Ms. Zhang Lifang in Critical Condition as a Result of Torture in Sichuan Women's Prison

Name: Zhang Lifang
Gender: Female
Age: 55
Address: Peng'an County, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province
Occupation: Former employee of the Peng'an County Pharmaceutical Company
Date of Most Recent Arrest: April 1st, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Sichuan Women's Prison
City: Nanchong
Province: Sichuan
Persecution Suffered: Forced labour, beatings, imprisonment, detention

Ms. Zhang Lifang is a Falun Gong practitioner from Peng'an County, Sichuan Province. She is being held at the Sichuan Women's Prison, and is in critical condition as a result of persecution. She was arrested for distributing leaflets exposing the persecution of Falun Gong at Longjiaoshan Temple on the morning of April 1st, 2010, and was then sentenced to five years in prison. This is her second time being sentenced.

Ms. Zhang is a former employee of the Peng'an County Pharmaceutical Company. During her employment there, she received the outstanding worker award every year. After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, she was repeatedly abused by officers and informers. They broke her hands and feet, and knocked out her teeth. She suffered comminuted fractures in her hands and feet. She has been suffering for the past ten-plus years.

She was first arrested in March 2000, for appealing for the right to practise Falun Gong at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. She was subsequently incarcerated at the Peng'an County Detention Centre six times, totalling more than three years. She was imprisoned and forced to perform labour at the Nanmusi Forced Labour Camp from June 26th, 2000 to June 2nd, 2002. She was sentenced to three years in prison from May 22nd, 2003 to May 21st, 2006, and incarcerated at the Chengdu Women's Prison (also Chuanxi Women's Prison) in Hong'an Town, Longquanyi District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province.

On the morning of April 1st, 2010, Ms. Zhuang distributed leaflets exposing the persecution of Falun Gong at the Longjiaoshan Temple. Cheng Zongrong and Jiang Yiqin, who were hired to work as monks in the temple, took her to the Domestic Security Division. Chen Zhuo, chief of the division, took away all her personal belongings, which included 1,950 yuan¹ in cash, a mobile phone, watch, keys, notebook, and bag, and then detained her in the Peng'an Detention Center. In early August, she was transferred to the Yingshan Detention Centre. Guard Wang Dan (female) ordered her to wear inmate clothing, but she refused. Wang then called guard Xiao, who beat her, loosening her teeth as a result.

The Peng'an Court informed the family in early August, 2010 that Ms. Zhang's court date was August 10th, and that they could hire an attorney. The family hired an attorney, and the court then informed the attorney that the court date was August 24th. However, on the court date, no attorney or family except the mother of Ms. Zhang was allowed to be in the courtroom, while security personnel from various units were present. The court sentenced Ms. Zhang to five years in prison. She was secretly taken to the Sichuan Women's Prison on September 9th, 2010. She is now in critical condition.

Related articles:

Persecution of Zhang Lifang from Sichuan Province: Five Years of Illegal Incarceration
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/17/86842.html

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.ca/mh/articles/2012/2/25/253479.html