Gansu Woman Tortured in Custody, Awaits Prison Sentence for Practicing Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) Still recovering from torture in custody, Ms. Jin Yijun collapsed into a chair as soon as she was brought into the courtroom on April 7, 2023 for a hearing for her faith in Falun Gong. 

Ms. Jin’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her. She remained exhausted and weak throughout the one-and-a-half-hour-long session, but still managed to testify in her own defense. The judge adjourned the hearing without announcing a verdict.

Ms. Jin, a 49-year-old resident of Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, was arrested on September 24, 2021. The police suspected her of removing four poster boards in the neighborhood that had defamatory information about Falun Gong. Their “evidence” was that the residential committee secretary saw on surveillance camera that Ms. Jin took the elevator at around 5 a.m. on September 10, the day that the posters went missing.

The police submitted Ms. Jin’s case to the Chengguan District Procuratorate, accusing her of “damaging public property” and “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” the standard pretext used to criminalize Falun Gong practitioners. Her one-year labor camp term from 2012 and another 15-day detention following an arrest on May 13, 2021 were also listed as “prosecution evidence,” as the police accused Ms. Jin of being a “repeat offender.” 

At the Lanzhou City No. 1 Detention Center, because Ms. Jin refused to memorize the detention center rules or squat during roll calls, the guards retaliated by making her stand still during the day and deprived her of sleep at night. The head of the cell warned her that if she continued to resist, she’d be put under strict management and tortured.

The head of the cell had other detainees beat Ms. Jin on December 27, 2022 because she did not squat during a roll call. The head guard saw the beating but ignored it because he was told that the victim was a Falun Gong practitioner. Ms. Jin was transferred to another cell and subjected to the “Back Tandem” torture.

In the “Back Tandem” torture, the guards handcuff the victim’s wrists behind her back, make her kneel down, and attach the handcuffs as close as possible to the ankle shackles. This forces the victim to stay in a kneeling, backward-bending position. 

Ms. Jin was forced to wear leg shackles for 15 consecutive days and was not allowed to sleep. She was not allowed to lower her head or close her eyes. Other detainees could beat her at will. No one helped her to get water, and she had no way to wash up, clean herself, or wash her clothes. Yet the inmates berated her for smelling bad. Sometimes they would not even offer her any drinking water.

Illustration of the “Back Tandem” torture

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Li Kui (李奎), director, Lanzhou City No. 1 Detention Center: [phone]Luo Tao (罗涛), Party secretary and prosecutor, Chengguan District ProcuratorateJin Jiyong (金济勇), judge, Chengguan District Court: [phone]Liu Dongyu (刘冬郁), presiding judge, Chengguan District CourtZhang Qiongying (张琼莺), prosecutor, Chengguan District ProcuratroateWang Jifei (王继飞), chief, Xiaoxihu Police Station: [phone], [phone]Feng Yuchen (冯宇晨), officer, Xiaoxihu Police Station: [phone]

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)

Related reports:

Former Lawyer Faces Prosecution for Her Faith

Former Legal Professional Sues Jiang Zemin for Wrongful Imprisonment

Law Professional Jin Yijun Sent to a Forced Labor Camp

Law Professional Jin Yijun Appeals Forced Labor Sentence

Legal Professional Ms. Jin Yijun from Lanzhou City Files Case Against Her Forced Labor Sentence

Attorney Enters a Not-Guilty Plea in the Appeal Case of Ms. Jin Yijun from Lanzhou City