(Minghui.org) A 75-year-old former teacher in Laishui County, Hebei Province appeared in court for the second time on March 7, 2023 for her faith in Falun Gong. Ms. Liu Yumin’s two lawyers entered a not guilty plea for her.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
The lawyers argued that the Chinese authorities have always accused Falun Gong practitioners of being members of a cult and even sentenced many of them based on that unfounded allegation. The fact is that no law has ever criminalized Falun Gong in China or labeled it as a cult. Additionally, the China Administration of Press and Publication repealed its ban on the publication of Falun Gong books in 2011, so it was perfectly legal for Ms. Liu to own and/or distribute Falun Gong materials.
Ms. Liu testified in her own defense and demanded an acquittal.
Three of Ms. Liu’s family members attended the hearing. They were allowed to visit her after the court session. They were glad to know that her high blood pressure had dropped a bit since her last hearing two months ago.
Having lost her father two decades ago to the persecution, Ms. Liu’s daughter is worried whether her mother would survive if she is sentenced at such an advanced age.
Violent Arrest
A group of officers knocked on the door of Ms. Liu’s home, which she shares with her son’s family, on March 18, 2022, pretending to be collecting their property management fees. Ms. Liu’s daughter-in-law opened the door, only to have a group of armed officers barge in. She tried to prevent the police from taking Ms. Liu away, but an officer pointed a gun at her, “Do you know she is on the wanted list? You are protecting criminals! I will arrest you if you dare to block us!”
Before the younger woman could react, the police had taken Ms. Liu away.
Ms. Liu’s daughter-in-law and grandson were both terrified. The young child couldn’t stop crying. His mother said, “My mother-in-law is so kind. She didn’t do anything wrong. Why did the police treat her like that?”
After being taken into custody, Ms. Liu held a hunger strike in protest. She also refused to cooperate with the police interrogation. When her lawyers visited her at the Baoding City Detention Center on June 20, they noted that she was emaciated.
By the time Ms. Liu was tried by the Zhuozhou City Court on January 11, 2023, she had developed dangerously high blood pressure. She struggled with severe dizziness and could hardly keep her balance. She could only walk with the support of two people. She also had severe leg pain and had lost a lot of hair.
Daughter’s Plea
Because Ms. Liu’s daughter had been deceived by the police into signing the case documents against her, the judge listed her as a “prosecution’s witness” and forbade her from attending Ms. Liu’s first hearing. With her strong demand, the judge agreed for her to have a video meeting with Ms. Liu, on the condition that she try to persuade her mother to plead guilty.
Ms. Liu’s daughter said that she was devastated to see her mother’s health had deteriorated like that in less than a year. She said her reactions were very slow and she didn’t answer many of the questions she asked her. She said that before her father, Mr. Wu Yanshui, died from persecution in 2001, he was in a similar state.
After Ms. Liu’s first court hearing, her daughter filed a request to have her released on bail for medical treatment. Her daughter wrote in the request, “My mother is a very genuine and kind person. When she taught at the local elementary school, she worked hard and was beloved by her students. Once, two students fought over something. Just as one was about to stab the other, my mother protected the student and was stabbed in the thigh herself. When the student’s parents offered to pay for her medical treatment, she kindly refused their offer, saying that she was fine as long as the students were fine.
“My mother had been enjoying good health these past two decades. It’s hard to believe her health deteriorated so quickly after mere months of detention. I couldn’t stop worrying about her. She is almost 80 years old. I don’t want to lose my mother. Please let me take her home and care for her. Now is the Chinese New Year season and families are celebrating the holiday together, but I’m having a hard time falling asleep. You all have parents. I believe you will understand how I feel. Please release her.”
Past Persecution
Ms. Liu used to suffer from a heart condition, arthritis, and stomach problems. Due to insufficient blood supply to her brain, she often fainted and had to quit her job as an elementary school teacher. Shortly after she began to practice Falun Gong in 1996, she recovered and returned to work.
When the persecution started in 1999, Ms. Liu was fired by the school for refusing to give up her faith. She also faced constant arrests, home ransacking, and harassment. When she was detained, the officers beat her, hung her up, force-fed her, and burned her with lit cigarettes.
Her husband, Mr. Wu Yanshui, who also practiced Falun Gong, died on May 20, 2001, due to the abuse he suffered in custody.
Perpetrators’ contact information:
Zhu Qiuan (朱秋安), president, Zhuozhou City Procuratorate: +86-312-8638361Wang Hui(王辉), president, Zhuozhou City CourtLeng Zhenyu (冷振宇), director, Laishui County Police Department: +86-13932221889
(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)
Related reports:
Incapacitated 75-year-old Woman Tried for Her Faith in Falun Gong
76-year-old Widow on Hunger Strike for 20 Days and Counting
Police Torture Wu Yanshui to Death in Local Detention Center
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