(Minghui.org) Ms. Liu Chunxia, 56, from Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, was sentenced on August 30, 2024 to three and a half years and fined 10,000 yuan for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Arrested Before Sensitive Date
Ms. Liu was seized at work around 5 p.m. on May 6, 2023, thirteen days before the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit was to be held in Xi’an. The event was attended by Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. Her sister and nephew, who live in Australia, called for her immediate release, but to no avail.
According to the arresting officers, the local authorities were carrying out an operation dubbed “net-tightening” ahead of the summit. Usually before major events or political meetings to be held in a certain city, the authorities often ramp up the arrests and harassment of Falun Gong practitioners, in order to prevent them from raising awareness of the persecution and “causing trouble” for the regime.
Those involved in Ms. Liu’s arrest included Yuan Xing and another officer surnamed Ma, both from the Eyi District Domestic Security Office, deputy chief Yang Yingbo and officer Weng, both of the Huiminlu Police Station, and another officer from the Xi’an City Domestic Security Office.
The officers took Ms. Liu back to her home after they arrested her, and ransacked her residence. They confiscated her computer, cell phone, flash drives, and other valuables before driving her to the Lianhu District Detention Center in Xi’an City for interrogation. They questioned her and asked whether she visited an older woman surnamed Zhou and whether Zhou took her to Xijing Hospital to visit a patient surnamed Yang. The police said they suspected Zhou of holding an “illegal gathering” of Falun Gong practitioners.
Sent to Psychiatric Hospital
After the interrogation, the police took Ms. Liu to the Lianhu District Detention Center, which refused to admit her after she was found to have a blood pressure reading of 234 mm Hg (when a normal range is 120 or lower). The police then drove her to the Chang’an District Ankang Hospital.
Ankang Hospitals across China are psychiatric hospitals overseen by their local police departments. They are used to detain people who have harmed individuals or society but have not been held criminally liable due to their mental illnesses. In the persecution of Falun Gong, these hospitals have often been used to hold practitioners who have no mental health issues, and subject them to involuntary administration of psychiatric drugs, which can result in long-lasting damage.
Ms. Liu’s son said she was totally healthy, both physically and mentally, before her arrest, and he suspected her hypertension was a result of the abuse she suffered in police custody.
Ms. Liu’s lawyer said the police had no legal basis to detain her, as visiting a friend in a hospital has broken no law whatsoever.
Sentenced to 3.5 Years After Two Hearings
The Huyi District Procuratorate issued a formal arrest warrant for Ms. Liu on June 13, 2023 and she was transferred from the Chang’an District Ankang Hospital to the Lianhu District Detention Center on July 18. Her case was moved to the Lianhu District Procuratorate in mid-August 2023.
Prosecutor Zhao Shiyuan indicted Ms. Liu on October 20 and she stood trial at the Lianhu District Court on December 7, 2023. She had a second hearing on April 16, 2024 and was convicted by judge Quan Borong on August 30, 2024.
Two Prior Prison Terms Totaling 9 Years
This is not the first time that Ms. Liu, an engineer by training, has been targeted for her faith. She was sentenced to five years in prison after she was arrested in October 2001 for attending an experience sharing conference held by local Falun Gong practitioners. Her term was extended by 70 days and she wasn’t released until December 9, 2006.
Her employer at the time, Huibang Company of the Huian Group in Shaanxi Province, fired her after she was released. She had to do odd jobs to make a living. She was arrested again on March 21, 2017 and sentenced to four years in prison on January 4, 2018. Her husband divorced her during her imprisonment, and she moved in with her son after she was released in March 2021. She landed a job at a property management company and her hard work earned her the respect of her boss and coworkers.
Related Reports:
Australia: Rally at Capital Hill Calls to End the Persecution in China
Mentally Healthy Woman Held in Psychiatric Hospital for Her Faith in Falun Gong
The Persecution of Ms. Liu Chunxia, a Practitioner from Hu County, Shaanxi Province
Mother and Daughter Persecuted for Their Faith
Daughter Overseas Calls for the Release of Mother and Sister Imprisoned in China
Copyright © 2024 Minghui.org. All rights reserved.
