Having Served Two Labor Camp Terms, Heilongjiang Woman Sentenced Again for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) Ms. Meng Qinglan used to have a strained relationship with her parents-in-law. She also suffered from poor health, often felt exhausted and didn’t have an appetite. Life was meaningless to her, and she contemplated suicide many times.

In November 1995, a neighbor introduced Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline, to her. Shortly after she learned the practice, her health improved and her mind was broadened.

Her peaceful life was turned upside down in July 1999, when the Chinese communist regime suddenly ordered the nationwide persecution of Falun Gong.

Since then, Ms. Meng, of Bin County, Heilongjiang Province, has been arrested multiple times. She was given two labor camp terms and tortured in custody. She is currently serving four years in prison following her latest arrest on November 9, 2018.

First Forced Labor Term

Ms. Meng set off to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong in October 1999, only to be arrested at the Harbin Train Station and detained at the Bin County No.2 Detention Center.

In order to force her to renounce Falun Gong, the guards forced her to bend over with her hands behind her back and then stand in the position for one hour each day. She was detained for eight months and extorted out of 1,600 yuan.

In June 2000, Ms. Meng was arrested again for talking to local residents about Falun Gong. She was held at the Bin County No.2 Detention Center again for over 40 days and fined 2,000 yuan.

Her next arrest was in October 2001 for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. She was first held at the Bin County No.2 Detention Center and then given one year at Wanjia Forced Labor Camp.

In the detention center, Ms. Meng was restricted in using the restroom. The food she was given was often stinky and had mouse droppings, dry grass or other dirt. When she refused to recite the detention center rules, the guards would hang her up by the wrists. A guard named Wang Min slapped her in the face twice during a roll call.

Torture reenactment: hung up by the wrists

After she was taken to the labor camp, she was forced to do intensive labor from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., including weaving mats and packaging toothpicks. If she refused to work, she would be forced to sit on a small stool without moving all day long.

As a result of the long term torture, she had itchy and painful scabies all over her body, especially on her buttocks from the sitting. Every time when she took off her pants, the scar that grew into her pants would be peeled off and she couldn’t fall asleep at night due to the pain. The guards also constantly forced her to recite labor camp rules and would punish her when she couldn’t remember them.

Two More Arrests

Ms. Meng was arrested again while walking on the street in May 2003. She held a hunger strike at the Bin County No.2 Detention Center and was released after being extorted out of 5,000 yuan.

For distributing informational materials about Falun Gong, she was reported and arrested one more time in November 2004. She held another hunger strike while being detained at the Hailun County Detention Center.

When her health began to deteriorate, the guards took her to the hospital. Three days later, as her condition didn’t improve, they asked her son to pick her up. They first attempted to extort a large amount of money out of her son but later relented after her son vowed to hold them accountable should anything happen to Ms. Meng.

Second Forced Labor Term

In January 2009 (shortly before the Chinese New Year, which fell on January 26), Ms. Meng was reported by a taxi driver for distributing Falun Gong materials and arrested by officers of Pingfang Police Station. One officer slapped her in the face twice. She was first held at the Harbin No.2 Detention Center for over 20 days and then taken to the Qianjin Labor Camp to serve a one-year term.

In the labor camp, she was forced to package toothpicks for over ten hours each day. If she couldn’t finish the daily quota, she would have to finish the work in her cell at night. The workshop they stayed didn’t have heating in the freezing winter, and many people had frostbite on their hands, feet and ears.

Ms. Meng refused to work as it was too cold one day. A guard named Liu Chang kicked her in the face and caused swelling on her forehead.

In the spring, Ms. Meng was forced to work in a farm field without a day of break.

As she refused to cooperate with the guards during an inspection, she was beaten again.

After she was released, she ran into Chang Jianmin, former head of Bin County Domestic Security Office, while walking on the street one day. Chang reported her for carrying a bag and took her to the Bin County No.1 Detention Center. She was detained for seven days and her children were forced to pay in exchange for her release.

Latest Prison Sentence

Ms. Meng was targeted again in a mass arrest across the province on November 9, 2018. She stood trial at the Yilan County Court on May 23, 2019, and was later sentenced to four years. Another 13 practitioners arrested on the same day were also convicted and given prison terms ranging from 1.5 to 9 years.

Related report:

Heilongjiang Man 14th Person Sentenced by Same Judge for Practicing Falun Gong