(Minghui.org) A 68-year-old resident of Tangshan City, Hebei Province, was taken back into custody on April 23, 2024, to serve a second prison term for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Wang Huilin, who lives in Huangezhuang Town, Fengnan District, Tangshan City, is currently held at the Tangshan City Detention Center. She was previously arrested multiple times for practicing Falun Gong, resulting in a two-year forced labor term and a prior 4-year prison term.
There are conflicting reports about Ms. Wang’s second prison term. Some reports say she was sentenced to 6.5 years, while others say 4.5 years.
Arrested in a Police Sweep and Tried At Home While Bedridden
Ms. Wang’s latest sentencing stemmed from her arrest during a police sweep on August 12, 2020, when over 100 officers were mobilized to terrorize, arrest, and torture more than 50 practitioners, in an attempt to force them to give up their faith.
Ms. Wang was released under house arrest three days later after the Fengnan District Lockup declined to admit her due to her high blood pressure. The police attempted to take her back into custody on September 28, 2020 but failed when a physical examination showed she still had extremely high blood pressure.
The Luannan County Court tried Ms. Wang on July 20, 2021, but had to let her go midway through the hearing when she exhibited severe medical symptoms. She soon became bedridden. Despite her condition, court officials descended on her home on August 10, 2021, to hold another hearing. She was sentenced to four and a half years with a 10,000 yuan fine one week later. She filed an appeal with the Tangshan City Intermediate Court, which ruled against her on January 13, 2022, without holding a hearing as she requested. For details of Ms. Wang’s arrest and trial, see the related reports at the end of the article.
Harassed Before Being Finally Taken Back Into Custody
In order to avoid being jailed, Ms. Wang lived away from home for a period of time. Chief Zheng Liankui and deputy chief Hu Kai of the Huanggezhuang Town Police Station harassed her family from time to time. When they came again on April 22, 2022, they saw that Ms. Wang had returned home. They said had it not been for the pandemic, they’d have taken her to prison right away. Before leaving, they warned Ms. Wang to report to them anytime she got summoned and threatened to implicate her husband and daughter if they failed to keep an eye on her.
The police harassed Ms. Wang many more times after that. On August 5, 2022, chief Zheng and officer Feng Haibin came again and told her that her pension had been suspended. They showed up on September 19, 2023, and then on November 15, 2023. She was not in during the November harassment, and the police confiscated a portrait of the founder of Falun Gong.
They eventually arrested Ms. Wang on April 23, 2024. It is unclear whether she will serve her entire term at the Tangshan City Detention Center or be admitted to prison at a later time.
This is not the first time that Ms. Wang has been targeted for her faith. She was previously arrested on many occasions and brutally tortured.
Earliest Persecution
Ms. Wang learned from an insider on July 19, 1999, that the communist regime was set to formally announce a nationwide campaign against Falun Gong the very next day. She immediately decided to go to Beijing that night to appeal, only to be intercepted in Tongzhou District, Beijing. She was taken to the Beijing Police Department for interrogation. The Fengnan District Police Department in Tangshan City later took her back and held her at the police department for three days, during which time she was not allowed to drink or use the restroom. On the fourth day, the Huanggezhuang Town Police Station took over her case and forced her to write statements to renounce Falun Gong against her will.
Wu Jiansheng led two officers and broke into Ms. Wang’s home at midnight one April day in 2001 and took her to the Huanggezhuang Town Police Station. Under the then chief Wang Hongcheng’s directive, Wu slapped Ms. Wang in the face more than twenty times. He also forced her to squat and tied her arms up. Officer He Jiujun hit her hand with a club and kicked her. They later cuffed her hands to a bed frame and did not give her anything to drink or eat for four days.
One week later, Ms. Wang was transferred to the Fengnan District Lockup, where she was forced to do hard labor and pay 1,000 yuan for her meals. Two and a half months later, she was further moved to the Fengnan District Detention Center. Guards Qi Wei and Liu Guowang picked her up and slammed her hard to the ground, before punching and kicking her. Her heart began to feel abnormal and her blood pressure shot up. For six days she couldn’t keep anything down. Twenty days later she was brought back to the Fengnan District Lockup, where she was kept for one more month before being released.
Ms. Wang distributed Falun Gong informational materials outside the Huanggezhuang Town Government and was reported to police by government employee Li Kaishuang. The police raided her home and took her to the police station. She escaped the next day and sought shelter at her sister’s home one week later. Li Huanqiao, secretary of Ms. Wang’s sister’s village, reported her to police upon finding out about her visit. The police came in the middle of the night and surrounded her sister’s home. They then scaled the fence of the yard and arrested her.
Officer Tong Jinlai took Ms. Wang to the Tangshan City Detention Center the next day and she was held there for 28 days.
Given 2-Year Forced Labor in 2008
Then deputy chief Bi Haobo of the Huangezhuang Town Police Station led officer Zhang Chunxi and raided Ms. Wang’s home on July 29, 2008. She refused to go with them and they carried her to their cruiser. Chief Wang and Zhang punched her on the chest and arms. They took her to the Fengnan District Lockup later that day. Fifteen days later, she was transferred to the Tangshan City First Forced Labor Camp to serve a two-year term.
Ms. Wang was forced to do hard labor and undergo military training at the labor camp. When she refused to write statements to renounce Falun Gong, inmate Yang Haifeng grabbed her hair and beat her savagely. She developed high blood pressure and heart problem as a result of the torture and forced labor. The labor camp released her on parole four and a half months into her term.
Sentenced to 4 Years Following Arrest in 2009
Four plainclothes officers arrested Ms. Wang at a local fair on December 13, 2009, and took her to the Tangshan City Police Department. She refused to have her picture taken and wear inmates’ uniform. Officer Wang Youshan punched and kicked her, before restraining her in a metal chair. Officer Shi Yun slapped her in the face. They later moved her to the Fengnan District Detention Center, where she was shackled for half a month.
The Fengnan District Court tried Ms. Wang on April 16, 2010, and later sentenced her to four years. She was not allowed to appeal and was admitted to the Hebei Province Women’s Prison on September 15, 2010. Because she held firm to her faith, she was forced to stand for long hours and deprived of sleep. Her blood pressure shot up and she was force-fed some unknown drugs by guard Wang. She was later also forced to do hard labor without pay.
Related reports:
Four Hebei Residents' Appeals Against Wrongful Prison Terms Rejected
Bedridden Woman Sentenced to 6.5 Years
Targeted in a Group Arrest, Six Hebei Residents Sentenced to Up to 10 Years in Prison
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