(Minghui.org) A 65-year-old woman in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, was recently sentenced to 3.5 years with a 10,000-yuan fine for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Hu Yuexia’s sentencing stemmed from her arrest on May 18, 2022, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong at a fair in Shangzhuang Town in the Luquan District of Shijiazhuang City. Shangzhuang Town Police Station officers raided her home and took her to the Shijiazhuang City Second Detention Center, where she was tortured for upholding her faith.
The police submitted her case to the Qiaoxi District Procuratorate on August 28, 2022. Shijiazhuang City last year designated its Qiaoxi District, where Ms. Hu resides, to handle all Falun Gong cases in its jurisdiction, including eight districts, two county-level cities, and twelve counties.
Ms. Hu was tried in the Qiaoxi District Court on February 14, 2023, and convicted recently (exact date unknown). She is now appealing the wrongful sentence.
This is not the first time that Ms. Hu has been targeted for her faith, nor is she the only one in her family to suffer from the communist regime’s persecution policy. Her father was arrested five times and died on October 17, 2012. He was predeceased by his wife, who fell ill after witnessing his arrests and died in November 2017. Ms. Hu, her husband, and her sister were all arrested in a police sweep on November 15, 2013, with the latter two later sentenced to one and three years respectively. Prior to that, Ms. Hu’s sister was arrested three other times.
Ms. Hu’s father, Mr. Hu Zongheng, had a very severe heart condition (irregular heartbeat) and was hospitalized at least twice a year for many years. His wife suffered from chronic stomach ailment and later had a stroke. She was paralyzed on one side of her body and could not take care of herself.
The couple improved significantly after they took up Falun Gong in 1996. Ms. Hu’s mother in particular stood up and was able to take care of herself and do some chores. Ms. Hu was in awe of her parents’ improvement and soon joined them in practicing Falun Gong.
Ms. Hu’s husband, Mr. Chen Tiankui, followed suit in April 1997. His arthritis, which he contracted while serving in the army from 1978 to 1981, was cured after practicing Falun Gong for a week. He also quit smoking without any struggle.
Ms. Hu’s younger sister, Ms. Hu Yanxia, witnessed her son, then 12, recover from a high fever in April 1998 by practicing Falun Gong. She became a Falun Gong practitioner herself in August 1998.
The Shijiazhuang City 610 Office and police department mobilized a large number of officers and arrested about 23 local Falun Gong practitioners on the morning of November 15, 2013. Ms. Hu Yuexia, her husband, and her sister were among the arrested.
Ms. Hu and her husband were still sleeping at around 5 a.m. on November 15, 2013, when they were awakened by someone pounding on their door. When she asked who was there, someone replied that they were there to check their temporary housing permit.
Mr. Chen opened up, only to be seized right away. The police barged in and grabbed Ms. Hu as well. The couple’s daughter was terrified and shivered in her room. She did not open her bedroom door when the police ordered her to. The police then searched other rooms and confiscated Falun Gong books, 10,000 yuan in cash, more than 80 CDs, and Ms. Hu’s daughter’s laptop.
When Ms. Hu Yanxia rushed to her sister’s home after learning what happened, the police who were waiting outside to seize more practitioners arrested her, too. She and her brother-in-law were both later sentenced to prison but not her sister.
Mr. Chen Sentenced to One year
Mr. Chen was taken to the Xili Police Station after his arrest. He was interrogated about seven times and was not given anything to eat. The police took him to the Shijiazhuang City First Detention Center at around 8 p.m. that night.
In the detention center, Mr. Chen had his blood drawn and blood pressure measured. He was also X-rayed but was never given any results.
During his detention, Mr. Chen was forced to do hard labor without pay from 6 a.m. to late at night every day. The work involved pressing a toxic tinfoil onto yellow paper. He itched all over when his skin touched the tinfoil. Whenever he failed to finish his daily quota, he was forced to be on night duty for four and a half hours (meaning he had to patrol the cell and not sleep).
Mr. Chen was also forced to clean the cell when others were allowed to take a break. He soon lost a third of his weight. He was sentenced to one year by the Qiaoxi District Court on July 23, 2014. It is unclear where he served time.
