(Minghui.org) When a Falun Gong practitioner went to visit a friend, she was arrested. Two family members who inquired about her situation were also arrested on the same day. On the following day, three additional family members were detained. Out of these six family members, three of them were later sentenced to prison.
This is a typical case of implication by association, a strategy often employed by Chinese officials to suppress Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a mind-body practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since July 1999.
Ms. Qiu Qinghua, a practitioner in her 70s from Jimo City, was sentenced along with her daughter-in-law and son-in-law. She has developed breast cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy in prison. When her daughter traveled over 200 miles to visit her, they were only given five minutes together.
Six Family Members Arrested
The chain of events started when Ms. Li Honglei, Ms. Qiu's daughter-in-law, visited another practitioner on June 5, 2016. Police arrested her at the practitioner's place. When her husband (not a practitioner) and Ms. Qiu went to find her, both of them were detained.
On the next day, police officers ransacked the home of Ms. Qiu's son-in-law, Mr. Xu Jianxun, and detained him at the Jimo Detention Center. Ms. Li's daughter and sister were also arrested.
Ms. Qiu was released when she suddenly suffered a heart attack at the detention center. Upon returning home, she saw that her apartment had been ransacked by police and over 37,000 yuan of cash taken away.
After a month of recovery, she went with her sister to the Tongji Police Station, asking for her daughter-in-law's release and her cash back. A deputy chief surnamed Mou tore up the written request and drove them out.
When Ms. Qiu and her son-in-law's attorney went to the Jimo Domestic Security Division on September 12 to submit paperwork about this case, two officers again drove them out.
Repeated Rejection by Procuratorial Office
Although local police attempted to file the case against Ms. Qiu and her daughter-in-law multiple times, it was repeatedly rejected by the Jimo Procuratorial Office due to insufficient evidence. The police department later filed the case under “undermining the implementation of the law” to the procuratorial office. It was accepted and, because Jimo City judges recused themselves, the case was transferred to Pingdu Court.
Pingdu Court held a trial against Ms. Qiu's son-in-law and daughter-in-law at the Pudong Detention Center on July 13, 2017. A separate trial against Ms. Qiu took place at Pingdu Court on September 6, 2017.
Tongji Police notified Ms. Qiu on September 30 to come discuss the release of her family members. But when she and her daughter went there on October 9, she was arrested and held at the police station.
Three Sent to Prison
On the next day, October 10, 2017, Pingdu Court sentenced Ms. Qiu to three years of imprisonment with a fine of 40,000 yuan; her daughter-in-law, Ms. Li, four years, with a fine of 40,000 yuan; her son-in-law, Mr. Xu, 14 months. Ms. Li's daughter and sister were released.
Ms. Qiu was transferred to Jinan Women's Prison, where she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Prison officials discussed Ms. Qiu's situation in August 2018 with her neighborhood committee. As the committee declined to accept her, the prison has refused to grant her medical parole.
Ms. Qiu is currently undergoing chemotherapy in prison. Her daughter traveled more than 200 miles to visit her and was only given five minutes to see her.
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