(Minghui.org) A Chengde City, Hebei Province resident has been taken to the Shijiazhuang Women’s Prison on November 17, 2020, to serve time for her faith in Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Liu Ruilian, 59, with a disability in her leg, was harassed at home on July 15, 2019. The police ransacked her place and confiscated her more than 40 Falun Gong books, materials, printing paper, and cartridge.
Before leaving, Zhang Pengfei, the head of the local Domestic Security Division, threatened Ms. Liu, “This isn’t the end of it!”
On August 28, 2019, Zhang led a dozen officers and returned to Ms. Liu’s home. They confiscated her printer, laptop, paper cutter, staples, two cellphones, photo of Falun Gong’s founder and her remaining Falun Gong books. She was carried into the police car by three officers and directly taken to the Chengde City Detention Center. After she failed the physical examination, she was released on bail at around 8 p.m.
Zhang and a few officers came again two days later and videotaped every room in Ms. Liu’s home. She tried to stop them and asked them why they videotaped her home. Zhang replied, “This is for our investigation of your case. This time, just see how I am going to fix you.”
Fearing the persecution, Ms. Liu was forced to live away from home. When Zhang discovered she wasn’t home anymore when he returned to harass her, he threatened her son instead.
When Ms. Liu later returned home, Zhang directly took her to the Chengde City Detention Center, but she was rejected admission again due to her poor health. She was given a second bail release and taken back home by her family.
Zhang later submitted Ms. Liu’s case to the Luanping County Procuratorate, which indicted her and forwarded her case to the Luanping County Court.
Ms. Liu was tried in absentia in November 2019 and the judge gave her one year of bail to wait for further prosecution. A second hearing was scheduled for June 12, 2020, but Ms. Liu didn’t attend.
On July 1, 2020, Zhang arrested Ms. Liu at home, carried her to the police car and then took her to the Dage Town Police Station. She held a hunger strike for two days at the police station and was taken to the Chengde City Detention Center on the third day. This time, the detention center accepted her.
Ms. Liu stood trial on August 27 and her lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her. She was sentenced to three years in prison on September 24. She appealed the verdict, but was rejected by the higher court. She was sent to the Shijiazhuang Women’s Prison on November 17.
This isn’t the first time that Ms. Liu has been targeted for her faith. She was given three years of forced labor in 2000 and was released ahead of time. In 2002, she was arrested again and given another two years of forced labor, as well as being fined 2,000 yuan. She was arrested another time on September 13, 2007. Her computer, copy machine, TV, and VCD were confiscated. She was sentenced to five years after nine months of detention.
