Ms. Wang from Liaoning Province Persecuted for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) Ms. Wang Xiuying, 58, who lives in the Yuhong District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province was indicted around June 2023 and is facing trial for practicing her faith, Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since July 1999.

Ms. Wang Xiuying

Ms. Wang Xiuying was arrested on February 12, 2023 after she was reported for telling people about the persecution of Falun Gong. The arresting officers from the Donghu Police Station took her to the Shenyang City First Detention Center, but she was denied admission due to her poor health. The police then placed her under house arrest and released her.

The police attempted to take Ms. Wang back into custody in May 2023, after she filed complaints against the prosecutor and the police officer in charge of her case. They failed, but police returned in June to arrest her. The Shenyang City First Detention Center refused to admit her due to her poor health. The police released her, only to arrest her again and get her admitted to the same detention center around July 10.

Failed Arrest Attempt in May

In early May 2023, Ms. Wang learned that her case was submitted to the Yuhong District Procuratorate. She contacted prosecutor Piao Yunjing and officer Zhang Shicheng of the Donghu Police Station, who were in charge of her case. She explained that no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong and that there was no legal basis to arrest or prosecute her. She requested that her house arrest be lifted immediately. Piao and Zhang refused to listen. Instead they pressured her and ordered her to say she was guilty.

Ms. Wang filed complaints against Piao and Zhang and also requested that they be recused from her case. She next submitted requests to relevant agencies to lift her house arrest and to not approve her arrest.

Piao and Zhang, as well as their respective supervisors, chief prosecutor Liu Wei, and police chief Li Shilong, ignored Ms. Wang’s complaints and requests.

At around 8:30 a.m. on May 17, officer Zhang and chief Li ordered the security guard and the custodian in Ms. Zhang’s apartment complex to knock on her door and say that her downstairs neighbor had a ceiling leak. She saw through the deceit and refused to open the door.

Zhang then came up to the door and said, “Don’t you want to have your house arrest lifted? If so, open the door and come with me to the police station.” When she refused to open the door Zhang threatened to use force. She told him and Li that they were police and charged with upholding the law but they breaking the law. The police then called her husband and ordered him to return home to open the door. He firmly refused.

Failed Attempts in June to Admit Ms. Wang to Detention Center

Ms. Wang’s husband opened the door around 6:30 a.m. on June 13 to go to work, only to have five plainclothes officers, including Zhang, come out of nowhere and barge into the apartment. Ms. Wang did not have her hair combed or have her shoes on, but was dragged to the elevator by two officers. Her husband and mother-in-law, who lives with her, were shocked and terrified.

Ms. Wang was taken to the Donghu Police Station. She refused to answer the police officer’s questions. Zhang went into a rage and cursed her, “Damn you old woman! Why don’t you go to hell and receive retribution? Why are you still alive?”

Ms. Wang remained calm and told Zhang, “I feel sorry for you.” He calmed down a bit and said that he had to interrogate her because it was his job.

After the interrogation, Zhang and officer Sheng Nan took Ms. Wang to the health clinic in the Yuhong District Police Department for a physical examination. When she refused to cooperate with them, they tightly held her neck and shoulders, which were bruised and painful for the next few days.

Zhang and Sheng drove Ms. Wang to the Shenyang City First Detention Center that afternoon after the physical examination. The detention center staff refused to admit her because she had a systolic blood pressure reading of 200 mmHg (a healthy range is no more than 120 mmHg).

Zhang said, “No worries! Just admit her now and call me if she develops any symptoms later.” The detention center staff still refused and Zhang considered whether he should send Ms. Wang to prison (even though she was not sentenced). The detention center authorities warned him that no prison would admit her because her blood pressure was so high.

Zhang and Sheng then took Ms. Wang to the Shenyang City Fourth Hospital, about eight miles away, to have IV injections and be given pills in an attempt to lower her blood pressure. Three hours later, Zhang and Sheng took Ms. Wang to the detention center again, but the staff refused to admit her, even after chief Li called the detention center.

By the time Zhang finally gave up, it was already 11 p.m. As he and Sheng drove Ms. Wang back to the police station, he complained, “The procuratorate put so much pressure on us to get you detained. Now look what happened. They did not help us. I'd say they were just making our life difficult.”

The next day, chief Li warned Ms. Wang, “Be smart. Do as you're told and you’ll be released. The procuratorate will come and depose you in the afternoon and you better cooperate with them.”

At around 3 p.m., prosecutor Piao and a clerk came to the police station to depose Ms. Wang even though she requested to have Piao recused from the case. She protested his deposition of her and again demanded to see documents showing the legal basis for her prosecution. Piao ignored her.

Zhang released Ms. Wang not long afterwards. He told her, “You better come whenever we summon you. You’ll be allowed to go home after we question you, as no detention center or prison wants to admit you.”

Ms. Wang Arrested in July and Detained

In late June, Ms. Wang learned that Piao submitted her indictment to the Yuhong District Court days earlier, on June 26. She then submitted a request to drop her indictment to judge Ge Lidan in charge of her case.

Officer Zhang and chief Li used her request as an excuse and arrested her again. This time, they got the Shenyang City First Detention Center to accept her on July 10. She remains in detention.