(Minghui.org) A woman who had been taking care of her bedridden husband for the past eight years was recently sentenced to a 2.5-year prison term with a 20,000 yuan fine, for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Zhang Cui’s husband is now suffering from declining health after he was taken to a nursing home following her arrest. Her mother-in-law, who is in her 80s, also struggles to care for herself due to worsening rheumatism.
Ms. Zhang, a Dalian City, Liaoning province resident in her 50s, was arrested outside her home early on the evening of March 26, 2020. She was taken to the Xinzhaizi Police Station and released the same day after being put under house arrest.
After the police took her into custody again on September 16, 2020, a staff member from the Gaoxinyuan District Procuratorate came to the police station in the evening and approved her arrest.
Family’s Plight
Ms. Zhang’s husband became paraplegic following a work-related accident in 2013. He has since relied on her to care for him and his daily activities, including eating, bathing, turning his body in bed, and manually removing his fecal impaction. In addition to her husband, Ms. Zhang’s mother-in-law, in her 80s, also relied on Ms. Zhang to cook and care for her.
After Ms. Zhang was taken to the Yaojia Detention Center on September 18, 2020, her husband was left unattended and their daughter had to take him to a nursing home.
The police submitted Ms. Zhang’s case to the Ganjingzi District Procuratorate on October 30, 2020. She was indicted on November 25 and had her case moved to the Ganjingzi District Court.
In early February 2021, Ms. Zhang’s daughter, in her 20s, went to the court to seek her release. Security personnel blocked her outside and said that she would only be let in if the judge agreed to meet with her. She kept calling judge Jin Hua, who was in charge of Ms. Zhang’s case. After Jin finally answered her call, she said that Falun Gong cases are very special and she had nothing to reveal. Jin also asked whether Ms. Zhang’s daughter practiced Falun Gong, and what her attitude was towards it.
With the daughter’s persistence, Jin sent her assistant to meet with her. Ms. Zhang’s daughter gave the judge a letter, in which she detailed how her father was suffering declining health and mental distress. She said that he was in enormous pain, yet the pain killer had no effect on him.
“As I’m not allowed to visit him due to the pandemic, he has been calling me every day and asking when my mother will return,” wrote the daughter.
“Not only my father, but my grandmother also suffers from rheumatism and is unable to go down stairs. When I called her, it took her a very long time to walk to the phone to answer it. She is also longing for my mother’s return.”
“I don’t understand why the police had to arrest such a kind person. The law is to punish bad people, not to restrain good people. Both my father and grandmother are very worried about my mother. We all hope that she can be released earlier and spend the Chinese New Year with us. Please help us.”
Court Hearing and Sentencing
Despite the daughter’s plea, the judge still proceeded with the prosecution of Ms. Zhang and scheduled a hearing for September 16, 2021.
During her trial, Ms. Zhang argued that no law has ever criminalized Falun Gong in China, and she denied any wrongdoing for practicing Falun Gong. Her lawyer also entered a not guilty plea for her and demanded her acquittal due to her family situation.
The judge informed Ms. Zhang’s family in early November 2021 that she has been sentenced to a 2.5-year prison term and a fine of 20,000 yuan. The family is also facing financial distress as Ms. Zhang’s pension has also been suspended since June 2021.
Perpetrators’ contact information:
Jin Hua (金华), judge of Ganjingzi District Court: +86-411-82793897, +86-19104113632Ji Xiaohui (纪晓慧), prosecutor of Ganjingzi District Procuratorate: +86-411-86579990Guan Peiqiang (管培强), officer of Longwangtang Police Station: +86-15940809959, +86-18341117928
(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)
Related article in Chinese:
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