(Minghui.org) Mr. Liu Dianyuan was sentenced to 11.5 years in 2016 for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. Due to the abuse he suffered in prison the past few years, he has become incapacitated, but the prison authorities still refused to release him.
Mr. Liu’s wife, 66-year-old Ms. Liu Yufang, filed complaints on December 24, 2022, against the perpetrators involved in Mr. Liu’s case, including judge Li Yan of Jianping County Court, as well as Jiang Jie and Zhang Lihui, directors of the Jianping County Domestic Security Office.
Ms. Liu, also a Falun Gong practitioner, argued that no law has criminalized Falun Gong in China since the persecution started in 1999 and that the prosecutor and the judge failed to justify their allegations against him, namely, “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization.” She said that the Falun Gong materials found at their home were intended to inform people about the persecution and didn’t cause any harm to anyone.
She demanded that the perpetrators be held accountable for arbitrarily arresting her husband and sentencing him. She also demanded that her husband be released immediately and compensated for the mental distress and bodily injuries he has suffered over the years.
Heavy Prison Term
Mr. Liu of Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province was arrested on November 9, 2015 at his sister’s home by eight officers led by Jiang Jie. His niece questioned the police on why they arrested him. They refused to answer and shoved her, causing her to suffer a heart attack. The police also failed to inform Mr. Liu’s family of his detention location. It took them days to find out that he was held at the Jianping County Detention Center.
When Mr. Liu appeared in the Jianping County Court on April 7, 2016, he burst into tears upon seeing his wife. He told her that the police fabricated the case against him, by claiming that they arrested him in a location full of Falun Gong books and informational materials, instead of his sister’s home.
Although Mr. Liu prepared a defense statement for himself, he didn’t bring it, as the guards didn’t tell him that he was to face the judge when they took him to the court.
Judge Li Yan later sentenced Mr. Liu to 11.5 years, charging him with suing Jiang Zemin, the now deceased former head of the communist regime who ordered the persecution. Mr. Liu was also accused of “undermining law enforcement,” a standard pretext used to imprison Falun Gong practitioners.
After Mr. Liu expressed the intention to appeal the verdict, judge Li refused to issue a hard copy of his verdict. She also kept telling his wife that she hadn’t made a decision about his case and only told his wife about his lengthy term after the appeal window had expired. The family never received a copy of his verdict.
Developing Physical Condition in the Prison
During the Mid-Autumn Festival in September 2022, a prison guard called Ms. Liu and asked her to buy diapers for Mr. Liu. Only then was she told that her husband had become incapacitated, after having been denied visitation to him for years.
The guard called Ms. Liu again on September 25. He claimed that if the family could pay 6,000 yuan to do a physical examination of Mr. Liu, they would apply to the prison administration bureau to release him on medical parole. But Ms. Liu said that she couldn’t afford to pay 6,000 yuan because she doesn’t have any income now. Her yard is full of weeds that she couldn’t remove and her house also has many damages that she couldn’t afford to repair.
Related report:Chaoyang, Liaoning Province: 29 Sentenced for Suing Jiang Zemin
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