(Minghui.org) When Ms. Sheng Chunmei's family visited her at the Gansu Women's Prison on March 17, 2014, they saw that she was extremely weak and nearly blind as a result of torture. In addition, she seemed very frightened throughout the meeting. She gestured and interrupted her family several times, as if she feared that the content of their conversation would bring her trouble. She's currently imprisoned under a nine-year term because of her belief in Falun Gong.
Ms. Sheng's situation and behavior made the family worried: what made her so scared? What had the prison guards done to her?
Ms. Sheng was not an isolated case. Two other practitioners detained in the prison, Ms. Han Xiufang and Ms. Han Zhongcui, both displayed similar behavior during their recent family visits. Their families have the same concerns as Ms. Sheng's family.
Severely Ill and Nearly Blind, Still Sentenced to 9 Years
When Ms. Sheng and her husband, Mr. Chen Deguang, distributed Shen Yun performance DVDs in Huazhuang Township of Lanzhou City in July 2011, local police arrested them and beat Mr. Chen for nearly one hour that day. After sending Mr. Chen to Honggu District Detention Center, officials transferred him to the Lanzhou Second Detention Center in November 2011. Ms. Sheng was released on bail due to her poor health.
However, she was arrested again in July 2012 and sent to the Lanzhou First Detention Center. She was diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, all of which were already severe. Diabetic complications, in particular, had made her nearly blind.
Despite Ms. Sheng’s illnesses, a Honggu District Court sentenced both her and her husband to nine years of imprisonment. In January 2014, she was transferred to Lanzhou First Prison, and 67-year-old Mr. Chen was transferred to Lanzhou Prison.
Ms. Sheng’s family learned from other detainees that she was forced to watch videos that slandered Falun Gong during the daytime, and forced to write statements denouncing her belief in the evening. This process repeated itself every day. She was not allowed to sleep until she had written the statements. Because of this, Ms. Sheng was extremely weak, with a poor mental state.
Although Ms. Sheng’s family deposited 100 yuan for her to cover basic expenses in prison, guards said she would not have access to the money until she gave up her belief.
Physically and Mentally Abused, Dares Not Mention Division Manager’s Name
Ms. Han Xiufang and Ms. Han Zhongcui, two other practitioners detained in the prison, had also been mistreated and looked terrified during family visits.
When Ms. Han Xiufang, 52-year-old practitioner from Huining County, and several other practitioners clarified the facts about Falun Gong to others, police arrested them in September 2011. Officials sentenced her to three years of imprisonment and sent her to prison in May 2013. When her family visited her, like Ms. Sheng, she looked frightened during the meeting and did not dare to speak much.
Another detained practitioner was 55-year-old Ms. Han Zhongcui. Lanzhou Suburb Police arrested her in July 2012 and sentenced her in May 2013 to three years of imprisonment. She was sent to Gansu Women’s Prison in late May. To date, neither Ms. Han Zhongcui nor her family has been able to obtain the official verdict from court officials.
According to a former detainee at the prison, Ms. Han Zhongcui had been severely tortured since she arrived at the prison. She was beaten, forced to remain standing for long periods of time, and forced to write statements denouncing her belief.
During the visit, her family noticed that Ms. Han Zhongcui’s face was swollen. Her hands and wrists had also turned purple. Although the visit only took a few minutes, she pressed her hands to the left side of her chest several times and looked to be in obvious pain. But she did not dare to explain what it was about.
Like Ms. Sheng, Ms. Han Zhongcui looked very timid during the visit. She spoke very little and also cut off her family members several times. Even when they asked her the last name of the division chief, a common fact that every detainee should know, she replied, “I do not know.”
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