(Minghui.org) After Ms. Shen Jinye, 82, from Huangmei County, Hubei Province was indicted for practicing Falun Gong, her son sought to have her case dismissed. The contact number listed on Ms. Shen’s indictment belonged to a local village secretary (an official of the executive branch of the government), instead of the procuratorate (the judicial branch of the government).
The secretary promised to help get the case dismissed, but never did. Ms. Shen, who was out on bail, was later violently taken to a police station to attend a virtual hearing in July 2023. She was sentenced to one and a half years and fined 5,000 yuan.
Indicted After Two Arrests
Ms. Shen lives in Xingyu Village, Konglong Town, Huangmei County, Hubei Province. Her sentencing stemmed from her arrest on the morning of October 4, 2019, while she was talking to people about the persecution out in public. The arresting officers from the Konglong Town Police Station released her that afternoon after interrogating her for more than six hours.
Officers from the same police station arrested Ms. Shen again on April 9, 2022, after they noticed her talking to people about the persecution. She was interrogated at the police station before she was released that evening.
Because of these two arrests, the police decided to prosecute Ms. Shen. The Wuxue City Procuratorate, which was assigned to handle her case, placed her under house arrest on April 18, 2023. About seven officers came to her home on May 17, and delivered her indictment to her.
Son Seeks to Have Mother’s Case Dismissed
Ms. Shen’s son, Mr. Wang Dongsong, rushed home from Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province (where he worked) as soon as he learned of her indictment. He wrote a motion to seek his mother’s case dismissal. One of his uncles went with him to the Wuxue City Procuratorate. After they arrived there, they did not know who to talk to. Mr. Wang remembered seeing a phone number on his mother’s indictment.
He dialed the number and was surprised to hear Awang’s voice. Awang is the Communist Party Secretary of Xingyu Village and also owns a private tutoring school. Mr. Wang has known him for years but never expected to see his number listed on an official document issued by a totally different government agency.
Mr. Wang realized that Awang knew everything about his mother’s persecution for practicing Falun Gong. He told Awang that he was at the procuratorate and was about to submit a motion to have his mother’s case dismissed. Awang said it was no use for him to file a motion and urged him not to go inside the procuratorate.
Awang promised to talk to the procuratorate and get the case dismissed.
Mr. Wang took a look at the indictment again and noted that his mother was charged with using a “cult organization to undermine law enforcement,” a standard pretext used to frame and imprison Falun Gong practitioners. He thought to himself, “My mom is already in her 80s. There’s no way the procuratorate can prove she undermined law enforcement.” He felt comfortable having Awang make the case dismissal request on his behalf.
His uncle urged him to still talk to the procuratorate since they were already there. Mr. Wang thus went inside and was directed to the indictment department, which told him that his mother’s case had been forwarded to the Wuxue City Court.
Mr. Wang and his uncle then drove to the court to submit the motion. Afterwards, he visited Awang a few times and he always assured the son that everything would be fine.
Mr. Wang thus returned to Shenzhen two days later. The police came to harass his mother three days after he left. It turned out Awang never fulfilled his promise to talk to the procuratorate.
Violently Taken to Police Station to Attend Virtual Hearing
On July 20, 2023, four officers from the Konglong Town Police Station, led by Xie, broke into Ms. Shen’s home, when she was resting in bed.
The police ordered her to go to the police station because the Wuxue City Court instructed them to get her ready for a virtual hearing that day. She said she was not feeling well and could not go. An officer shouted, “You must go with us today!” He was so loud that Ms. Shen’s neighbors were startled and came over to check on the elderly woman.
An elderly man condemned the police for harassing such a kind woman. An officer immediately kicked him and ordered him to go away. He did not move and another officer grabbed him on the chest with a third officer twisted his hands behind his back. They handcuffed him and shoved him into their police cruiser.
The police then turned to Ms. Shen. Two officers grabbed one of her arms and dragged her out the door. When she struggled to get away they ordered her to go with them.
Her 82-year-old husband, Mr. Wang Conghua, cried, “Stop dragging her! You are going to kill her!” Officer Xie said to his subordinates, “Keep dragging her! She is not going to die. I’ll take care of everything if she dies.” The other officers dragged Ms. Shen for more than 100 meters to the cruiser. Her pants were pulled off and her underwear was torn. Her lower body was bruised and she had scrapes in many places.
The police then drove Ms. Shen and the elderly man who tried to protect her to the police station. The Wuxue City Court proceeded to hold a virtual hearing of her case. Xie threatened her to not say a word or he’d tape her mouth shut. Her elderly neighbor, who was made to stay in the same room on the third floor, was also threatened.
Sentenced to 1.5 Years
Ms. Shen was sent back home after her virtual hearing. Two officers delivered her verdict to her home on July 24, 2023. She was sentenced to 1.5 years and fined 5,000 yuan.
It is unclear when Ms. Shen may be taken back into custody to serve time.
Finding Falun Gong
Ms. Shen used to be a Buddhist nun, but she returned to secular life more than two decades ago. She heard about Falun Gong. After she began practicing she became considerate of others. Her once-fractured family became whole again, and she got along well with her two daughters-in-law and two granddaughters-in-law. Her relatives were also touched by her kindness, and their extended family got along well.
Ms. Shen also took the initiative to do many good deeds to help out in her community and earned everyone’s respect. Her son, in his motion to seek her case dismissal, recalled one such good deed. She spent her own money to buy sand and gravel to pave a road in her village. Her fellow villagers were inspired by her kindness and joined her in the project. The road was soon paved.
Her son also recalled another incident in his motion. Ms. Shen was hit by a car while riding her bike in May 2021. She was knocked down and couldn’t move. Her bike was totaled. The car driver wanted to take her to a hospital but she declined. He offered to give her 600 yuan and tried to give her his phone number. She also turned that down because she said the driver did not cause the accident on purpose. Her husband brought her home. She had a large bruise on her body but she recovered in less than two weeks by doing the Falun Gong exercises. The local villagers all knew about the incident and marveled that only a Falun Gong practitioner could let the liable driver go scot-free.
Related report:
82-Year-Old Hubei Woman Sentenced to 1.5 Years for Her Faith in Falun Gong
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