Police interrogate a five-year-old after arresting her parents. Her response is used to justifiy an additional sentence for her parents.
"Testimony" of a Five-year-old Girl Used to Sentence Her Parents
Longquanyi District Police Branch in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province had been looking for an excuse to arrest and persecute Mr. Li Changli, an employee of Liaoyuan Wireless Factory affiliated to the 7th Aerospace Research Institute.
At around noon on April 29, 2008, officers from Chengdu City Police Department, Domestic Security Team, Longquanyi District 610 Office, and over ten other people, ransacked Mr. Li Changli's home. They took away two computers, assorted computer hardware, personal items valued at approximately 7,000 yuan, and 9,000 yuan in cash.
The police also took away some of Mr. Li's brother's personal belongings and additional money, about 44,000 yuan in cash, which included 27,000 yuan in cash that is still owed to relatives and another 2,000 yuan in cash that is owed to different friends. The money had been set aside for various family members' medical care and for supporting parents and in-laws, as well as for everyday living expenses.
In December 2008, Mr. Li and his wife, Ms. Liu Lifen, were arrested in Chongqing City and were sentenced to one and a half years of forced labor in Beibei District in Chongqing City. Mr. Li was detained at the 7th Ward of Xishanping Forced Labor Camp and Ms. Liu was held at the 4th Ward of Shimaping Women's Forced Labor Camp.
On the morning of January 13, 2009, investigation officer Zeng Yi from Longquanyi District Police Branch and a fellow investigation officer from a different police department, along with Mr. Li's daughter's kindergarten teacher, Xiao Xuemei (female) went to Mr. Li's home.
When they arrived, Mr. Li's sister-in-law was at home taking care of his 5-year-old daughter, Li Weihong. After being there for a short wile, the two officers along with Xiao Xuemei began asking the child a lot of personal, probing questions, such as:.
Q: "How many computers are there in your home? Which rooms are they in? Who uses them? What information is on the computers?"
A: (Li Weihong): "Mom has one computer and Dad has the other. They use the computers to play games."
Q: "How many people live in your home? Who comes to visit your home? Do you know them? How many people come to talk to your Dad and what did they talk about when they are here? What did these people do when they came to visit? Is there anyone else living in your home? What type of things do your parents keep in the garage?"
The child became so scared from being interrogated like this that she stopped answering any more questions. After the two officers completed their investigation, they persuaded the child to allow them to fingerprint her. When Mr. Li's parents found out that the police had harassed their granddaughter, they went to see the two officers in question.
The officers told the grandparents that they did not harm the child in any way but the grandparents disagreed, saying that their grandchild was indeed severely traumatized. Two days later, the officers tried to gather additional "evidence" to prove that they did not harm the child, but in the end, they weren't able to prove anything. The couple also lodged a complaint with the director of Blue Sky Kindergarten over Xiao Xuemei's meddlesome behavior.
The police later used the child's fingerprint "evidence" and her "testimonial" to sentence Mr. Li Changli and his wife to additional forced labor without going to trial.