Ms. Li Xiumin Forced to Await Trial in Custody, Despite Serious Medical Condition

Ms. Li Xiumin, a Falun Gong practitioner from Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province was arrested and has been detained by the local Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities for eight months. She is now suffering from a tumour in her uterus. Li Xiumin was sentenced to five years of imprisonment by judge Ding Hong from Xinhua District Court, with the 610 Office¹ controlling the court behind the scenes. Xinhua's Public Bureau of National Security Section team leader Fan Zhimou approved the draft warrant and reported to the warrant issuing department of Xinhua District Procuratorate. Li Xiumin appealed to the Shijiazhuang Intermediate Court. The judge of the No.2 Criminal Court, Wang Yingchen, has been refusing the request for Li Xiumin to obtain a guarantor, forcing her to await trial while in custody, despite the fact that her life is in danger with each passing day.

Li Xiumin, has suffered poor health ever since she was young. She started to practise Falun Gong in 1995, and afterwards all of the illnesses and symptoms disappeared completely. Since she began to practice she was awarded with the advanced worker award for four consecutive years. However, in the last eight years of the persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP, Li Xiumin was sent to forced labour camps for more than four years in total. She has suffered physical torture and endured great mental stress in the labour camps, which caused her to have a variety of very serious pathological problems.

On the night of May 23rd, 2007, Li Xiumin and another Falun Gong practitioner were arrested by Xisanzhuang Security Committee militia members Li Qingchen, Fu Wenkai, Zhang Zhengang, Ge Wenlin and the Xinhua Public Security Bureau Shangcheng Local Police Station. Li Qingchen hit Li Xiumin many times on her face while searching her body. During the night, they wouldn't allow Li Xiumin go to the toilet with the excuse that they couldn't find the key to open her handcuffs. Shangcheng Local Police Station Political Instructor Guo Lianxi, with orders from the CCP, sent Liu Xiumin and the other Falun Gong practitioner to Shijiazhuang No.2 Detention Centre to be detained until further notice.

On July 19th, 2007, the Shijiazhuang No.2 Detention Centre called Li Xiumin's family and told them that Li Xiumin had developed very serious pathological problems. She has now retinitis in her eyes, her facial paralysis has recurred and she also developed severe abdominal pain. They asked the family for money to give Li Xiumin a physical examination. The detention centre said later that they had reported Li Xiumin's health situation regarding the pain and the eye disease to the Xinhua District Court in August.

On September 26th, 2007, during the court session, Li Erli, the lawyer appointed by the court to defend Li Xiumin said, "Li Xiumin suffers from an eye disease and blurred vision. Details are included in the report sent by the No.2 Detention Centre. Li Xiumin also has a tumour in her uterus, suffers abdominal pain and bleeding, accompanied by severe headaches and lumbago. She needs to be treated immediately."

Li Xiumin's family noticed her taking slow steps when walking. Her body was emaciated and weak, and her face was very yellow. It is said that before the court session, the Xinhua District Court handed in a report to the Intermediate Court for Li Xiumin to await trial in custody, but the Intermediate Court didn't approve it.

Li Xiumin, has been suffering from frequent abdominal pain for the last three or four months. The hospital has made a definite diagnosis of two tumours in her uterus. She has also suffered from sore eyes and blurred vision for more than eight months. When the symptoms were serious, Li Xiumin described the pain as having someone digging out her eyeballs. The pain has spread to her whole head, face, reaching the end of her ears and even her teeth. This makes it completely impossible for her to be able to fall asleep at night.

Since July 19th,2007, when they discovered their daughter's health condition, Li Xiumin's parents, who are nearly seventy years old, have been fighting for their daughter's right to medical treatment while awaiting trial. Their daughter's physical situation is worsening daily and every moment her life is in real danger. The older couple are worried in their waking hours and even worried in their sleep for their daughter--especially Li Xiumin's father, who has had no appetite at all and lies in bed most of the time feeling extremely sick. Meanwhile, the Shijiazhuang Intermediate Court is deliberately delaying the appeal and acting with utter disregard for human life.

Shijiazhuang No.2 Detention Centre:
Deputy Director: Wang Zhibin 86-311-87755202 (Office);
Director: Wang Shuting 86-311-87755213, 86-13931171888(Mobile) 86-13781581859 (Mobile)
Political Instructor: Zhang Hongqi 86-311-87755202 (Office)

Shijiazhuang Intermediate Court: 86-311-85187214
Wang Yingchen (Main judge of Li Xiumin's case)
Executive Hotline: 86-311-85187173, 86-311-85187121 (for concerned party to query, appeal and report)

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/1/24/170977.html