Ms. Wang Jinfeng Sentenced to Seven Years of Imprisonment

Name: Wang Jinfeng
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Address: Sanjiazi Village, Xiaochengzi Town, Kangping County, Shenyang City
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 12th, 2009
Most Recent Place of Detention: Unknown
City: Shenyang
Province: Liaoning
Persecution Suffered: Electric shock, sleep deprivation, forced labour, brainwashing, beatings, torture, force-feedings, extortion, physical restraint, home ransacked, interrogation, detention

On February 5th, 2010, Ms. Wang Jinfeng was brought to trial in Kangping County Court, Shenyang City. Fifteen days later she was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment. Ms. Wang appealed, but the original decision was upheld by the intermediate court of Shenyang City.

Arrested and subjected to forced labour for going to Beijing to appeal

Ms. Wang went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong on September 20th, 1999, but was arrested by officers from the Haidian District Police Station. She was detained for 5 days, and then returned to Shenyang City, where she was held in the Shenyang City Detention Centre for a further 15 days. In the detention centre she went on a hunger strike to protest her arrest. She was then taken to the Xiaochengzi Town Police Station, which is in her home county. Officers there forced her to sit on a bench with her back straight for a whole night, not allowing her to sleep. Then they denied her food for several days. She was later sent to a rest home for old people and forced to do hard labour. She protested her mistreatment by going on a hunger strike again. She was released three days later, but the police continued to closely monitor her home and harass her. They even forced their way into her home every day and helped themselves to her food.

Sentenced to Masanjia Forced Labour Camp

In October 1999, Ms. Wang went to Beijing again, to appeal for Falun Gong. She was arrested and returned to the Xiaochengzi Police Station, where officers forced her to write guarantee statements to give up her belief. They threatened her and said that if she did not comply she would be sentenced to three years of forced labor in Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. When she refused, she was transferred to the Shenyang City Detention Centre, where she was handcuffed for two days. On November 2nd, 15 days later, she was transferred elsewhere, where Falun Gong practitioners were forced to work for up to 15 hours a day and forbidden to sleep until midnight. One time a guard asked her if she would go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong again. She replied, "Yes." Seventeen days later, she was sent to the 2nd Section of Masanjia Forced Labour Camp.

When Ms. Wang first arrived at Masanjia, she was forced to sit on the side of her bed, with her hands placed on her knees and her back straight; she was not allowed to move for long periods of time. Any slight movement and Feng Lin, an inmate used by the guards, would strike her back. Ms. Wang was also subjected to other forms of torture, such as being forced to listen to broadcasts that slandered Falun Gong. Any disobedience and she would be abused in many different ways, including beatings and electric shocks. The guards once tried to force her to recite the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) orders to ban Falun Gong and sing songs that praised the CCP. When she refused, she was forced to march through pools of rainwater and stand on one leg for long periods of time.

Because Ms. Wang remained steadfast in her belief, she was sent to the 4th group of the 1st Women's Section, where she was forced to work for more than 14 hours each day. Guard Dong Bin ordered two inmates to closely monitor her. Even when she slept, the two inmates would sleep on either side of her to prevent her from turning over. They would beat her and shout at her if she moved ever so slightly.

On September 4th, 2000, guards Li, Sheng and Zhao Guorong handcuffed Ms. Wang's hands behind her back, pushed her down, bound her bare feet with wire, stepped on her feet, and kicked her legs. Zhao and Sheng then shocked the bottoms of her feet with two electric batons, as she rolled on the ground in pain. With two others to assist them, the guards grabbed her hair, held her head to the ground, and continued to give her electric shocks. Ms. Wang's screams of pain were heartbreaking.

When her sentence was about over, for no given reason, her term was extended. She was then transferred to the 3rd group. In an attempt to force her to give up Falun Gong, the guards tormented her more intensely, and she was only allowed four hours sleep a day, from midnight to 4 a.m. After 40 days of physical and mental torture she developed edema all over her body, became very dizzy, and had no taste for food. In critical condition, she was sent to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with many severe conditions. She was released on August 20th, 2001.