Ms. Hu Yanxia Given Three Years
After arresting Ms. Hu Yanxia outside her sister’s home on November 15, 2013, the police raided her home and confiscated her laptop, cell phone, more than 10,000 yuan in cash, and Falun Gong books. She was taken to the Dongli Police Station after 11 a.m. that day and then moved to the Nanhuachang Lockup three hours later.
The police took her to the Shijiazhuang City Second Detention Center on November 25, 2013. She was denied admission due to her poor health so the police held her in a hotel until December 3 that year after she had a medical episode. They then released her on bail.
The Qiaoxi District Procuratorate notified Ms. Hu in April 2014 that they had indicted her and forwarded her case to the Qiaoxi District Court. She stood trial on October 12, 2015, and was sentenced to three years on July 6, 2016.
The Shijiazhuang City Intermediate Court rejected Ms. Hu’s appeal without communicating with her lawyer or holding a hearing. Because she was still in poor health, the court ordered her to serve an unknown length of probation first.
Judge Zheng Lijun called Ms. Hu on February 14, 2017, and ordered her to go to the courthouse to sign some paperwork to turn her probation into “serving time outside of prison.”
She went the following day, and Zheng took her to the Shijiazhuang City Second Detention Center for a medical exam “as part of the normal procedure.” Her blood pressure registered at 180/130 mmHg. Hours later Zheng said it was time to take her home, only to take her straight to the Hebei Province Women’s Prison.
The prison called her husband on March 1, 2017, and told him to send in money to purchase medication to treat his wife’s high blood pressure. Her husband had deposited 500 yuan for her only one week before, and he wondered where the money had gone or if his wife’s condition had deteriorated. He asked to see his wife, but his request was denied.
The prison called again two days later, asking for more money. Ms. Hu’s husband became even more worried about her condition. He went to the prison on March 9, 2017, an open house day that accepted family visits without reservations, but the guards turned him away.
Worries about Ms. Hu took a toll on her husband’s health. He had always had health problems and relied on his wife to make money and care for him. His blood pressure suddenly shot up to dangerously high levels in December 2017, and his doctors had to put in a stent.
Prior to Ms. Hu’s prison sentence, she was arrested three times in the past. Li Dongyin and Guo Leiying from the Qiaodong Police Department, as well as Zhao Yongqiang from the Jian’an Police Station, arrested her at work on January 13, 2001. They held her at the Jian’an Police Station for 10 days. They released her on the 11th day after extorting 15,000 yuan from her.
Ms. Hu’s next arrest was in early April 2006 after being reported for visiting a practitioner in the Shijiazhuang City No. 2 Prison. She was taken to the Dongli Police Station. The police also raided her home and confiscated her desktop computer. They later extorted 1,000 yuan from her family and released her.
The same police station had Ms. Hu arrested again on July 8, 2008, while she was home alone. They confiscated her Falun Gong books, a laptop computer, and several USB flash drives. They took her to the Shijiazhuang City First Detention Center and held her there for an unknown amount of time.
The Hu sisters’ father, Mr. Hu, rode his bike to Beijing on July 22, 1999, to appeal for his right to practice Falun Gong. He was arrested after he returned home. Chief Feng of the Xili Police Station and other officers raided his home, detained him for ten days, and extorted 1,000 yuan from him before releasing him.
Mr. Hu was arrested at home on December 30, 2000, by the same Xili Police Station. They detained him for one week and extorted 3,000 yuan from his family before releasing him.
In 2004, Mr. Hu lived away from home for more than a month in order to avoid further arrests.
The police arrested Mr. Hu a third time on July 21, 2005, and confiscated his Falun Gong books, a small tape recorder, and audiotapes. He was released that night after being forced to pay 1,000 yuan.
In early April 2006, Mr. Hu went with his younger daughter to visit a practitioner being held in the Shijiazhuang City No. 2 Prison. Both of them were reported and arrested. Mr. Hu was forced to pay 1,000 yuan and released hours later.
Mr. Hu’s repeated arrests upset his wife. She fell ill in the fall of 2004 and passed away in November 2017. The police arrested Mr. Hu in March 2008, while he was still mourning his wife’s death. They raided his home and confiscated his Falun Gong books, laptops, printers, satellite dish (used to receive uncensored news from overseas media), 300 yuan in cash, and more than 100 stamps. They later released him after extorting 2,000 yuan from his family.
The relentless persecution took a toll on Mr. Hu’s health. He passed away on October 17, 2012.
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