Specialty Store Owner Unlawfully Sentenced to Imprisonment

(Minghui.org) Leqing City Court in Zhejiang Province illegally sentenced Ms. Wu Lianfen (吴莲芬) to three and a half years in prison on October 29, 2014. Her “crime” was telling people about the persecution of Falun Gong.

Her daughter vowed to appeal the verdict. She said to the court staff, “Do you think you can get away with passing wrongful sentences against good people like this? You will be held accountable for all these injustices.”

Arrested and Tortured

Ms. Wu Lianfen was arrested on May 27, 2014, for telling people the facts about Falun Gong. A villager reported her to Dajing Police Station, and Ms. Wu was arrested soon after. She was taken to a detention center by officers from the Domestic Division of Leqing Police Department.

Ms. Wu was tortured for the next four and a half months. The police beat her until her nose bled and made her sit with her legs crossed on top of each other for lengthy periods of time. As a result, she could not even walk properly.

On the day of trial, her family members and friends found it hard to hold back their tears as they watched her slowly walk into the courtroom. Ms. Wu, who used to be healthy and weighed around 150 lbs, looked very frail. She had lost 40 lbs.

Not Guilty Plea

Ms. Wu's lawyer Wang Guangqi from Beijing defended her. During the trial he said, “More than 100 million people are practicing Falun Gong around the world and no violence has ever been associated with its practitioners.”

The lawyer asked to read out some facts about Falun Gong so that everyone present could make their own judgment. Judge Zhao Shaohua refused to allow it. The lawyer emphasized that it was wrong to put someone on trial simply for his or her belief.

Ms. Wu said in her own statement that Falun Gong is a cultivation practice that teaches people to conduct themselves according the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She asked the judge to make his ruling based on the law and his conscience, and not to convict someone who was innocent.

The public gallery was occupied by strangers and plainclothes officers.

A Very Popular, Honest Person

Ms. Wu owns and manages a specialty store. She is well known in the local area for being honest and kind. Customers enjoy coming to her store, sometimes just for a chat, because she always seems to be able to help them resolve their difficulties. She was never arrogant when business was good, nor was she worried or anxious when business took a downturn.

Her sales assistants said to her, “You're very nice, not domineering like most bosses, and you are not rude to the staff if business isn't good.” The store accountant said, “You could win an award for being trustworthy and honest!”

Once Ms. Wu went to the bank to withdraw some cash, and the clerk gave her an extra 100-yuan bank note in a stack of 10,000 yuan bills. She returned the extra amount to the clerk, who was grateful for her honesty.

On another occasion, a client came to exchange a jacket. When Ms. Wu was tidying up later, she found over 20 yuan in the pocket of the returned jacket. She tracked down the customer and returned the money. The customer was very surprised and touched by her honesty, and said, “I'll buy all my clothes from your store in the future!”

Although Ms. Wu's husband does not participate much in family life, she's never complained and does her best to take care of their two children. “Whether your father is right or wrong, he is still your father,” she tells them. She does not resent her husband and is very kind to her parents-in-law. “My daughter-in-law is like my own daughter," her mother-in-law told her neighbors proudly. "When I need help, I don't go to my daughter's house, I go to my daughter-in-law's."

Parties Involved in the Persecution of Ms. Wu Lianfen:

The Domestic DivisionZhu Feng (朱锋): [phone] (Office), [phone] (Cell)Chen Denghua (陈登华) political commissar: [phone], 86-13706777158 (Cell)Peng Cengjian (彭增建) deputy head: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Cell)Chen Ledan (陈乐丹), deputy head: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Cell)

The Police DepartmentGu Youlin (谷又林), deputy head: [phone]Wu Jianli (伍建利), head: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Cell)Chen Guoli (陈国利), political commissar: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Cell)Yang Xiangyue (杨相岳), standing deputy head: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Cell)

The Political and Legal Affairs CommitteeYu Limin (于利民), deputy secretary: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Dorm), [phone] (Cell)Zheng Kemeng (郑可孟), deputy director of the 610 Office: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Dorm), [phone] (Cell)Huang Guobao (黄国宝), office of maintanmence of stability: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Dorm), [phone] (Cell)Chen Beifen (陈蓓芬), director: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Dorm), [phone] (Cell)Lin Minzhe (林敏哲): [phone] (Office), [phone] (Cell)Lin Xia (林霞): [phone] (Office), [phone] (Dorm), [phone] (Cell)