(Minghui.org) A 44-year-old woman awaiting trial for her faith in Falun Gong was beaten in detention and is suffering from declining health and worsening memory.
Ms. Chen Yan, of Benxi City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on July 14, 2024, after a community worker spotted her distributing informational materials exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong. The worker videotaped her and shared the clip with his supervisor, who then notified the police. Deputy chief Meng Xiangchong from the Hexi Police Station and his subordinates soon arrived to arrest Ms. Chen.
Meng and his officers raided Ms. Chen’s home when no one was around. They confiscated her bankbook, cash, cell phone, and other valuables.
Ms. Chen’s parents grew worried when they could not get in touch with her. Her mother was still recovering from cancer surgery, so her 74-year-old father went to check on her. As soon as he saw the big mess in his daughter’s home, he knew that she must have been arrested again for her faith. Back in 2015, she was sentenced to three years in prison and fired from her civil servant job for her faith.
The elderly man managed to find out who arrested his daughter and went to the Hexi Police Station to seek her release and a list of confiscated items. Deputy chief Meng was very rude and turned him away.
Prosecutor Hou Rui of the Xihu District Procuratorate indicted Ms. Chen and forwarded her case to the Xihu District Court. Judge Wang Mian barred her non-lawyer defender from reviewing her case file or visiting her.
Ms. Chen’s lawyer was allowed to visit her at the Benxi City Detention Center on October 30, 2024, and learned that she was beaten three times on August 5 by four inmates who were instructed by the guards to abuse her.
The lawyer noted that Ms. Chen was in low spirits, slow to respond, and appeared weak. He returned the next day for another meeting and was shocked to see that she had no recollection of their meeting the day before. She complained about heart palpitations and had blood in her sputum.
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