(Minghui.org) Police unlawfully arrested Ms. Chen Jie from her apartment in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province on June 28, 2012. She was sentenced to five years in prison in September 2013, more than a year later. Eventually, she was sent to the Lanzhou Women's Prison on April 8, 2014.
Two months later when her family came to visit, they noticed that she was emaciated and showed clear signs of having been tortured. She had missing teeth and one of her hands was impaired. She was so scared that she was unable to speak coherently to them.
Arrested, Home Ransacked, and Denied Legal Counsel
On June 28, 2012, officers from the Chengguan District Domestic Security in Lanzhou City broke into Ms. Chen's apartment and arrested her, her older sister Ms. Chen Shuxian, and their friend Mr. Wang Youjiang. The apartment was ransacked and their personal belongings confiscated. After the arrest, they were interrogated and tortured.
Ms. Chen was detained in the 1st Detention Center, and the others in the 2nd Detention Center. While locked away, Ms. Chen was forced to do intensive labor for long hours and became severely ill due to the physical abuse she suffered.
On July 30, 2012, the Chengguan District Procuratorate approved the arrest of the three practitioners, and the Chengguan District Court secretly tried Ms. Chen on November 24, 2012. The court prohibited her attorney from defending her. Ms. Chen later appealed, but the Lanzhou Middle Court upheld the original sentence.
For more details on the arrest, the secret trial and sentencing, and the torture, please read Ms. Chen Jie Arrested and Secretly Tried and Ms. Chen Jie Forced to Do Slave Labor at Lanzhou City No. 1 Detention Center.
On April 8, 2014, Ms. Chen was put in the Lanzhou Women's Prison, and on June 5 her family visited her there. When they arrived, they were immediately alarmed by her missing teeth and emaciated state.
Ms. Chen hardly dared to say anything when her family asked her questions. She just cried and replied, “I don't know.” It was obvious to her family the amount of pain she was in, which became all the more obvious when one of her hands was impaired to the point that she could not hold a bowl when eating.
Ms. Chen's older sister and their 88-year-old mother were very worried about the situation, and they spoke to the Bureau Chief of Prison Administration, Guo (first name unknown) several times. The chief came up with many excuses to distance himself from the situation.
Other Practitioners Sentenced on the Same Day
On September 23, 2013, the Chengguang District Court in Lanzhou City also sentenced three other Falun Gong practitioners, Mr. Wang Youjiang, Mr. Ge Qingchun, and Ms. Lu Yueling, to six, four, and three years, respectively.
The practitioners also appealed to the Lanzhou Middle Court, but the judge upheld the sentences. Ms. Lu was locked up in the Gansu Women's Prison, and Mr. Wang and Mr. Ge were detained in the Lanzhou Prison.
Mr. Wang's family asked to visit him several times, but the prison authorities denied their requests. Their reason was that Mr. Wang refused to renounce his faith in Falun Gong. His family then went to see Guo, Bureau Chief of Prison Administration. Guo then sent them to a person with the last name Yuan, who also refused to allow them to visit. Yuan then ordered a guard to drive Mr. Wang's family away.
On June 8, 2014, Mr. Wang's family went to see Guo again, and Guo told them, “You will not see him if he refuses to renounce Falun Gong. Meanwhile, I'm fine with the guards torturing him.”
For Mr. Ge, things were no easier. He was beaten by six guards after he refused to wear a prison uniform.
Ms. Lu's family tried to visit her in prison and the visits were denied for the same reason: She refused to renounce Falun Gong. Her current situation is unknown.
Summary of Key Persecution Facts:Name: Chen Jie (陈洁)Gender: FemaleAge: 44Address: Sifang Township, Huining County, Gansu Province (甘肃会宁县四方乡)Occupation: UnknownDate of Most Recent Arrest: June 28, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Lanzhou Women’s Prison (兰州女子监狱)City: Lanzhou
Province: Gansu
Persecution Suffered: Detention, home ransacked, extortion, interrogated by torture, tiger bench, long-term standing, forced labor, illegal trial and sentencing, imprisonment
