(Minghui.org) A woman imprisoned for her faith is suffering from severe health problems, yet the local prison has not only refused to render her medical attention but also forced her to sit on a small bench for 14 straight hours every day.
Ms. Li Yanxia was arrested on July 14, 2015, for filing a criminal complaint against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for initiating the persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She was sentenced to 7 years in prison on July 4, 2016.
While held at Songyuan City Detention Center, Ms. Li had already been diagnosed with tuberculosis, fibroid tumors, an ovarian cyst, and swollen lymph nodes. It took police more than three hours to persuade Changchun Women’s Prison to admit her.
The prison, however, changed its attitude once they had Ms. Li in custody. They claimed that there was nothing wrong with her and forced her to sit still on a small bench from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Any slight movement from her would invite beatings.
The detention center had transferred Ms. Li’s medical records to the prison, yet the latter refused to give her family a copy of the records.
Ms. Li’s family is calling for the public to pay attention to her plight.
Background
In 1999, Jiang Zemin, as head of the Chinese Communist Party, overrode other Politburo standing committee members and launched the violent suppression of Falun Gong.
The persecution has led to the deaths of many Falun Gong practitioners in the past 16 years. More have been tortured for their belief and even killed for their organs. Jiang Zemin is directly responsible for the inception and continuation of the brutal persecution.
Under his personal direction, the Chinese Communist Party established an extralegal security organization, the 610 Office, on June 10, 1999. The organization overrides police forces and the judicial system in carrying out Jiang's directive regarding Falun Gong: to ruin their reputations, cut off their financial resources, and destroy them physically.
Chinese law allows for citizens to be plaintiffs in criminal cases, and many practitioners are now exercising that right to file criminal complaints against the former dictator.
In its “registration system reform opinions,” the Supreme People's Court in China claimed that it would guarantee the registration and processing of all complaints filed. This new policy was to take effect on May 1, 2015.
