence to frame Ms. Yu. The over 40 Falun Gong books confiscated from her home were recorded as over one hundred and the hundreds of calendars became over a thousand.
The Chaoyang District Court sentenced Ms. Yu to five years in June 2022. She appealed to the Changchun City Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold her original verdict. She was admitted to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison in December 2022 and has been denied family visits ever since.
Ms. Yu’s husband passed away many years ago. She operated a deli and raised their son on her own. Years of hard work took a toll on Ms. Yu’s health. She became seriously ill and was on the verge of death. At a friend’s recommendation, she took up Falun Gong on May 14, 1995, and recovered from her ailments in a month.
After the communist regime launched the persecution in 1999, Ms. Yu went to Beijing three times to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong and was arrested each time. She was given two forced labor camp terms totaling over four years. She was constantly beaten and shocked with electric batons. Her gallbladder and back were severely injured, and she still has not fully recovered from her injuries after two decades.
Jilin Woman Sentenced to Five Years for Practicing Falun Gong