Police in Hebei Province Confiscate 100,000 Yuan from Ms. Lu Guifen and Send Her to Trial

After the police arrested and confiscated over 100,000 yuan¹ from Ms. Lu Guifen on February 25th, 2014, they arranged for her to go on trial, which was set to take place this month. Her children were harassed and not allowed to visit her. Her attorney was also harassed while trying to access legal documents related to his client.

Arrest and Trial

The Laishui County Procuratorate approved the arrest for Ms. Lu on April 4th, 2014, months after the actual arrest. The case was subsequently transferred to the Laishui Police Department. The police submitted the case to the Prosecution Section of the Laishui Procuratorate on April 25th. Based on the information available, the Laishui Procuratorate was planning to indict Ms. Lu on May 4th, 2014, and hold the trial for her on June 10th, 2014.

Ms. Lu's family hired a lawyer to defend her. The lawyer submitted the Power of Attorney to the Laishui Procuratorate on May 19 and requested to access documents related to his client. However, the Prosecution Section staff asked the attorney to verify that he is not a Falun Gong practitioner.

The Prosecution Section staff simply closed the door when the attorney questioned them about the legal basis for doing so. The attorney obtained the permission to read Ms. Lu's file on May 20th after he filed a complaint to the Report Section with the Laishui Procuratorate.

Family Harassed

Worried about Ms. Lu's safety, her children went to the Laishui Police Department to seek her release. Her eldest daughter fainted in the office of the Laishui Police Department. Disregarding the daughter's well-being, the officers ordered them all to leave. They arrested Ms. Lu's youngest daughter and detained her for two weeks. The officers also pressured her son to put his thumbprint on the testimony put together by the police.

Her children made a request for visitation, but it was rejected and they were intimidated by the police. The police threatened to interfere with the company that the children own. Her daughters became scared to reach out to others for support.

15 Years of Abuse

Ms. Lu became healthy as a result of practising Falun Gong and was known for helping others. However, she was arrested and detained multiple times for upholding her faith, and her personal belongings were confiscated.

Note

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