70-Year-Old Woman's Spine Fractures in Detention—Family Not Allowed to Visit

A spinal injury that 70-year-old Ms. Wan Fulan suffered while she was held in a detention centre has left her disabled.

She is now being held in a prison hospital, and her family, who have not been informed of the extent of her injuries, have not been allowed to see her.

Ms. Wan is now unable to take care of herself and is bedridden, according to her lawyer, who was allowed to see her briefly in the prison hospital on October 30th, 2015.

The chief of the Linkou County Detention Centre in Heilongjiang Province has closely monitored Ms. Wan during her treatment. He told her lawyer that she fell down in her cell and injured herself while she was putting her trousers on.

With the detention centre chief standing next to her, Ms. Wan burst into tears but did not dare tell the lawyer what had happened to her.

Doctors told the lawyer that she sustained a 50 per cent fracture in her lumbar spine and will have to stay in bed for at least three months. They could not comment on her likelihood of recovery.

Her family went with the lawyer to see her but were barred from visiting her. They were told to go to the officer in charge of Ms. Wan's case to apply for a medical parole.

Obstructed Access to Court Document

The chief of the detention centre told Ms. Wan's family about her spinal fracture over the telephone on October 19th, but he wouldn't give them any further details about her condition. The family rushed to the prison hospital but were not allowed to see her. They hired a lawyer early on October 30th.

The lawyer got to work immediately. He first called the court officer in charge of Ms. Wan's case, who redirected him to court chief Zhang Weibing.

He called Zhang but got no answer. After two hours of dialling, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the lawyer finally got Zhang on the line and asked to see Ms. Wan's court documents.

“Since the case has not yet been reported to the Political and Legal Affairs Committee,” he told the lawyer, “you are not allowed to see the documents or meet with your client.”

Finding it hard to believe that the Committee could override the court, the lawyer requested a meeting with Zhang, who told the lawyer he had no time to meet with him.

The lawyer then accompanied Ms. Wan's family to the prison hospital. The detention centre chief agreed to let the lawyer see Ms. Wan, but her family was denied visitation.

Ms. Wan's Arrest

Ms. Wan is a resident of Liushu Town in Linkou County, Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province. She was in good health after she began practising Falun Gong.

She and another Falun Gong practitioner were arrested at 7 p.m. on September 2nd, 2015, for distributing materials and telling people about the persecution of Falun Gong. Ms. Wan and Ms. Wang Yuzhen were both sent to the Mudanjiang Detention Centre.

Ms. Wang was released 15 days after they were arrested on September 17th, but Ms. Wan was not. Her family has not been allowed to see her since the arrest.

People and institutions involved in the persecution of Ms. Wan:

Mudanjiang No. 2 Detention Centre, Linkou County, +86-453-8107372
Zhou Hongquan (周洪泉), from the prison hospital of Linkou County: +86-453-6925343 (Office), +86-13604531632 (Mobile)
Zhang Weibing (张伟兵), chief of the executive section of Linkou County court: +86-13704830477 (Mobile)
Sun Zhenyu (孙振宇), chief of Guchengzhen Police Station, Linkou County, +86-453-1594573234