(Minghui.org) A Gaomi City, Shandong Province resident has been denied contact with her family since she was arrested on February 8, 2023 for practicing Falun Gong. Her family heard that she had been secretly tried, but both the judge and the prosecutor refused to provide further information when they called to inquire about her case status.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Qin Shaohua’s latest persecution stemmed from an earlier arrest on May 31, 2022, after she was reported by a property management employee for distributing information about Falun Gong in the subdivision. The police took her keys and raided her home. She was released on bail in the evening after a brief interrogation.
Three officers showed up at Ms. Qin’s home on September 29 and took her to the Gaomi City Procuratorate for an interrogation by the prosecutor. She returned home on the same day.
Three officers came again on November 17 and took Ms. Qin to the Gaomi City Court. A staffer there told her that she was scheduled to stand trial on December 1, 2022.
As Ms. Qin refused to acknowledge the wrongful prosecution and didn’t appear in court for the scheduled hearing, the police arrested her on February 8, 2023 and took her to the Weifang City Detention Center. The police called her family two days later and told them that her arrest had been approved.
An insider revealed to Ms. Qin’s family that the Gaomi City Court had a secret hearing of her case after her arrest. Her family called the court and the procuratorate several times to inquire about her case, but they were either ignored or stonewalled.
The family called judge Liu Zhaosheng’s office again on March 2. Someone picked up the phone but hung up as soon as the family asked about Ms. Qin’s situation. The family then called prosecutor Pan Honghui’s office. His assistant answered the call and then passed the phone to the “person in charge of the case.” When the family asked if he was Pan, he lied, claiming that Pan had just left, although the family had already recognized his voice. Pan also asked the family whether they practiced Falun Gong as well. He said he had made note of their phone number and dared them to file complaints against him.
Family’s Persecution
Ms. Qin took up Falun Gong with her parents and younger sister in 1998. The family has since been subjected to repeated arrests and incarceration since the onset of the persecution a year later.
Ms. Qin’s parents, Mr. Qin Songfa and Ms. Xu Xiuzhen, were arrested on April 7, 2011, after being reported for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. Both of them were sentenced to three years and six months by the Gaomi City Court.
As Ms. Qin went to the local appeals office to seek justice for her parents, she was arrested on August 24, 2011 and given one year of forced labor.
Ms. Qin’s parents and sister were arrested at home again on April 4, 2014. Her sister was released on the same evening and her parents were both detained for 38 days.
Ms. Qin’s parents were arrested one more time on March 5, 2016 for distributing Falun Gong materials. Ms. Qin was arrested on March 17 that year for hiring a lawyer for her parents. She managed to escape while the police were ransacking her home.
Three officers showed up at Ms. Qin’s workplace on November 13, 2020 and arrested her, saying that it was because she escaped arrest four years prior. Each of the officers was given a bonus of 3,600 yuan for arresting her. They laughed as they counted the money in front of her.
Ms. Qin was taken to the Changyi Detention Center on the next day after spending one night at the police station. She was released on November 27, 2020.
Perpetrators’ contact information:
Pan Honghui (潘洪辉), prosecutor of Gaomi City Procuratorate: +86-18506362607, +86-536-3012622Liu Zhaosheng (刘兆胜), judge of Gaomi City Court: +86-536-2678039
Related report:
Husband and Wife Detained, Daughter Persecuted for Hiring a Lawyer
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