Ms. Li Xiumin Held in the Women's Prison of Hebei Province and Denied Family Visitation Rights

Ms. Li Xiumin, a practitioner from Zhijiazhuan, Hebei Province, was tortured in a forced labour camp and developed several severe diseases. In March 2007, she was temporarily released for medical treatment. On May 2nd, she was taken away again. She is currently detained in the women's prison in Hebei Province. The prison claimed that she would not be allowed family visits for one month. Staff from Shangcheng Police Station, the No.2 Detention Station in Shijiazhuang, the court, and Hebei Province Women's Prison have been making excuses and/or lying to prevent her elderly parents from visiting her for the past year.

On the night of May 23rd, 2007, Ms. Li Xiumin and Huo Junmei got lost while on business. They went to Xisanzhuan County and put up a flyer stating, "Falun Gong is good!" They were reported and taken to Shangcheng Police Station.

Ms. Li's parents spent a whole day looking for her. The police told them to pick her up. Her parents are nearing 70. They arrived at the police station at 8 p.m. that night. The policeman on duty, who was very rude, said that the supervisor was not around and that they would have to come back the following day.

On the morning of May 25th, the elderly couple went to the police station early and found the supervisor, surnamed Guo, who was in charge of the case. Guo said that their daughter was anti-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that the police had to report her to upper-level officials. During this period, the police there beat Ms. Li twice, once because she requested to go to the toilet and again when she asked for food. Guo lied to her parents, saying, "We treat her well. There is no need for you to worry." At around 4 p.m. that afternoon, before her family returned, Shangcheng Police Station officers took her to the No. 2 Detention Station in Shijiazhuang.

On May 30th, several family members went to Shangcheng Police Station to demand the release of Ms. Li Xiumin. Supervisor Guo convinced them to go look for Captain Fan Zhimo at the Xinhua Police Branch. Consequently, pictures were taken of all the family members. In the morning on June 6th, while her family members were at Shangcheng Police Station, several policemen forced them out of the door and then locked them out. The next day, her family called Supervisor Guo, who refused to answer the phone. Later they called his cell phone and asked him why he did not keep his promise to release Ms. Li. Guo answered, "Don't look for me again. She was arrested and only upper level officials can determine her case."

On July 19th, the No. 2 Detention Station in Shijiazhuang informed Li Xiumin's family that she had retinitis and that her facial nerve paralysis had recurred. The detention station reported this news to the Procuratorate in the Xinhua District, who agreed to send her for medical examination. Her family pleaded with the police to release her temporarily for medical treatment.

During her term of "re-education" by forced labour, Li Xiuming developed mammary gland proliferation and a tumor in her cervix that increased to three centimetres, among other problems. She was temporarily released for medical treatment in March 2007 before being arrested again and taken to the detention centre. The poor environment there caused her health to deteriorate further. She was very weak and had blurry vision, possibly a complication due to cancer. Her life will be in danger if the persecution against her continues.

Li Xiumin's parents are nearly 70 years old. After hearing the news, they were extremely worried and consulted more than 10 lawyers. Most of the lawyers were sympathetic about the ill-treatment towards practitioners but were afraid of pressure from the CCP and dared not get involved in the case. Finally, Ms. Li's family managed to find a lawyer who was willing to help, but the law firm returned the fee and forfeited the contract two days later, expressing apology and sympathy. Some law firms were even more arrogant. When asked about who made the regulation that Falun Gong cases were not allowed lawyers, the staff answered, "upper levels" but refused to provide any documentation.

There was another case in Shijiazhuang when practitioner Mr. Zuo Zhigang was tortured to death. His family appealed for more than six years. His death was never even investigated. However, putting up a flyer stating "Falun Gong is good" became an "anti-revolution crime," and a CCP "procuratorate" immediately investigated and tried to sentence the victim. This case is just one example of the so-called "best period in human rights" that the CCP promised to the international community.

On September 26th, 2007, the court held a show trial in which Ms. Li was not sentenced. A month later, the court informed her family that she had been sentenced to five years in prison. She appealed the decision, but the court refused to budge. Her family asked for a written judgement, but the court could not produce it. Later, the court allowed lawyers in the case but ignored their strong defence supported with evidence. The court informed Li Xiumin herself of the decision but not her family.

On February 18th, 2008, Li Xiumin's mother went to the No. 2 Detention Station and asked to see her daughter. However, the deputy director of the Detention Station with the last name "Wang" was not around, and they told her to come back on the next day. She returned the next morning and learned that the court had upheld the original judgement and that her family could not see Li Xiumin without a certain document. The family did not know much about these legal procedures, so they consulted a lawyer, who told them that as long as Ms. Li was sentenced, the family should be allowed to visit; otherwise it was illegal.

Ms. Li's mother called Deputy Director Wang at noon and asked why they would not allow family visits, mentioning that doing so was illegal. The deputy director could not give an answer. In the afternoon, the family went to the detention station again. The director with last name "Liu" told them that Li Xiumin had already been sent to the women's prison in Hebei and that it was not their business any more.

On February 20th, Ms. Li's family went to the prison to visit her. The staff told them that family visits were not allowed until one month after prisoners were sent to different districts of the prison. The prison even checked their records in the computer and said that Li Xiumin was not in their records. The family grew very worried because they did not know where Ms. Li was.

On March 5th, 2008, after going back and forth, the family finally confirmed that Li Xiumin was in Hebei Women's Prison. Her family wants to visit Xiumin, but the prison refused to allow the visit for another month.

Telephone numbers of the people involved in the kidnap and detention of Li Xiumin

Shangcheng Police Station in the Xinhua Branch of the Shijiazhuang Police Department:

Address: LianMengXilu, #771, Shijiazhuang

Front Desk: 86-311-87755396

Supervisor Guo Lianxi (in charge of persecuting Falun Gong): 86-311-87759766 (Office), 86-13785139999 (Mobile)
Director He Tiajun: 86-13803333936(Mobile)
Deputy director with the last name Zhou: 86-13932172791 (Mobile)

Related article: http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200802/43089.html

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/3/29/175386.html