The Persecution of Pregnant Women by the Handan Police

Current Chinese law stipulates that under normal circumstances, pregnant women cannot be subjected to arrest and/or detention. Alternative measures may be adopted to allow the offender to obtain a guarantor pending trial or live at home under surveillance. But how is the law executed in the real world? The following two instances show the real story.

1. Wu Junfeng Forced to Have an Abortion and Sentenced to Two Years of Forced Labour

Ms. Wu Junfeng, a Falun Gong practitioner from Handan, traveled to her hometown to visit her sick father in July 2008. The local police arrested her and intended to send her to a forced labour camp. Ms. Wu was four months pregnant at the time. According to the law, the detention centre could not hold her. The police then conspired with staff from the birth-control office and forced Ms. Wu to have an abortion. They put handcuffs and shackles on her, force-fed her drugs and gave her an injection of Oxytocin.

Just four days after the abortion, the police arrested Ms. Wu again and took her to the labour camp. This time, the detention centre accepted her because they could legally detain her. Ten days later, they transferred Ms. Wu to the Hebei Provincial Women’s Forced Labour Camp where she was sentenced to two years of forced labour.

2. Police Arrested Seven Months Pregnant Woman

In August 2011, the Internet police reported Falun Gong practitioner Li Xuemei from Quzhou when she was talking to people about Falun Gong over the Internet. Ms. Li was three months pregnant. On the afternoon of August 9th, Chen Shifeng, director of the National Security Division of Quzhou County, and Yang Yougang, deputy director, led a group to break into Ms Li’s house. They arrested her without showing any identification. They confiscated her computer, a printer, two mobile phones, Falun Gong books and other materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong. They didn’t release her until midnight even though they knew she was pregnant.

As of this writing, the police haven’t returned any of Ms. Li's belongings except a mobile phone of her husband’s. The police told a friend of Ms Li who worked in the Public Security Bureau that everything would be settled if she gave them ten thousand yuan. Chen Shifeng and Yang Yougang became angry when they learned that Li Xuemei and her family refused to bribe the police. Li Youmin, Inspector of the Police Battalion,once again planned to arrest Ms. Li.

On a snowy December 4th, 2011, Li Youmin became drunk and led two policemen to Li Xuemei’s home. He ran upstairs and knocked on the door. Ms. Li, unsuspecting, opened the door without hesitation. Li Youmin asked, “Are you Li Xuemei?” Li Youmin didn’t have a police uniform on and showed no identification. Ms. Li Xuemei didn’t know who he was and asked him in return, “Who are you?” “I am from the police department” was the reply.

The drunken Li Youmin leered at Ms. Li, touched her face and made inappropriate advances. Then he tried to touch her hand. Xuemei scolded him. He waved to the other two policemen and tried to drag Xuemei.

Li Xuemei’s two children (aged six and two) were frightened and cried. They held their mother closely, afraid of her being taken away. Li Youmin roughly pushed the children inside a room and locked the door. Ms. Li, seven months pregnant and wearing only pajamas and slippers, struggled with the police and lost her slippers. She was dragged to the stairway barefoot. She clung to the stair handrail. When the two policemen could not move her, Li Youmin swore at them and came to remove her himself.

The policemen pushed and dragged Ms. Li all the way downstairs. She shouted at them, “You are bandits. I have not done anything wrong. You will be punished for persecuting good people.” Li Youmin replied without any shame, “Yes, I am a bandit.” The three policemen forcibly carried Ms. Li and put her into a police car. They drove her directly to a clinic in Nanliyue Township. They handcuffed her and dragged her out of the car, forcing her to walk barefoot in the snow. She was forced to undergo an ultra sound examination. The doctor confirmed that she was seven months pregnant. Li Youmin still didn’t release Ms. Li. He drove her to the Nanliyue Police Station and took her into another room. He tried to remove her clothing, but Xuemei stopped him by shouting at him loudly. Finally, the policemen sent Ms. Li back home.