Tangshan City No. 1 Detention Centre Prevents Ms. Jiao Xuemei from Seeing a Lawyer

Right before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Xishandao Police Station in Hebei Province, Tangshan City once again arrested Ms. Jiao Xuemei at work for no apparent reason. In September 2008, the Tangshan City Lubei Court held a hearing for Ms. Jiao. Only the prosecutor presented the case, at which time there was no physical evidence of any crime. It was stated that the evidence was destroyed by the police department. Without facts or evidence, the Lubei Court sentenced Ms. Jiao with the charge of "using a cult to destroy execution of the law." Ms. Jiao later appealed her case.

The case is now going to a second trial. Recently when Ms. Jiao and her lawyer, Mr. Tang Jitian, were about to meet to discuss the case, they were rudely obstructed by the police from the Tangshan City No.1 Detention Centre.

Mr. Tang Jitian was directed to the No. 3 meeting room. The lights were not working in this room, and it was very dark so he could not work properly. Consequently he requested another meeting room. Although all the other rooms were empty at that time, a police officer with Badge Identification No. 083306 claimed, "You better meet her in this room, as this is the best room." He even threatened the lawyer, "Do you really want to see her or not? I could deny your visitor's rights."

Lawyer Mr. Tang explained many times that by law he had the right to meet the defendant. This officer asked to see his lawyer licence and the authorization letter. He photocopied the licence, but then threw the documents out the door. When the lawyer asked for his police identification number, the officer turned away and tore off his identification patch from his shirt.

Mr. Tang found the chief of the Tangshan City No.1 Detention Centre, and after many rounds of communication, he finally got a chance to see Ms. Jiao for a very short period.

The Tangshan City No.1 Detention Centre has tried many times to prevent Falun Gong practitioners from seeing their lawyers. In the case of practitioners Mr. He Yixing and Ms. Zhang Yueqin, the police did not allow their lawyers to visit them for six months until the court day.

Ms. Jiao Xuemei is an employee of the Western Heat and Energy Company in Tangshan City. She started to practise Falun Gong in 1999. Not long after she started practising, she miraculously recovered from health problems that she had had for years, such as fungal skin infections and allergic rhinitis. However, because of practising Falun Gong, she was arrested four times from 1999 to 2009. During these ten years, the persecution she experienced has never stopped. Her family has also suffered tremendously, both financially and mentally.

Zhou Jinglin, deputy chief of Tangshan City Police Department (recently promoted to head of the local 610 Office): 86-315-2530002 (Office), 86-315-2836588 (Office), 86-315-2236588 (Home), 86-13832980005 (Mobile)

Tangshan City No. 1 Detention Centre:
Sun Yansong, chief: 86-315-2532517, 86-13832980206 (Mobile)
Xiang Zhongyuan, Political Commissioner: 86-13832955551(Mobile)
Zhang Lanzhong (in charge of lawyer visits): 86-315-2854999
Peng Lixing, director of district 610 Office in Lubei District, Tangshan City Lubei District: 86-315-3724166 (Office), 86-13731552367 (Mobile)

Ms. Jiao's employer, Western Heat and Energy Inc.
Kang Yuhen, Manager: 86-13513338846 (Mobile)
Jin Hongge, Secretary: 86-13931514122 (Mobile), 86-315-3178969 (Home)

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/2/19/195718.html