(Minghui.org) A 78-year-old woman in Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province was recently taken to the Shijiazhuang Women’s Prison to serve four years for her faith in Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Li Guibin was arrested on April 27, 2018 while studying Falun Gong teachings with three other Falun Gong practitioners, including Mr. Gao Xingtai, then 65, Ms. Song Hezhen, in her 70s, and Ms. Shang Xiujun, in her 50s.
While Ms. Song’s situation wasn’t clear, both Ms. Li and Mr. Gao failed to pass the physical examination and were rejected admission by the Qinhuangdao City No. 1 Detention Center. The police released them and put them under house arrest.
Ms. Shang was held at the Qinhuangdao City No. 2 Detention Center for ten days, during which time she lost more than 20 pounds, and suffered severe back pain. She passed away on June 17, less than two months after she was released on May 7.
The police later submitted Ms. Li and Mr. Gao’s case to the Li County Procuratorate. Ms. Li was arrested again two more times, on August 20 and December 27, 2018. Each time she was interrogated and released home. As she refused to sign the interrogation records, the police signed the paperwork for her against her will.
Due to the constant harassment, Ms. Li developed symptoms of a stroke, was unable to talk, and had difficulty walking for a period of time.
The Changli County Court sentenced Ms. Li to four years in prison with a 10,000 yuan fine, and Mr. Gao to seven years in prison with a 20,000 yuan fine on July 16, 2019.
Ms. Li was summoned to the court on July 27, 2019. As she refused to go, the police came to her home on August 18 to look for her. Upon noticing that she wasn’t home, the police returned on the next morning and took her to the police hospital, where she was given a Covid test and was found to have high blood pressure. As the Covid test result wasn’t available right away, Ms. Li ended up staying overnight in the hospital. The next morning, she was given a comprehensive physical examination.
While she was in the hospital, officers took turns monitoring her, even when she used the restroom. After leaving the hospital the next afternoon, the police said she needed to go to the local detention center just to “go through the formalities.” She told the detention center doctor that Falun Gong cured her colon cancer, which hadn’t improved after six rounds of chemotherapy. The doctor took her blood pressure, which was still very high.
As the detention center refused to admit her, the police took her back home.
Ms. Li was taken back into custody at the Qinhuangdao Detention Center on November 18, 2020 and denied family visits. It was recently confirmed that she was transferred to the Shijiazhuang Women’s Prison to serve time.
Past Persecution
Ms. Li took up Falun Gong in 2003 when she was struggling with late-stage colon cancer. Only days after she read Falun Gong’s teaching, she regained some strength and gradually recovered.
Feeling compelled to speak up for Falun Gong and let more people benefit from it, Ms. Li went out and talked to people on the street. She was arrested on December 14, 2004. She suffered a seizure episode at the police station and was released.
Ms. Li was arrested again on October 22, 2005 for talking to people about Falun Gong. Her home was ransacked.
She was arrested three more times, on August 29, 2007, August 23, 2014, and July 27, 2017, also for spreading information about Falun Gong.
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