Cui Lixin's Family Requests Her Immediate Release From Forced Labour Camp For Medical Treatment

Ms. Cui Lixin is a Falun Gong practitioner in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. She was sentenced to forced labour in June 2007. Currently she is diagnosed with an intestinal adhesion and is in danger. Her mother-in-law has written letters to the relevant authorities asking that her daughter-in-law be released for medical treatment. Here is the letter:

To whom it may concern -- The Legal Units, the Police Department and the Labour Camp

My name is Wu Xiaodong. I'm 76 years old and I am the mother-in-law of Cui Lixin. We have just learned that my daughter-in-law Cui Lixin has an intestinal adhesion and the entire family is worried about her. If she remains in the labour camp, her life will be in grave danger. Therefore, we ask you to release her for medical treatment.

Since Cui Lixin was sentenced to forced labour in June 2007 for the second time, our whole family, both the old and the young, have had a hard time in life. After Cui Lixin began practising Falun Gong, she gained a good reputation at her work unit. At home, she took care of her old parents and her young child and was the backbone of the entire family. Since she was sentenced to forced labour because she practises Falun Gong, it's as though half the sky has collapsed at home. My grandson has lost his mother. No one supervises his schooling or makes sure that he is fed or clothed. Whenever I hear my grandson talking about his mother, I can't help crying. My son has to travel a lot for business to support the family and has no time to take care of the child. I am over 70 years old now, and I have to travel a great distance from the countryside to take care of my son's broken family. I'm old and I have medical problems of my own. It's too hard for me to do all the household chores every day and take care of the child.

Cui Lixin's own mother passed away last year. Her father is over 80 years old. Just after suffering the loss of his wife, he saw his beloved youngest daughter Cui Lixin detained and sentenced to forced labour, which depressed him deeply. He used to be alert and very healthy, but later he lost his memory. Now, he cannot even recognize his own family members. However, he keeps asking the people around him where his daughter is. We've all kept the bad news from him, in case he couldn't handle it.

My daughter-in-law has been always excellent and filial. Those who know her, all praise her. She started to practise Falun Gong to improve her health. In 2000, she went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. For this, she was detained and was sentenced to four years in jail. At that time, her son was only three years old. In June 2007, just a few days after her mum passed away, she was arrested by the police from the Yucaijie Police Station, Shijiazhuang City. She was detained for 15 days. She was released for medical treatment after her health was endangered because of a hunger strike. At that time, her home was raided. Many of the family's personal items were were stolen, including a laptop, the fax machine and the copier machine used for doing business for a foreign company, personal sound equipment, handsets, jewellery, watches, a camera, 6,300 yuan¹ in cash, and a savings account bankbook containing 36000 yuan.

After we demanded a receipt for these items several times, the police from Yucaijie Police Station finally provided it for the stolen items and indicated they would be returned "someday." However, 5,000 yuan of the cash was not listed. According to Tan Yun, Party Head of the Yucaijie Police Station, that money was being used as "security" money for Cui Lixin to ensure that she would not go out to "make trouble." When Cui Lixin was arrested at home in September 2007, Tan Yun then claimed that since Cui Lixin was not at home any more, the "security" money would not be returned. Cui Lixin was at home until she was arrested. They used such a flimsy excuse to confiscate personal property.

On September 28th, 2007, before the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) 17th National Congress took place, Cui Lixin was arrested at her home and was then sentenced to one year and three months of forced labour. Her nine-year-old son once again lost his mother. At the beginning of this year, because of her stomach perforation, Cui Lixin had been allowed to seek outside medical treatment. However, because of the Beijing Summer Olympic Games taking place, she was once again forcefully sent back to the labour camp, although she hadn't fully recovered yet and was still very weak. Now she is in very serious condition and her life is in danger. We are very worried. We could not handle the situation if she were to leave us forever.

We urgently request the relevant branches and personnel, please consider the difficulties of my family and release my daughter-in-law, Cui Lixin.

Wu Xiaodong, Cui Lixins mother-in-law

Related personnel:
Hebei Province Women's Forced Labour Camp Head, Feng Kezhuang, 86-311-83939177
Hebie Province Labour Camp Administration Bureau:
Liu Xiangdong, Head, 86-311-88607838
Zhang Jinbo, Deputy Head, 86-311-88607839
Yang Zhi, Party Head, 86-311-88607799
Shijiazhuang City Labour Camp Committee Head, Pan, 86-311-86863196, 86-311-86863190

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/10/26/188563.html