Falun Gong Practitioner Ms. Liu Xixiang Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Liu Xixiang was repeatedly persecuted for her belief. She was in a forced labour camp from 2002 to 2004. On November 17th, 2008 she was again arrested, tortured, and severely injured. She was given a four-year prison sentence in April 2009 and sent to the Jinan Women’s Prison, where she remains. The persecution caused her family great harm. Her mother-in-law and husband died recently, after the long-term mental pressure brought to them by the persecution.

Ms. Liu, 48, is native of Baiyuzi Village, Chengguan Town. Immediately following the 2000 Chinese New Year she travelled to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. Officers from Zhucheng City arrested her and took her to the Mizhoulu Police Station. Officer Cao Jinhui, known as a “drunk tough guy,” whipped Ms. Liu's buttocks violently with a rubber club, causing massive bruises. They were still visible more than a month later.

In 2002 Ms. Liu was given a three-year forced labour term.

During Ms. Liu’s detention in the forced labour camp, her husband Wang Guoyi had to care for his elderly mother and two school-aged children. Life’s burdens and the long-term pressure from society affected Wang’s health. He suffered a stroke and became paralysed. After Liu Xixiang returned from the labour camp, she took good care of her husband, and his condition improved somewhat. But Ms. Liu alone still had to shoulder the burden of family life.

Ms. Liu Lost Her Ability to Make a Living after Torture

On November 17th, 2008, Zhucheng City Police team leader Wang Peibiao, Mizhoulu Police Station head Zhang Shiyong, Shunwang Police Station head Wang Zhixian, and officer Song Wei arrived at Ms. Liu’s home. They kicked open her front door, confiscated a computer, a copier, and other personal belongings. They took away Ms. Liu and detained her at Mizhoulu Police Station for 24 hours. The next day they transferred her to a hotel in Zhucheng where they tied her to a metal chair and forbade her to sleep.

Ms. Liu went on a hunger strike, and several days later the police took her to the Zhucheng Chinese Medicine Hospital for force-feeding. After returning, the persecutors continued to constrain her in the metal chair with chains and deprive her of sleep.

When officer Wang Peibiao was on duty, he always ordered that Ms. Liu look at his face. When she closed her eyes for a moment, he slapped her. Due to long-term sleep deprivation and repeated slapping, she suffered blurred vision and a swollen face. When officer Song Weishi was on duty, he tried to extort a "confession" under torture, trying to determine who provided her with the computer. When she refused, he hit her face with a remote control and used a light bulb to burn her eyes. Ms. Liu was tortured while locked in the chair for more than twenty days.

Her legs were severely swollen from long-term immobilisation in the chair. When the police eventually took her to a hospital, a doctor said the that circulation in her legs was cut off.

Unable to care for herself, Liu Xixiang checked herself into the hospital. Her blood pressure was abnormal for an extended time, and doctors told the police that her condition was difficult to recover from. The police realised that further detention would not achieve their goal, so they forced her family to write a guarantee statement to renounce practising Falun Gong and made them pay 5,000 yuan¹ before releasing her.

Arrested Again, Sentenced to Four Years, Husband and Mother-in-law Die

After Ms. Liu returned home, officer Wang Peibiao often harassed her with phone calls. On the fifteenth day after the 2009 Chinese New Year, Zhang Shiyong came to check on her. When he saw Ms. Liu’s swollen legs he left without a word.

Ms. Liu was again arrested in April 2009 and sent to a brainwashing centre. Four days later she was transferred to a detention centre and later sentenced to four years in prison. As stated above, she is serving her sentence in the Jinan Women's Prison.

Ms. Liu’s prison sentence was a huge blow to her loved ones. Her mother-in-law was in her eighties, and was unable to endure the harsh reality. She died during the 2010 Mid-August Moon Festival. Liu’s husband Wang Guoyi, who could barely take care himself, had to shoulder the heavy family burden. The hard life and psychological trauma was too much for him. His health deteriorated rapidly. About a month after his mother’s death, on October 27th, 2010, Wang Guoyi died. He was in his fifties.

The couple's two children are the only survivors. It is unknown who will take care of them and pay for their college education.

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://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/1/29/235496.html