(Minghui.org) Artist Mr. Qin Wei was arrested at his home in Beijing on September 7, 2023 for practicing his faith, Falun Gong. The police confiscated Mr. Qin’s computer and sent him to the Haidian District Detention Center.
In the five months before he was arrested, the police harassed Mr. Qin three times before the anniversary of the “April 25 Appeal,” a peaceful demonstration by 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners that took place on April 25, 1999. The police photographed him and called him late at night.
Mr. Qin Wei
Mr. Qin, 62, was a graduate from the Decorative Painting Department of the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts. He landed a job at a publishing house after he graduated but later quit to teach art at the Bayi Middle School in Haidian District, so that he could have more time during the winter and summer breaks to focus on his artwork. After he began practicing Falun Gong, he gained a deeper understanding about life and the universe, which helped him to create pure and positive artworks.
In July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution of Falun Gong. Because Mr. Qin remained firm in his faith, he was repeatedly arrested. He served two labor camp terms, two prison terms, as well as multiple detentions, totaling nearly 13 years.
Mr. Qin was first arrested on October 27, 1999 for appealing for the right to practice Falun Gong and was held at the Haidian District Detention Center. He went to Tiananmen Square to appeal again on January 1, 2000 and was beaten by the police. Weeks after he was released from serving 50 days of detention, he was arrested in March 2000 and detained for another month, for talking to people about Falun Gong in a museum.
Sentenced to Forced Labor in 2000
Later in 2000, Mr. Qin was sentenced to eighteen months of forced labor. He was repeatedly beaten, shocked with the electric batons on his face and was deprived of sleep for over 20 days.
Sentenced to 5.5 Years in Prison in 2004
Mr. Qin was taken to the Beijing Legal Education Training Center (a brainwashing center) in 2004 and held there for five months. Every night, he was kept awake by loud noises. He soon began to experience a heart condition, including cardiac arrest and abnormal heartbeats.
After he was detained in the brainwashing center, Mr. Qin was sentenced to 5.5 years to the Qianjin Prison in Beijing, where he was constantly beaten, subjected to brainwashing, forced to work without pay, and held in solitary confinement.
Sentenced to 2.5-Years of Forced Labor in 2012
Mr. Qin was arrested for the sixth time in October 2012 and given a second labor camp term (2.5 years). While serving time at the Xin’an Forced Labor, he was forced to sit on a small stool motionless every day for six months.
Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison in 2016
Mr. Qin was next arrested on May 18, 2016 for distributing information about Falun Gong in a park. After Mr. Qin gave plainclothes officer a pamphlet, the officer took him to the police station and then transferred him to the Haidian District Detention Center. His home was ransacked the next day.
The Beijing City Procuratorate approved Mr. Qin’s arrest on June 22, 2016 and later transferred his case to the Haidian District Procuratorate. Prosecutor Kong Han informed Mr. Qin’s lawyer on September 22, 2016 that he moved his case to the Haidian District Court. Mr. Qin was officially indicted on September 28.
Mr. Qin appeared in the Haidian District Court on December 2, 2016 and was sentenced to 2.5 years. He appealed to the Beijing First Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold the original verdict against him on July 11, 2017. He was taken to the Qianjin Prison on August 19.
While imprisoned, Mr. Qin was subjected to various torture methods. For six weeks, he was only allowed to sleep for two or three hours every night. Inmates who were assigned to monitor him used a stool to hit him whenever he closed his eyes. When he was too exhausted to stay awake, two people dragged him around. Others pinched his back and arms, and his body was covered in bruises. Some sprayed pepper water in his face. He was only allowed to drink a little water. His restroom use and washing himself was also restricted.
After Mr. Qin was released, he filed complaints against Liu Guanghui, the warden of Qianjin Prison; Liu Gang, the superintendent of the third ward; and Yao Yiping, the squadron leader, on June 15, 2021. It’s not clear whether he received a response regarding his complaints.
On December 21, 2021, just two months before the Beijing Winter Olympics, the police harassed Mr. Qin at his home, claiming they were there to “maintain stability” in preparation for the Olympics.
Related reports:
CCP Intensifies Persecution of Falun Gong in Advance of Winter Olympics
Beijing Man Not Allowed to Meet with Lawyer after Being Convicted for His Faith
Lawyers Defend Innocence of Beijing Man Tried for His Faith Following 8th Arrest
Beijing Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years after 8th Arrest, Court Stalls His Appeal
Amnesty International: Urgent Action to Rescue Falun Gong Practitioner Qin Wei
Highly Regarded Artist Arrested for Eighth Time, Whereabouts Unknown
Former Art Teacher Arrested a Seventh Time for Practicing Falun Gong
Beijing Art Teacher Mr. Qin Wei Again Sentenced to Forced Labor
More than Ten Beijing Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested; Mr. Qin Wei Detained Again
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Please Release Honorable Teacher Qin Wei of Beijing's Bayi Middle School
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