(Minghui.org)
Summary of Key Persecution Facts
Name: Zhang Yi (张懿)
Gender: Female
Age: 35
Address: Ganquan Road, Putuo District, Shanghai
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: February 1, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Shanghai Reformatory (上海少管所)
City: Shanghai
Persecution Suffered: Forced labor, torture, home ransacked, detention, handcuffed, tied to a bed for 31 hours, illegal sentencing.
(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Yi was illegally sentenced for four and a half years, and now is detained in the Shanghai Reformatory.
Ms. Zhang's six-year-old daughter became ill while her mother was imprisoned and wanted her mother. After many requests, the family was allowed to meet with Ms. Zhang on June 14. Due to Ms. Zhang's mistreatment while imprisoned, her daughter did not even recognize her, and said that she was not her mother.
Ms. Zhang's family also noticed her weight loss. Once beautiful, Ms. Zhang now appeared haggard and emaciated. Upon seeing her in this state, her parents broke down into tears. Ms. Zhang was divorced years before, and her former husband had never supported his child after the divorce. Her daughter now had no one to care for her. The child's kindergarten teacher even gave her less attention than other students. The little girl often woke up in the middle of the night calling for her mother.
Ms. Zhang is a relatively new practitioner. She started cultivating in January 2007. On November 22, 2007, as she was clarifying the truth to people in Yangpu District and distributing DVDs and flyers, officers from the Yangpu Police Station arrested her and sent her to a forced labor camp, to serve a one-year term. Ms. Zhang's daughter was only one year old at the time. Police ransacked her home, and took her printer, computer, and other personal belongings.
Ms. Zhang Yi was again detained for a day in February 2010. Without any reason, and without following legal procedures, several police officers carried her away in her dressing gown. Residents in her neighborhood witnessed this. Those responsible for this unlawful activity included Gu, the Zichang Street Committee secretary, 610 Office agent Xu Defang, and police officer Wang Huizhong. They claimed it cost them 20,000 yuan to track down Ms. Zhang.
On the evening of February 1, 2012, when Ms. Zhang returned to her home on Ganquan Road, Putuo District, Shanghai, after work, she was arrested at her door by Changning District police in a black car. Her neighbors heard her yell “Help!” Before they knew what happened, over twenty people had entered Ms. Zhang's home and began to ransack the place. They claimed to be police, but all except one were in plainclothes. They did not produce a warrant. They threatened relatives who lived next door with consequences if they did not open their door. The relatives refused because their daughter was not at home.
In this stand-off, one of the intruders produced pliers to forcibly open the door. Onlookers then heard crying and realized it was Ms. Zhang Yi.
Ms. Zhang's home was ransacked, and her computer, cell phone, and cash were confiscated. The belongings filled several containers. The intruders seemed satisfied and held out a blank sheet for Ms. Zhang's relative to sign. This was supposed to be a list of what they took. No items were listed, as the officers claimed there were too many items to record.
Changning District Domestic Security personnel sought more evidence by going to the daughter's kindergarten. They attempted to force the little girl to denounce her mother. This so frightened the kindergarten director that she forced the grandparents to transfer the child to another school.
The day after Ms. Zhang's arrest, her friend Hu Zhongtian paid a visit at her home, not aware that she had been arrested. As Mr. Hu walked away, a Changning District police officer approached him. The officer grabbed for a bag that Mr. Hu was holding, but was resisted. The officer then pushed Mr. Hu to the floor and sharply pinched his hand, causing it to bleed. He radioed for backup, handcuffed Mr. Hu, and took him away.
All of this malfeasance by the police greatly upset Ms. Zhang's family. They filed suit against the Shanghai Public Security Bureau on the grounds that police from Changning District tried to forcibly enter their home without a warrant, and arrested a friend of her daughter who was visiting. The case was transferred to Changning Procuratorate. Ms. Zhang's father attended the hearing at the Changning Procuratorate. The representative he met with was very rude and said, “I only care about the end result. He was not successful in forcing your door open so stop talking about it.” An officer from Putuo Branch arrived to interview Ms. Zhang's father regarding an article about the case that appeared online.
In order to protect their daughter's rights, Ms. Zhang's parents hired a righteous attorney in Beijing. When the attorney attempted to meet with his client, he was stopped many times by personnel from the Changning Domestic Security Division. The principal people involved in the persecution of Zhang Yi include Wei Liguang, Wang Jue, Li Xiaojun, and Yang Guojun from Changning Domestic Security Division. They said that Ms. Zhang's case had been transferred to the Procuratorate. After the attorney was hired, he waited for three weeks, returned to Beijing twice, and could only meet with Ms. Zhang after many arguments with authorities.
The attorney learned that Ms. Zhang had been handcuffed in the detention center during the week of November 2-8. On November 7-8 two policewomen—Gu Siyi and Tao Wenwen—joined with a policeman and two criminal inmates to forcibly keep Ms. Zhang tied to a bed for 31 hours. Ms. Zhang's father tried to sue to the director of the detention center for torturing his daughter, but the inspector would not cooperate.
Ms. Zhang and her friend Hu Zhongtian were detained for over ten months. Her trial was finally held on December 24, 2012 in Changning District Court. Her relatives did not even recognize her. After ten months of mental and physical torture, she had lost over ten pounds, and looked pale, thin, and tired. At the hearing, she and Mr. Hu continued to truthfully recount their arrest and detention. They solemnly told the court magistrates including chief judge Yang Huixin, judge Zhou Weimin, juryman Dai Yuqing, public prosecutor Zhu Liqun, deputy procurator Liu Xiao, and clerk Zhu Caiying, not to persecute Dafa disciples. The attorneys who defended Ms. Zhang and Mr. Hu presented the case for their innocence. They explained that practicing Falun Gong is legal, and that authorities should not follow, as law, what the leaders of the central government wanted. Chief judge Yang Huixin continually interrupted the attorneys, saying it was not related to the case. When he had no words or could not justify his own assertions, the judge would bury another view by declaring it not related to the case.
Changning District Court officials disregarded the true facts, confused right and wrong, and sentenced Ms. Zhang to four and a half years in prison, and Mr. Hu Zhongtian to three and a half years. They were sent to the Shanghai Reformatory on April 8, 2013, and not allowed to see their family. After many negotiations, Ms. Zhang's family finally got the right to meet with their daughter, whom they had not seen since June 14. Even so, they were threatened not to discuss certain things.
Related articles:
Ms. Zhang Yi Arrested by Officers from the Changning District Domestic Security Division in Shanghai
Young Mother Ms. Zhang Yi and Ms. Hu Zhongtian Illegally Tried at Changning District Court in Shanghai
Changning District Court in Shanghai Illegally Sentences Ms. Zhang Yi to Four-and-Half Years and Ms. Hu Zhongtian to Three-and-Half Years
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