Name: Li Mei (李梅)
Gender: Female
Age: 40s
Address: Handan City, Hebei Province
Occupation: Uknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: February 24, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Unknown
City: Handan
Province: Hebei
Persecution Suffered: Shocked with electric batons, sleep deprivation, forced labor, brainwashing, illegal sentencing, beatings, hanging by handcuffs, imprisonment, solitary confinement, torture, force-feedings, detention, denial of restroom use.
(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Li Mei from Handan City, Hebei Province was illegally arrested by the police again on February 24, 2012. She was later sentenced to eighteen months of forced labor. This is the third time that she has been detained at a labor camp. Li Mei, who is in her forties, has been arrested many times just because of her belief.
Detained at a Labor Camp for the First Time, Almost Suffers a Mental Collapse Due to Torture
When Li Mei was detained at the camp for the first time she was not yet 30 years old. She was detained at the Fourth Division of Shijiazhuang Women’s Forced Labor Camp. The guards brutally beat her and regarded her as a key target to be “transformed.”
Attempting to force her to write the "four statements" (similar to the three statements), guards Wang Huanfang and Cui Yanfang used various means to torture her, including beatings, forcing her to stand still for long periods of time, hanging her up in the air, locking her in a small cell, restricting her sleep and toilet use, forcing her to sit on a bench, exposing her to the baking sun, shocking her with electric batons, and forcing her to watch videos that slandered Falun Gong. The torture caused damage to her hip, and the wounds festered, formed two large holes, and bled continuously for long periods of time. This resulted in her not being able to walk or sit. A large hole is still present in her hip.
Torture re-enactment: Hanging up in the air
In order to protest the persecution, Ms. Li held a hunger strike on three ocassions. The guards handcuffed her to the bed and force-fed her. A tube was inserted into her nose, to her stomach, was kept there and she was tortured again and again.
Six months later, Li Mei’s mental and physical state had severely deteriorated. Her daughter was only three years old at the time. Other detained practitioners asked guard Cui Yanfang, “You are also a woman. Are you cold-hearted enough to torture her like this?” The female guard laughed and threatened, "If you are not 'transformed,' you will meet the same fate.” The guards who have abused Li Mei included Shang Changming, the head of the Fourth Division (retired), political head Li Aiguo, and others.
Detained at the Labor Camp for the Second Time in 2008
On July 16, 2008 officers from the Dayuan Police Station in Handan used the pretense of security for the Olympic Games to arrest Ms. Li. They directly sentenced her to two years of forced labor and detained her in Shijiazhuang Women’s Forced Labor Camp. During her detention, she did not cooperate with the guards, so they beat and punished her many times. She persisted in doing the Falun Gong exercises and clarifying the facts. Her term was also extended by eighteen days and she was made her perform forced labor.
Ms. Li was released on August 3, 2010, and at the same time she became homeless. Two months before her release, CCP agents repeatedly harassed and intimated her husband, causing him extreme mental pressure. As a result, he divorced her without her consent.
On April 28, 2011, agents from the Handan 610 Office and Fuxing District 610 Office instigated officers from Baijiacun Police Station to arrest Li Mei. They took her to the Handan Brainwashing Center and detained her for over twenty days.
These episodes of detainment and abuse have severely affected Ms. Li’s body and mind. The large hole in her hip caused by the torture still causes her difficulty walking. The huge pressure has also worsened her general health.
Detained at a Labor Camp for the Third Time
On February 24, 2012, Ms. Li was arrested by officers from the Baijiacun Police Station. Tan Tieju, head of the Fuxing Police Department, sentenced her to one and a half years of forced labor. Her whereabouts are currently unknown.
Perpetrators:
Meng Qinghua, secretary of Fuxing District Office: +86-3104065509
Cai Lanying, head of Society and Public Station in Fuxing District: +86-3106109882
