Hebei Province Elementary Schoolteacher Ms. Zhao Minghua and Her Husband Arrested and Tortured

Elementary schoolteacher Ms. Zhao Minghua and her husband, Mr. Li Yankui, from Qianan City, Hebei Province, both Falun Gong practitioners, were arrested and tortured in October 2007 by Qianan Domestic Security police. On December 21st, 2007, the couple was arrested and tried by the court.

Ms. Zhao Minghua was introduced to Falun Gong in 1998. Her husband worked for Qianan City Farmer's Bank. Their daughter, who lived with them, also practises Falun Gong.

In October 2007, the couple was arrested by Ha Fulong of the Qianan City Domestic Security and several other officers. After 18 months, the couple is still in Qianan City Detention Centre. This is far in excess for the allowable length of detention set by law.

While they were held in the detention centre, they were both tortured by means of electric shock, long periods of sun exposure, and excessive physical activity. The police deceived and abused them and forced confessions from them. When Li Yankui was arrested, the police were not in uniform and they did not present an arrest warrant..

On November 10th, 2007, the couple was released and no charges were brought against them, but they were forced to go to a brainwashing centre. Domestic Security police arrested them again on December 21st, 2007, and took them to Qianan City Detention Centre for the second time. On January 8th, 2008, a trial was brought against them and submitted to the court.. Due to lack of evidence, the case was rejected and sent back to the police department. The police started over, gathering new evidence and even fabricating evidence. They falsified information, such as lying about the quantity of evidence collected, in order to convince the judge of the severity of the charges. On March 13th, 2008, the couple was tried again. Their court date was June 11th, 2008, and they should have been released that same day. Instead they still remain in custody

Before this happened, Ms. Zhao, an excellent teacher, spent 567 days in a brainwashing centre between December 21st, 2000, and July 11th, 2007. She was abused and her salary was suspended.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/4/19/199247.html