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Man Tortured in Prison, Denied Right to See Lawyer or Family

June 13, 2018 |   By a Minghui correspondent in Heilongjiang Province, China

(Minghui.org) A farmer from Jiamusi City was arrested in April 2017 for distributing Falun Gong materials. Falun Gong is a spiritual practice that has been persecuted in China since 1999. He was later sentenced to four years in prison.

Mr. Liu Ziping appealed to the Intermediate Court, but the judge upheld the original sentence. He was taken first to Qitaihe Prison and transferred to Tailai Prison in 2018. His family and lawyer went to the prison to see him on April 26, 2018, but were turned away. On May 24, the family and lawyer again applied to see Mr. Liu and were turned away.

In April 2018 when Mr. Liu’s lawyer applied to see him, the administrative head of Tailai Prison said that the warden was absent and couldn’t approve the application. The next time the lawyer went back, the administrator refused to discuss the application and redirected him to the “Sentence Execution” section, which had sent him to the administrator initially.

The lawyer and Mr. Liu's family went to the Sentence Execution section and were told the same thing they were told the previous time. By the time they returned to the administrator, he had already left.

They had no choice but to go to the deputy warden, who told them that because Mr. Liu refused to admit to his “crime,” his visitation rights were denied. When the lawyer argued that visiting rights shouldn’t hinge on a prisoner's attitude, the deputy told the lawyer that it was a sensitive case because it involved Falun Gong and needed approval from the 610 Office.

In response to the prison's illegal regulation, the lawyer decided to file a complaint.

Related reports:Prosecutor Interferes with Man’s Defense During Trial for His Faith

Imprisoned Man Plans to File Motion to Reconsider His Case

Lawyer Files Complaints Against Persecutors of His Falun Gong Practitioner-Client

Over 500 Villagers Sign Petition Calling for Mr. Liu Ziping's Release