Ms. Chen Haibin Suffers from Stroke; Masanjia Forced Labour Camp Refuses to Release Her

Ms. Chen Haibin is a Falun Gong practitioner from Dalian City, Liaoning Province. She was arrested in Xinghai Park by officers Ma Jun and Zhang from the Kunming Police Station on June 6th, 2012. Several weeks later, on June 25th, she was sent to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp to serve an 18-month term.

Ms. Chen now appears to have suffered a stroke. When her husband and son saw her on June 18th, 2013, she had a black eye, walked slowly and complained of leg pain, which she did not have before.

The family asked police officer Zhang, who was monitoring the visit, to release Ms. Chen immediately. Zhang replied that even the director of the labour camp could only go along with the team head’s opinion. Head of Women's Team No. 3, Zhang Lili, declared that as long as she was in charge, Ms. Chen would not be released before serving the full term.

Family Denied Visitation

In early July 2012, Ms. Chen’s family got a phone call from officer Guo Yao of the labour camp's Women’s Team No. 3, telling them to bring some clothes and 1,000 yuan for Ms. Chen. The family was barred from seeing her.

In early August 2012, Guo Yao called again to ask for 2,000 yuan to cover Ms. Chen's medical expenses. The family became worried and came to the labour camp to see their loved one; however, they were still denied visitation.

Guo said that Ms. Chen had felt dizzy and a brain scan revealed some dark spots. When the family asked to take her home for treatment, Guo Yao refused, saying that even people with more severe symptoms were not released.

The family pointed out that her condition must have been caused by the persecution in the labor camp, as she had been healthy before the arrest, and that since the Kunming Police Station had confiscated Ms. Chen's medical card, they could not cover the medical costs. Guo had nothing to say.

“What Have You Done to Her?”

Family members attempted to visit Ms. Chen six times, but were denied on every occasion. Her husband and son were finally allowed to see her in January 2013. Ms. Chen was pale and skinny, her hair had turned white, and she could hardly talk.

Her husband angrily asked the officers: “What have you done to her? She wasn’t like this when she was initially detained!”

The head of Women’s Team No. 3 said that Ms. Chen had complained about headaches and dizziness, and that she was sent to the hospital several times, but doctors could not find the problem. They wanted the family's consent to do a CT scan.

Medical Parole Denied

During her previous detention in the Dalian Forced Labour Camp from 2003 to 2006, Ms. Chen had exhibited symptoms of a stroke. Fearing that her condition may have returned, the family asked to accompany her to the hospital. Their request was denied.

Masanjia Forced Labour Camp officials also denied their repeated pleas for a medical parole, saying that her condition was not severe enough.

Ms. Chen's family then went to the Kunming Police Station to demand her release, but the police told them that they could not do anything without the labour camp's consent.

The family later learned that Ms. Chen’s condition actually qualified her for a medical parole, but Masanjia officials decided to keep her because she refused to renounce her belief.

During Ms. Chen's first imprisonment at the Dalian Forced Labour Camp, the family members had raised concern about her medical condition by appealing to the Dalian Women’s Association, the Justice Department and the Procuratorate, but to no avail. Upon her release, Ms. Chen had the appearance of an 80-year-old and was too weak to get out of bed. The hospital diagnosed her with a stroke.

Shortly after returning home at that time, Ms. Chen resumed practising Falun Gong and regained her health.

Now she has been imprisoned again, and once again has exhibited the symptoms of a stroke.

Parties Involved in the Persecution

Masanjia Forced Labour Camp: +86-24-89216810
Officer Guo Yao: +86-24-89295020
Office of Team No. 3: +86-24-89295020