(Minghui.org) A 52-year-old resident of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province was finally allowed to see her family for the first time on February 27, 2024 since she was arrested 18 months ago for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Li Fangfang
Sentenced to 5.5 Years Following Arrest in August 2022, Denied Family Visits in First 18 Months
Ms. Li Fangfang’s arrest took place on August 3, 2022, and she was sentenced to 5.5 years with a 10,000-yuan fine in late January 2023. Her family was not allowed to see her at the Shenyang City First Detention Center or informed of her trial or appeals hearing. After her appeal was rejected, she was admitted to Division 12 of the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison in November 2023. Her family did not learn of her sentencing or prison transfer until they received a call from the prison on December 5, 2023 to confirm her prison admission.
Ms. Li’s family immediately requested to visit her, but the prison authorities turned them down on the grounds that Falun Gong practitioners put on strict management in Division 12 were denied family visits. Her family filed complaints, but to no avail.
Ms. Li was reassigned to Division 7 on January 31, 2024, but the prison didn’t notify her family until February 21. They were told that she was still barred from making phone calls, but was allowed one family visit every month. The monthly visitation hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday.
Her family was advised to bring their IDs and a pair of glasses for her. The police had confiscated her glasses during her arrest.
10-Minute Visit on February 27, 2024
Ms. Li’s sibling Jia (alias, gender unknown. For simplicity of writing, the rest of the report assumes it’s her brother) arrived at the prison at 1 p.m. on February 27, 2024. He showed his ID, but the guard on duty demanded to see official proof of his blood relationship with Ms. Li since it was his first visit with his sister. He argued that the prison mailed Ms. Li’s prison admission notice to him and allowed him to wire money to her as a family member. Plus he had also visited her in the same prison when she served two previous prison terms totaling 10.5 years, also for practicing Falun Gong.
As Jia insisted that the prison had all the info they needed about him in their system, the guard on duty consulted his supervisor, who then called Division 7, which agreed to have Jia see his sister without further documentation.
A guard from Division 7 eventually showed up. He took the glasses that Jia had brought for Ms. Li. After having Jia going through strict security checks, the guard led him to the lobby of the visitation center. After verifying his identity one more time, he had Jia wait at window 12.
Jia then saw through the glass barrier that a guard had escorted Ms. Li to the window. The guard recorded the entire meeting and also jotted down notes.
Ms. Li had lost quite a bit of weight but was in good spirits. Jia told her that their widowed father was in a stable condition. Their mother passed away while Ms. Li was serving her second prison term and their father had to check into a nursing home.
Ms. Li confirmed that she had received the wire funds of 10,000 yuan from Jia. He then talked to her about the meeting notes that her lawyer took while visiting her and later showed to him.
The lawyer wrote that Ms. Li told him that she was arrested on August 3, 2022 simply for handing out a copy of Falun Gong materials to a passerby. He also added that Ms. Li was sentenced and had her appeal rejected for the same reason.
The lawyer’s meeting notes also stated that Ms. Li requested the return of items confiscated during her arrest, including her glasses, watch and clothing. Jia said he did file a complaint against officer Xiu from the Tiexi District Domestic Security Office, who interrogated her after she was arrested by the Dugong Police Station. Instructor Li of the domestic security office investigated the matter and reprimanded Xiu. He also ordered Xiu to apologize to Jia.
Jia also filed a complaint with the Dugong Police Station. Deputy chief Fang talked to the officers involved in the arrest and went over the surveillance videos. He confirmed the existence of the glasses and asked Jia to pick them up.
Upon examination, Jia realized the glasses were not Ms. Li’s, which she had inherited from their late mother. He told chief Fang that the glasses carried a lot of sentimental value since they were from the siblings’ late mother. He said he reserved the right to sue the police station and seek compensation for the lost glasses.
Jia also updated his sister on how his efforts to visit her while she was detained in Division 12 went unanswered.
Jia reminded Ms. Li to advocate for herself in the prison. If she was ever abused, she should report her persecution to the prosecutor in residence in the prison and write down her suffering.
Sibling Doubts if Prison Would Keep Its Promise to Not Abuse Ms. Li
The guard recording the meeting ended the visit at the 10-minute mark. He then told Jia that she is team 7 leader Teng of Division 7. Teng said she was in charge of Ms. Li and reiterated that the prison would follow all the rules.
According to Teng, Division 12 barred Ms. Li from seeing her family because she was under strict management and now division 7 allowed her family visits because she had been taken off strict management and put on the monitored level.
Teng said that inmates on the monitored level were allowed monthly family visits and phone calls, but she did not explain why Ms. Li was still barred from calling her family. Teng added that the monitored level also allowed the inmates to make purchases during the first four days of each month. Ms. Li was currently allowed to spend around 300 yuan on purchases every month and the amount may be adjusted upwards to 700 yuan if her prisoner management level was further downgraded.
Teng assured Jia that Ms. Li would also receive medical care in the prison hospital or outside hospitals (with permission) should she ever become sick.
Jia doubted if what Teng said would come true because his sister had served at least one prior prison term in the same division 7 and had her commissary account frozen and barred from purchasing sanitary pads for a long time. He requested that Teng report Ms. Li’s abuse (if any) to the prosecutor-in-residence, and demand the latter fully investigate the abuse and collect all relevant evidence and have it corroborated by Ms. Li.
Related Reports:
Liaoning Woman to Be Released After Serving 7.5 Years for Her Faith
Ms. Li Fangfang and Mr. Tong Haibo from Shenyang Arrested While Trying to Help a Fellow Practitioner
The Police Arrests Ms. Li Fangfang for Trying to Have Practitioners Released from Detention
Practitioners' Friends and Relatives Arrested for Protesting Police Violence
Shenyang Teacher and and Her Manager Daughter Persecuted
Falun Gong Practitioners Severely Persecuted in Liaoning Province Women's Prison
Retired Teacher and Her Daughter Detained in Liaoning Province
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