(Minghui.org) Ms. Li Yufen (李玉芬) was tried by the Bairin Zouqi Court in Chifeng City on November 25, 2014. Her attorney from Beijing pleaded not-guilty on her behalf.
Court officials refused to allow Ms. Li's attorney to enter the courthouse before the trial. When it was time for the trial to start, a police officer (badge #156024) along with twelve officials, surrounded the lawyer, humiliating and threatening him.
They removed everything from the lawyer's bag, and even pried open his pen. The lawyer had to leave his personal belongings, including medication, cell phone, etc., outside the courtroom. The police even searched his pockets and scanned his entire body with a security device.
The attorney was offended by the way he was treated. He said, “I've been to many trials, and have never been treated like this.” The chief police officer replied, “This is the way things are done here. You can leave if you don't like it.”
Four Practitioners Arrested on the Same Day
Ms. Li Yufen and her older sister Ms. Li Yumei (李玉梅), Ms. Wang Yulan (王玉兰), and Ms. Hou Guilan (侯桂兰) were all arrested on July 13, 2014.
Ms. Li Yufen and Ms. Wang Yulan were arrested while they were talking to people about Falun Gong in a nearby village. The police took Ms Li to her house at around 3:00 p.m. They entered with her key and attacked her sister, Ms. Li Yumei, who was at home. The officers grabbed her sister's arm and twisted it behind her back.
Ms. Hou Guilan, who was visiting at the time, was dragged downstairs and taken to the police station. Ms. Li Yumei was arrested half an hour later.
The police also raided Ms. Li Yufen's house without a search warrant. They confiscated her Falun Gong books and personal belongings, including jewelry, a portable hard drive, and a cell phone. They did not provide Ms Li with a list of the items confiscated from her house.
The four practitioners were locked up individually and repeatedly interrogated. Head of the Domestic Security Division Song Hailong (宋海龙), along with officers Wang Li Xin (王立新) and Gao Yanguo (高延国), rebuked and humiliated them.
At around 9:00 p.m, the practitioners were taken to Bairin Zouqi Second Hospital and forced to have blood tests and medical tests. Another attempt was made to take a sample of Ms. Li Yufen's blood while she was in custody in the detention center.
Ms. Hou and Ms. Li Yumei Released Due to Illness, Ms. Wang Released and Re-arrested
Ms. Hou Guilan was the first practitioner to be released. On the fourth day of her detention, she had a terrible stomachache. She was in such severe pain that she broke out in a cold sweat and kept banging her head against the wall. Several hours later, the authorities released her for fear of being held responsible if something happened to her.
Before she became ill, the guards tried to make her sign documents admitting to her so-called “crimes.” They threatened to detain her for a month, but she refused to comply.
After she returned home, Ms. Hou's family took her to the hospital where doctors operated on her. Twenty days after the surgery, officials from the Procuratorate ordered her to come to their office. They planned to detain her if she had recovered sufficiently.
When Ms Hou did not appear, they arrested her husband, threatening to detain him using fabricated evidence, if his wife did not go to the Procuratorate. Ms. Hou's family gave in to the threats and took her to the office. When the officials saw that her incisions had not yet healed, they attempted to make her give up the practice again.
Ms. Wang was released after being detained for 54 days. However, five days later, she was arrested again and detained at a brainwashing center for 20 days. Details of her case are reported here.
Ms. Li Yumei was detained for four months. The local Procuratorate had already turned down her case due to insufficient evidence, but the 610 Office and Domestic Security Division refused to release her. When her attorney went to visit her on the afternoon of November 11, he observed that she was extremely weak, and was afraid she might take a turn for the worse at any moment.
Two days later, on November 13, Ms. Li Yumei's condition became critical with symptoms of severe heart problems. Her attorney and family came to take her home.
Ms. Li Yufen's Previous Arrests
Ms. Li Yufen is still in custody. In the past she was twice sentenced to forced labor and imprisoned once. Her family was torn apart, and at one point she had no place to live and was forced to stay in a hotel to avoid being arrested.
Her loved ones are heartbroken with worry about her.
