(Minghui.org) A resident of Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province is facing indictment for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Wang Yueqin, around 53, was arrested on May 30, 2023 and held at a police station for 48 hours, twice the length legally permissible to hold a suspect for interrogation. The police, however, wrote 24 hours on the notice of release in order to be legally compliant. They also established a criminal case against her.
Ms. Wang filed a request to have her case dismissed, but she was told that the higher-ups have decided to pursue prosecution against her for upholding her faith.
48 Hours of Detention Changed to 24 Hours
Ms. Wang went out to distribute Falun Gong informational materials at noon on May 30, 2023. When she saw two men walking towards her direction, she greeted them and asked if they’d like something to read. They suddenly seized her and snatched her purse. Upon finding three Falun Gong information brochures in her purse, they called the nearby Weiming Street Police Station. The police there soon arrived to arrest Ms. Wang. She learned later that the two men were an instructor and his subordinate Wang Dahai from the Keyuan Police Station. They were in plainclothes that day and on the lookout for Falun Gong practitioners.
About seven officers tortured and intimidated Ms. Wang at the Weiming Street Police Station. They sat her on the ground, and twisted one of her hands behind her back to be cuffed together with the other hand pulled over her shoulder (see illustration below). They also restrained her in a metal chair at one point. An officer grabbed her hair and held her head tightly for another officer to take pictures of her against her will.
Torture illustration: hands cuffed behind one’s back
Ms. Wang refused to reveal her identity, but the police managed to find out her name and address from their database of Falun Gong practitioners. A person who claimed to be from the Qiaoxi District Police Department (which oversees the police station) interrogated her for more than two hours.
After the interrogation, Ms. Wang was held in a metal cage. She went on a hunger strike in protest and soon exhibited some dangerous health symptoms. Only then did instructor Li Hui (+86-13102826335) and officer Zhao Yingshuang (+86-13722796891) release her on bail at around noon on June 1. By then she had been held at the police station for 48 hours.
Ms. Wang remembered seeing a notice posted on the wall of the interrogation room: “Citizens cannot be held for interrogation for more than 24 hours.” She knew that the police had violated legal procedure. Officer Zhao, however, wrote May 31, instead of June 1, as her release date on the notice of release on bail.
Request for Case Dismissal
Article 186 of the “Regulations on the Procedures for Handling Criminal Cases by Public Security Organs” states that the case against a suspect must be dismissed if there is no fact of crime. Since Ms. Wang didn’t commit any crime by talking to those two plainclothes officers on the street, she submitted a request to the Weiming Street Police Station on June 18 to have her case dismissed.
Officer Zhao initially promised to pass her request to the Qiaoxi District Police Department, but he changed his mind two days later. He said they would not dismiss the case against her. “You can hire a lawyer or directly submit your petition to the police department. But I assure you they will not accept your petition,” he warned Ms. Wang.
Ms. Wang reminded him that by law the police must dismiss a case if the prosecutor does not approve a suspect’s arrest within 37 days. Zhao said, “We don’t even enter you Falun Gong guys’ cases into our system, so we are not limited by the 37-day time window.” He then asked Ms. Wang to not share what he had just said with others.
Ms. Wang next talked to instructor Li and asked if he had read her request to have her case dropped. Li said, “No, I didn’t. And there’s no need to read your request. The Qiaoxi District Police Department has made the decision to pursue prosecution of you. We have no say whatsoever.”
On July 25, Ms. Wang directly submitted her request to the Qiaoxi District Police Department. One and a half hours later, officer Zhao called her and questioned why she had bypassed him to submit her request. He threatened to criminally charge her and put her on the wanted list if he couldn’t get hold of her. He also said he’d tell the police station in Ms. Wang’s neighborhood to closely monitor her.
Officer Zhao has been actively persecuting local Falun Gong practitioners over the years. He harassed Dr. Liang Mingguang and his wife Ms. He Tongye repeatedly at home between 2011 and 2012. The relentless harassment took a toll on Dr. Liang’s health. He fell ill and died on December 27, 2013.
Prior Persecution of Ms. Wang
This is not the first time that Ms. Wang has been targeted for her faith. She was previously arrested on March 10, 2009 and given one and a half years of forced labor two weeks later. She suffered brutal torture at the Hubei Province Women’s Prison. The guards grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the wall. They also kicked her in the abdomen repeatedly, causing her to become incontinent. Her ribs and stomach were also severely injured and she was rushed to the hospital.
Related Reports:
Ms. Wang Yueqin Arrested and Taken to Forced Labor Camp
Ms. Wang Yueqin’s Sentence at Hebei Province Women’s Forced Labor Camp Extended
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