(Minghui.org) Ms. Cui Qunying suffered a stroke and contracted tuberculosis while serving time for her faith in Falun Gong, but the prison authorities still turned down her family’s requests to visit her or have her released on medical parole, with the excuse that she refused to renounce 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. Cui, a 60-year-old resident of Yanji City, Jilin Province, was taken to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison on September 17, 2021, to serve a 1.5-year term for her faith. Her family hasn’t been allowed to see her or call her even once since she was imprisoned.
In February 2022, a prison guard called her family and asked them to make a 2,000-yuan deposit for her, without providing an explanation. When the guard called them again on May 24, he said that Ms. Cui had a stroke and also suffered from tuberculosis. He claimed that she had both conditions before being admitted to the prison and it’s just that her condition had now become more severe.
Ms. Cui’s family questioned why would the prison would admit her if she had the conditions before as alleged. If she developed the conditions after she was imprisoned, then what could have caused the conditions? The guard refused to provide any further information.
Now the prison guards refuse to answer calls from Ms. Cui’s family. Unable to get any information about her, they are very worried and wonder whether her life is in danger.
Ms. Cui was arrested on April 3, 2021, when she was passing through the train station security. The police ransacked her home the same day and confiscated her Falun Gong books, informational materials, cellphone, media player, and a thumb-drive. She was also put on criminal detention.
The Railroad Transportation Procuratorate in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture approved Ms. Cui’s arrest on April 15. Her case was later transferred to the Railroad Transportation Procuratorate in the nearby Changchun City. The Changchun Railroad Transportation Court accepted her case on June 15.
The court initially scheduled a virtual hearing for Ms. Cui on July 21, but it was adjourned ten minutes later due to internet problem. Ms. Cui’s husband, son and younger sister were barred from attending the session by presiding judge Li Dapeng. Only her niece, Ms. Tang Yao, who was her family defender, was allowed into the courtroom and saw her briefly on video.
The court held another hearing on July 30. Ms. Tang entered a not guilty plea for Ms. Cui. The judge repeatedly interrupted Ms. Tang during her defense. He sentenced Ms. Cui to 1.5 years with a 2,000-yuan fine on August 10.