Ms. Wang Baohua from Hebei City, Henan Province, Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Wang Baohua from Hebi City, Henan Province, has become very feeble after being arrested. She previously weighed 160 pounds but is now skin and bones due to being tortured. The authorities sentenced her to five years in prison on February 23rd, 2012, and incarcerated her at the Women's Prison in Xinxiang. Currently, Ms. Wang's health has not improved and her family is trying to obtain her release on medical parole. The prison authorities have denied the parole, saying that her health did not meet the criteria for a medical parole.

Mr. Xing Weiwei is a Falun Gong practitioner from Xuchang City. He was forced to leave home to avoid further persecution, and he temporarily resided in Hebi City. Mr. Xing was arrested on June 24th, 2011, the same day as Ms. Wang, and detained in the Hebi City Detention Centre. On February 23rd, 2012, he was sentenced to a two-year prison term.

Ms. Li Guirong and Ms. Wang were both arrested at 4:00 p.m. on June 24th, 2011, in the house they rented in Hebi. Ms. Li used to live in Boai County, Jiaozuo City. She was forced to become homeless and moved to Hebi to avoid persecution. Zhang Manchang and Cao Wenying, from the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) in Hebi City, along with a dozen officers from the Xiangjiang Police Station, went to the practitioners' house and confiscated their computers, printers, and Falun Gong materials. They also stole 8000 yuan¹ in cash and Ms. Wang's bank book. It has been reported that they confiscated the rent money from their landlord and fined the landlord after detaining him for a day.

Ms. Li was 60 years old at the time. After being arrested and terrorized, her blood pressure went up to over 200 mm Hg and her heart problem recurred. On June 28th, she was taken to a hospital for emergency treatment. After she improved, her persecution continued. On July 6th, agents from the 610 Office, including Zhang and Cao, ordered Ms. Li to put her fingerprints on an unknown document. When Ms. Li refused, Cao held her down on the ground and took her prints by force. The deputy chief of the 610 Office in Boai County and Zhang once interrogated Ms. Li. She fainted because of her high blood pressure and heart problem. The two agents left the room without trying to help her. On July 22nd, Ms. Li was transferred to the Boai Detention Centre, where officials continued to torture her.

Ms. Wang was incarcerated in the detention centre in Hebi City. Because of the inhumane treatment, she had a persistent high fever and was unable to take in food and water. She became very weak and fell many times. One of her arms was dislocated during the fall. The authorities provided no medical treatment and continued torturing her. On February 23rd, 2012, the Hebi City Court sentenced Ms. Wang to five years in prison.

Organizations and people who participated in the abuse of Falun Gong practitioners:

Zhang Mancang and Cao Wenying, from the 610 Office
Chen Qinghe, Wang Wenkui, and Yang Weiwei, police officers
Han Xiuhong and Chang Cheng, from the Procuratorate
Chang Wei, presiding judge of the Hebei City Court
Hao Fuyong and Chen Hui, judges
Guo Ping, clerk
Jiuzhoulu and Xiangjiang Police Stations

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.