Ms. Zhao Baoli Is Facing a Third Trial Despite No Evidence of Wrongdoing

Name: Zhao Baoli
Gender: Female
Age: 49
Address: Residence building of Niuzhuanzhi Power Supply Bureau in Shuangqiao District, Chengde City
Occupation: Employee of Chengde City Power Supply Corp, Hebei Province
Date of Most Recent Arrest: January 5th, 2011
Most Recent Place of Detention: Chengde City Detention Centre
City: Chengde
Province: Hebei
Persecution Suffered: Forced labour, brainwashing
Key Persecutors: Yang Shuzeng

Ms. Zhao Baoli is a Falun Gong practitioner in Chengde City, Hebei Province who was given one year of forced labour in 2007. Ms. Zhao was arrested again on January 5th, 2011 by police from the Chengde City 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and the local police station. She is currently detained in the Chengde City Detention Centre.

Ms. Zhao was put on trial for the first time on July 25th; her lawyers defended her innocence. She faced a second trial on September 9th. On September 23rd, her family was informed that there would be a third trial at 9:00 a.m. on September 28th.

Ms. Zhao Baoli, who is 49 years old, works at the Chengde City Power Supply Corp. She lives in a residential building at the Niuzhuanzhi Power Supply Bureau in Shuangqiao District, Chengde City.

On the evening of June 30th, 2007, when Ms. Zhao was on the night shift, she was detained by officers from the Chengde City 610 Office, the municipal domestic security bureau, and the municipal police department. She suffered one year of forced labour.

Around 8:00 pm on January 5th, 2011, when Ms. Zhao was on the night shift, she was again detained by police from Chengde City 610 Office, the municipal domestic security bureau, and the municipal police department. She is currently detained in the Chengde City Detention Centre.

It was learned that over 10 officers seized Ms. Zhao from her workplace during her recent arrest. They also took away her laptop, 4000 yuan¹ in cash, two mobile phones, her house keys, and other personal belongings. She was first detained in the Chengde Police Department, where she endured interrogation. For 45 hours, she was not given any food and not allowed to sleep. Then she was taken to a brainwashing centre located in the Huiyuan Guest House in Chengde City, where she suffered forced brainwashing for five days. On January 12th, she was sent to the Chengde Detention Centre and has been detained there since then.

On the night of January 5th, when Ms. Zhao was arrested, her husband, Li Ming, who was not a practitioner, was arrested too. Their home was raided. Many personal items were taken, including more than 200,000 yuan in cash and bank cards, two PCs, a printer, a scanner, and five mobile phones. Police searched the home until 1:00 a.m. Mr. Li Ming was detained at the police department until 7:00 p.m. the next day.

On January 6th Ms. Zhao's daughter was arrested at her workplace, the Pingquan County Power Supply Bureau. She was interrogated and detained at the Chengde Police Department and released around 7:00 p.m. the next day.

After Ms. Zhao was arrested, her husband, Li Ming, and her parents went to the Chengde 610 Office and Chengde Police Department to request her release and request that their personal property be returned. They were threatened and told that the money police took from Ms. Zhao's home would not be returned. In the middle of February, Ms. Zhao's family hired two defence lawyers. Officers from the 610 Office and the police department created all kinds of difficulties for the lawyers when they tried to interview Ms. Zhao, mostly by videotaping and surveillance. They tried to force the family to fire the lawyers by using all kinds of means, including tapping the mobile phone of Li Ming and Ms. Zhao's parents, monitoring Ms. Zhao's home and her parents' home, and following Li Ming's car.

Under the assistance of the two defence lawyers, at the beginning of March the cash and bank cards taken from Ms. Zhao's home were returned. They were valued at more than 200,000 yuan. But the other personal property still has not been returned. Later Yang Shuzeng, head of the 610 Office, extorted 50,000 out of Ms. Zhao's work unit. He promised to release Ms. Zhao after the conferences of the Congress and the Party. However, after the conferences he refused to release her, using all kinds of excuses.

On July 25th, 2011, the first trial was held in the meeting room of the detention centre. There were only three seats available for the family members. Ms. Zhao's brother and sister-in-law were not even allowed to attend. The two defence lawyers made a plea of innocent. Ms. Zhao also stated her innocence. The judge, Song Yimin, and deputy presiding judge, Wei Wenkui from Shuangqiao District Court, had no evidence against Zhao. However, under pressure from Yang Shuzeng, the head of the 610 Office, Ms. Zhao was not released immediately.

Ms. Zhao should have been unconditionally released after the first trial. However, there was a second trial on September 9th. Now the family has been informed of a third trial at 9:00 a.m. on September 28th.

Contact Information for the Related Personnel:

Yang Shuzeng, head of Chengde City 610 Office: +86-314-2051196, +86-314-2139669,
+86-13831496066 (Mobile)
Deng Tianli, head of Chengde City Police Department
Li Bei, head of Chengde Domestic Security Division: +86-13333399666(Mobile) +86-314-2373080
Chang Cunming, head of Chengde City Politic and Law Committee: +86-15831410812 (Mobile)
+86-13603149919
Chen Xuefeng, vice-president of Chengde Intermediate Court, +86-13733240088, +86-13703140020

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/2011/9/26/247175.html