Continually harassed at home

In June 2002 at 10 p.m., the chief and the director of the social security section of the government of Sanjiazi Village, Xiaochengzi Town, broke into her home. Ms. Wang was there with her 71-year-old mother and her elder sister, who was visiting them from Shenynag City. The two officials accused them of holding an illegal rally and called the local police station to send more officers. Five came and searched her home. They confiscated an image of Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, and Falun Gong books.

On August 27th, 2002, the secretary of the village Communist Party Committee, along with officers from the Kangping County 610 Office [an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong] and from Xiaochengzi Police Station, broke into Ms. Wang's home, arrested her, and took her to a brainwashing centre in Kangping County. When she went on a hunger strike to protest her arrest, the guards tried, unsuccessfully, to force feed her. She was released three days later.

On November 8th, 2002, the day before the CCP's 16th Congress, Ms. Wang went to visit her son in the Kangping County Middle School. While on the bus, she was apprehended and taken to Xiaochengzi Police Station. She was released at 2 p.m. After the incident, Zhang Wenju, the village secretary of the Communist Party Committee; Qi Yan, the village director of the Social Security Section; Wang Yanping, a subordinate officer; and Guo Xiaodong went to her home to harass and intimidate her. They drank liquor, smoked cigarettes, and played Mahjong in her home for many days. The peace and security of her own home were completely violated.

Tortured in Zhangshi Forced Labour Camp

On February 28th, 2003, at 6 a.m, Ms. Wang was arrested in her home by four police officers. Zhang Shaowei, chief of Xiaochengzi Town Police Station, was in charge. They took her to the Zhangshi Forced Labour Camp in Shenyang City. When she went on a hunger strike to protest her arrest, she was force fed salty water. She was subjected to physical and mental torture, including sleep deprivation, sitting on her knees for long periods of time, and had her legs bound and her arms tied behind her back.

Home ransacked and forced to become homeless

In the morning of August 6th, 2008, Yin Xiyang, the director of Xiaochengzi Town Police Station, and four other officers broke into Ms. Wang's home. Ms. Wang was home alone at the time and was caught holding a plastic bag. When the police seized the bag and began to search it, she managed to escape. Later, Fang Xuefei, the chief of the police station, ordered 15 officers to ransack her home without Ms. Wang being present. They confiscated a laptop, printer, two MP3 players, two mobile phones, and other personal belongings, totaling approximately 10,000 yuan¹. The police then broke into Mr. Wang Xuekun's home and took a picture of Master Li Hongzhi. They also broke into Mr. Wang Chunguang's home and Mr. Liang Mengqiu's home, confiscating Falun Gong books, audio cassette players, and an MP3 player.

The authorities give false information

Mou Guoming was appointed the chief of the Kangping County Police Department in August 2009. Not long after he took office, he initiated a project to monitor the use of the Internet by Falun Gong practitioners in Kangping County using a car equipped with special detectors. On November 12th, 2009, Jiang Lijun, chief of the Domestic Security Division of Kangping County Police Department; Fang Xuefei, chief of Xiaochengzi Police Station; and other officers broke into the homes of Ms. Wang, Mr. Wang Xuekun, and Mr. Li Xiaoping to arrest them. They did not show any form of ID or legal documents but confiscated their computers and printers. Ms. Wang's relatives were not informed of her arrest for at least ten days. When her relatives did try to see her, Jiang Lijun simply refused, saying she was being held in the 1st Detention Centre of Shenyang City. But when they called the 1st Detention Centre they were told that no one by that name was detained there. On December 3rd, 2009, the three practitioners were officially arrested.

Sentenced for 7 years

When Ms. Wang hired two lawyers from Beijing for her defense, it caused panic among the officials at the Shenyang City 610 Office. On February 4th, 2010, one day before the trial, officials from the 610 Office issued an order to the court guards that they had to search the defending lawyers. This was an attempt to prevent the lawyers from appearing in court. At the same time, they ordered the Judiciary Bureau of Kangping City to assign two other lawyers from Kangping County Law Office to take the place of the two Beijing lawyers.

