The Persecution of Practitioner Ms. Cheng Xiuhua

At the hearing for Ms. Cheng Xiuhua on November 20th, 2009, in the Songyuan City Court in Jilin Province, the human rights lawyer presented a very strong defence. When he stepped forward to say that "cultivating Falun Gong is legitimate behaviour according to current Chinese law," the court went out of control and had to call for a recess. The court has not resumed the hearing to this day. Ms. Cheng has not been sentenced, and is still being detained even though she is seriously ill.

Ms. Cheng suffered previously from a serious heart attack, high blood pressure, and gynaecological problems. After practising Falun Gong, her health problems disappeared, and she became physically light, very healthy, and ready to help others. Everyone who knows her says she is kind-hearted.

On the afternoon of August 12th, 2009, when she was out distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong, she was reported to the police. 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) agents searched her and later ransacked her home. At around 11:00 p.m. the same evening, she was taken to Songyuan City Detention Centre and held, then transferred to the Shanyou Detention Centre.

During her detention, the guards refused to let her sleep on the bed. Instead they forced her to sleep on the ice-cold floor. They said that they were afraid she might fall out of bed onto the floor. There was one female officer who was very nasty. She snatched away the steamed bun that Ms. Cheng was eating, threw it on the floor, and didn't let her eat or drink. The guards also yelled at her, and threatened and insulted her. The female officer threatened that they were going to give her a very severe sentence, etc. Due to the mental pressure Ms. Cheng's health problems returned and she lost the ability to walk for some time. When her family went to visit her, the police turned them away. The police also pressured Ms. Cheng and threatened her family that they would sentence her severely.

Ms. Cheng subsequently became seriously ill. Under the strong demands of her family, the corrupt representatives of the Songyuan Procuratorate, the detention centre, and the Public Security Bureau took her to the hospital for an exam. The police said that because she refused to have any injections, they would not to release her. They then took her to the Shanyou Detention Centre. Her children went everywhere trying to rescue her, but to no avail. When they heard that a court date had been set, her family hired two human rights lawyers named Zhang Chuanli and Lan Zhixue.

During the trial, the lawyers tried to verify the evidence that was being used against her. They discovered that the so-called evidence was fabricated, and the facts were severely twisted. In the courtroom, Ms. Cheng's hands kept shaking, she appeared very weak, and she seemed to be severely ill. The lawyer questioned the judge as to why someone in her condition was not allowed to be bailed-out to await trial. The lawyers were told that this had nothing to do with the court, that it was the Songyuan City Shanyou Detention Centre that didn't provide the necessary medical review procedures.

After the trial, Ms. Cheng's family entrusted their lawyers with the task of negotiating with the court, asking for "medical treatment on bail." The court agreed and produced the relevant written documents, but the responsible staff at the Shanyou Detention Centre refused to release her, claiming that her physical condition did not qualify her for medical treatment on bail.

The judge, Li Xiumei, revealed the inside story. According to her, "the superior" (the political and judicial committee or the 610 Office) severely criticised her, Li Xiumei, for rushing into the trial without clear knowledge of the situation with the lawyers. This made them very passive. Currently the case is under public observation, so they won't be able to do whatever they want to persecute Ms. Cheng Xiuhua. Li Xiumei went in person to talk to Ms. Cheng Xiuhua's family, ordering them to fire their lawyers. The staff of the Public Security Bureau, Procuratorate, and court went so far as to ask Ms. Cheng's husband about how he hired the lawyers from Beijing. Her husband also received an inquiry phone call that sounded very much like Li Xiumei. The anonymous caller said that her family faced the same situation, and she also wanted to hire human right lawyers who dared to defend Falun Gong. She wanted to know how to contact those lawyers.

The relevant staff of the Songyuan Court currently sees no way to back down and they do not want to shoulder the responsibility. They have now transferred the case to the Songyuan City Political and Judicial committee or the 610 Office.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/1/27/217048.html