Li Wenbo from Yunnan Province Detained in Prison for Over a Year - Family Visits Denied

Mr. Li Wenbo, a Falun Gong practitioner from Jinning County, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, was arrested and detained by the National Security Team of the County Police Department on May 11th, 2009, and sentenced on October 12th, 2009. His family has subsequently gone repeatedly to the detention centre and prison to look for him, but their requests to visit Mr. Li have been refused.

On July 26th, 2010, Li Wenbo's elder sister wrote to the First Prison in Yunnan Province and to the Yunnan Province Prison Administration Bureau with the "application for request to visit Li Wenbo." On August 2nd, Li Wenbo's family received a phone call from the first prison saying that Li Wenbo wanted to write a letter and he needed their postal code. In the meantime the secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Political and Judiciary Committee in Jinning County, Wang Min, led five people to Li Wenbo's home and said they were arranging the family visit, and that only Li Wenbo's wife and daughter would be allowed to visit. Li Wenbo's mother and sister were excluded from the visit. They threatened Li Wenbo's mother by saying they would call Xishan District in Kunming City to strictly control Li Wenbo's sister.

Li Wenbo, 43, lived in Gucheng Village, Gucheng Town, Jinning County, in Kunming City, Yunnan Province. On February 2nd, 2005, he was arrested by Gu Guosheng, Yang Juying and Jiang Yongning of the National Security Team in Jinning County. He was held at the detention centre in Jinning County, and on February 5th, 2005, sentenced to three years of forced labour by the Forced Labour Management Committee of Kunming City. He was detained at the Second Forced Labour Camp of Yunnan Province from February 2nd, 2005 to February 1st, 2008.

Li Wenbo was often beaten in the labour camp. The guards involved in the persecution of Mr. Li included Shi Huailin, Yuan Xiangjun, Li Wu, Wu Huazu, fourth team head Hu Wenchang, warning section head Qiu Kaiming, deputy head of the fourth team Zhang Kaishun, and first brigade head Chen Yingsong. Prisoners who participated in the persecution of Mr. Li included Wang Lei and Huang Haidong. After being tortured for a long period of time, Li Wenbo's eyesight was affected and he lost six teeth. He also had a 20 cm. (8 inch) scar on his left leg.

Mr. Li's forced labour term was due to end on February 1st, 2008, but the Second Forced Labour Camp in Yunnan Province extended it for another four months. He was not released until June 21st, 2008.

On April 24th, 2009, Li Wenbo was once again seized by personnel from the Jinning County Public Security Bureau and detained at the Jinning County Detention Centre. On May 11th, 2009, the Jinning County Public Security Bureau issued an arrest warrant for him. On October 12th, the Jinning Court secretly sentenced Li Wenbo, but did not notify his family. Later, when Li Wenbo's family came to the detention centre to inquire about him they found out that he had been sentenced. The family also did not receive a court verdict. Li Wenbo was later detained at the Jinning County Detention Centre for 299 days, and he was secretly sent to the First Prison in Yunnan Province on March 4th.

Mr. Li's family has come to the detention centre and prison several times since Li Wenbo's arrest on April 24th, 2009, but they have not been allowed to see him. They were told that they had to write a letter to the First Prison in Yunnan Province and the Yunnan Province Prison Administration Bureau to request a visit. The letter read as followings:

"Application Letter Requesting to Visit Li Wenbo

"Yunnan Province Prison Administration Bureau and the First Prison in Yunnan Province:

"I am Li Wenbo's elder sister. Because Li Wenbo persisted in practising Falun Gong and believing in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, on May 11th, 2009, he was arrested by the police in Kunyang Town, Jinning County. He was detained at Jinning County Detention Centre for 299 days. On March 5th, when my mother brought clothes to him at the detention centre, she was told that on March 4th, he had been sent to the First Prison of Yunnan Province.

"My mother and I later made repeated visits to the First Prison and requested to see Li Wenbo, however, our requests were rejected. The receptionist told us that visiting rights were not issued until the prisoner himself applied. Then the application had to be approved, and that was when the family would receive the visitation notice. As of this writing, we still have not received a visitation notice.

As a family, we should have the right to know about our imprisoned family member. From a humanitarian standpoint, I hope the prison and the related organisations will approve our application for a visit. I am awaiting your response in accordance with administrative regulations and expect to receive it within one week. Our request to visit Li Wenbo is legal, and if it cannot be dealt with reasonably, I will have to appeal to the government at a higher level until we can visit Li Wenbo."

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2010/8/9/228116.html