On the day of the trial, more than ten police officers, led by Jiang Lijun, and several court officials tried to keep the lawyers from entering and searched them, but the lawyers refused to quit. The court only allowed five of Ms. Wang's relatives to attend the trial and required each of them to show their ID card. If they did not have an ID card, they were required give their name, address, date of birth, and their relationship to Ms. Wang. These details were all recorded.

Most attendees at the trial were comprised of police officers and people who had never met Ms. Wang. Before the trial the lawyers were brought to a room next to the courtroom, where a judge stated that they would not be allowed to talk about the character of Falun Gong practitioners in their defence and that only details about the case could be mentioned. During the trial, the chief judge, Fan Bin, continually interrupted the defence lawyers for no reason and shouted at and intimidated Ms. Wang several times.

Throughout the two court sessions, the defence lawyers ripped apart the evidence and accusations fabricated by the prosecutor, Zhang Zhijun. They pointed out that the documents presented by the prosecution were untrue and that they had not presented any solid evidence to justify the accusation that Ms. Wang had violated the law. They also pointed out that China's authorities have labeled 14 organizations as evil cults, but not Falun Gong. Even in the most authoritative governmental regulations there are no statements that suggest "Falun Gong is an evil cult," so it was groundless to accuse Falun Gong practitioners of "Undermining the implementation of laws and administrative regulations by organizing and making use of an evil cult according to the 300th clause of the Criminal Law." The lawyers concluded that the evidence provided by the prosecution was irrelevant to the case.

The defence lawyers also pointed out that no current laws explicitly prohibit Chinese citizens from practising Falun Gong. Therefore, practising Falun Gong is completely legal. Without the authorization of the law, the state authorities have actually violated the law by interfering with an individual's right to practice Falun Gong and make Falun Gong materials. The lawyers asked that the court pronounce Ms. Wang innocent and release her immediately.

The court, however, stated, "Ms. Wang Jinfeng is a criminal for undermining the implementation of law by making use of an evil cult. According to the 300th clause of the criminal law, Ms. Wang is sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment." Mr. Li Xiaoping was sentenced to 3 years. Ms. Wang refused to accept the judgment and appealed.

In their defence for the second trial, the lawyer stated that Fan Bin and the other judges had made a judgment based on distorted facts, insufficient evidence, and an improper application of the law, so the judgment was incorrect. They hoped the second trial would be open to the public, the previous judgment would be reversed, and Ms. Wang would be released.

On March 29th, 2010, the intermediate court of Shenyang City made a judgment in the second trial. The trial was not open to the public, and the verdict affirmed the outcome of the first trial. As is routine, the chief judge, Zhou Xiaoshu, asked Ms. Wang's lawyer to submit his defence, but that was only a meaningless formality.

Names of those involved in the persecution of Ms. Wang:

Mou Guoming, chief of Kangping County Police Department: 86-24-87331708 (Office), 86-13897981666 (Mobile)
Jiang Lijun, chief of the Domestic Security Division, Kangping County Police Department: 86-24-87342670 (Office), 86-24-87340882 (Home), 86-24-13609833284 (Mobile)
Fang Xuefei, chief of Xiaochengzi Town Police Station, Kangping County: 86-24-87270007 (Office), 86-24-87331999 (Home), 86-13998842277 (Mobile)
Zhang Zhijun, chief of the Prosecution Section of Kangping County Procuratorate: 86-24-87321005 (Office), 86-13940308733 (Mobile)
Fan Bin, chief of the Criminal Section of Kangping County Court: 86-24-27349833 (Office), 86-13700032023 (Mobile)
Yin Xiyang, director of Xiaochengzi Town Police Station, Kangping County: 86-24-87344484 (Home), 86-13322421798 (Mobile)
Zhou Xiaoshu, female, from Medium Court of Shenyang City and chief judge in Ms. Wang's second trial: 86-24-22763187 (Office), 86-13066540210 (Mobile)

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/5/17/223844.html