Woman Forced to Serve an Expired Prison Term for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) A 69-year-old woman in Dezhou City, Shandong Province, was sentenced to 2.5 years in 2014 for practicing Falun Gong but was allowed to serve time at home due to her poor health. Ms. Xu Shiying, however, was recently arrested and ordered to serve the same prison term, given in 2014, as she refused to renounce her faith during the nationwide “zero-out” campaign, a concerted effort aimed to force every practitioner on the government’s blacklist to give up Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Xu was arrested on September 29, 2021, by Zhang Xikun and Liu Dawei from Decheng District Domestic Security Office. She was first taken to the local police station and then to a detention center. The police returned to her home the next day and ransacked it.

Judge Bai Xue from the Decheng District Court called Ms. Xu’s family and indicated that she would send Ms. Xu to Jinan City Prison in the next few days for her to serve the term handed down in 2014.

Ms. Xu was taken to the Shandong Women’s Prison in Jinan City on October 18, 2021.

Sentenced to Prison Seven Years Ago

Five local Falun Gong practitioners visited Ms. Xu on the afternoon of September 7, 2013, unaware that they were followed by police. As soon as Ms. Xu opened the door, police officers led by Zhang Xikun arrested the practitioners and took them to Dezhou City Detention Center. Ms. Xu’s 40,000 Yuan in cash, a laptop, and printers were confiscated.

Ms. Xu was released on bail four days later to take care of her paralyzed husband and also due to her own health condition. The police placed her under house arrest on October 16. She was taken to the Decheng District Procuratorate on December 20 for questioning.

On January 15, 2014, Ms. Xu was brought to the Decheng District Court to accept questioning by judge Bai Xue. The judge displayed a video of the police ransacking her home. Ms. Xu questioned police officer Liu Dawei on the whereabouts of her daughter’s laptop and cell phone, which were confiscated by the police. Judge Bai ignored her question and said, “You can hire a lawyer (to ask the questions for you).”

When the police submitted Ms. Xu’s case to the Decheng District Procuratorate, prosecutor Zhou Fangbao indicated clearly that they took orders from the Political and Legal Affairs Committee on how to handle Falun Gong cases.

In the persecution of Falun Gong, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, an extra-judiciary agency overseeing public security and judiciary branches, has been instrumental in carrying out the persecution policies.

Ms. Xu appeared in the Decheng District Court on April 3, 2014. Her lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her. He argued that it is legal to practice Falun Gong in China and that the freedom of belief is protected by the constitution and ideas do not constitute a crime. He added that there is no legal basis for the persecution and he demanded Ms. Xu's acquittal. Judge Bai sentenced Ms. Xu to two years and six months on April 24 but allowed her to serve time at home, due to her own and her husband’s physical conditions.

The police arrested Ms. Xu again on July 15, 2014, and held her in the Hubinbeilu Police Station overnight, even though her husband was hospitalized and relied on her care. When Ms. Xu protested, the police called their daughter who works out of town and ordered her to come back to take care of her father.

The police harassed Ms. Xu many times after that before arresting her again in September 2021.

Previous Persecution

Ms. Xu started to practice Falun Gong in 1998, one year before the Chinese communist regime started the persecution. During the past 22 years, because of upholding her faith, she has been arrested at least twelve times, held in brainwashing centers four times, and also served a forced labor camp term, not to mention harassment, extortion, residence surveillance. Her daughter was expelled from school. Her husband suffered a stroke and was paralyzed.

1999

Ms. Xu went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong on July 22, 1999. To avoid being arrested by police deployed to intercept practitioners, she and Ms. Chen Guixian and Ms. Wu Yuzhi rode their bicycles for nearly 80 miles to Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, before taking a bus transfer.

They were intercepted right after they arrived at Tianjin (about halfway to Beijing) and were taken to Beicheng Police Station in Tianjin. During their brief detention in Tianjin, the police didn’t provide them with any food or water and didn’t allow them to use the bathroom. At noon, armed police with loaded guns surrounded them and other practitioners and didn’t allow them to speak. At around 6 p.m., agents from Dezhou 610 Office brought Ms. Xu back and took her to a brainwashing center on July 25. She was held there for one week.

2000

Ms. Xu was arrested again on February 13, 2000, and detained at the Decheng District Police Station for 15 days. Her family was extorted 300 yuan.

One day in mid-July 2000, Ms. Xu returned home from work, only to see her residence surrounded by the police and 610 Office agents. She was taken to Dongdi Police Station, where she was locked in a metal cage overnight. She was transferred to the Dezhou Detention Center on the next day and detained there for one month. Her family was fined 300 yuan.

Three months later in October, she was arrested at home at around 11 p.m. and taken to a brainwashing facility in Dongfang Hotel. One week later she was transferred to another brainwashing facility in Xinbinghu Hotel, where she was held for another 20 days. Four people took turns brainwashing her. They forced her to watch TV programs slandering Falun Gong and its founder.

In mid-December, Ms. Xu and four other practitioners went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. They were arrested and taken to Tiananmen Police Station. The police struck them with batons, threw apples at them, and poured hot water on them. Ms. Xu was taken to the Dezhou Office in Beijing on December 29 and handcuffed for one night. She was transferred to the Dezhou Detention Center the next day and wasn’t released until over one month later.

2001

Once again Ms. Xu was taken to a brainwashing session in Fangzhi Hotel on February 8, 2001. Another 14 practitioners had also been taken there. They were not allowed to talk to each other and were forced to watch the Tiananmen Square self-immolation hoax every day. The 610 Office agents and police forced the practitioners’ family members to persuade them to renounce their faith. Mr. Zhao Jinde’s two daughters knelt down and begged him to give up Falun Gong. Ms. Wu Yuling’s husband beat her and caused her mouth to bleed.

Qu Peihua, the new associate director of Decheng District Court, was in charge of the brainwashing session. No practitioner would be released without signing a statement renouncing their faith. After over 40 days, Ms. Xu and the other five practitioners were given forced labor camp terms and the other 9 practitioners were released.

Ms. Xu was taken to Jinan Women’s Forced Labor Camp on April 1 to serve a three-year term. She was isolated in a dark, humid, and small room for over two weeks. She was also forced to do unpaid labor from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later. She was released at the end of September 2003.

2004

Ms. Xu was reported to the police when she was distributing Falun Gong informational materials at the end of August 2004. Police officers ransacked her residence and confiscated her daughter’s bank book and 100 yuan in cash. In the next two weeks, Ms. Xu was not allowed to leave her home. Two people during the day and four at night monitored her. Later when Ms. Xu went to the police station, trying to seek the return of her daughter’s bank book and cash, police officer Zhang Xikun refused to return it, accusing her of using it for Falun Gong activities.

At the end of 2004, two police officers from Dongdi Police Station ransacked Ms. Xu’s home. Because Ms. Xu was constantly arrested and detained, her husband was under great pressure. He suffered a stroke and was paralyzed.

2005

Ms. Xu visited fellow practitioner Ms. Liu Guixiang on September 10, 2005, when the 610 Office and police happened to be ransacking Ms. Liu’s home. She was taken away to the police department and her home was ransacked afterward.