(Minghui.org) A 70-year-old resident of Changsha City, Hunan Province, was taken back into custody on April 11, 2024 to serve time after her motion to reconsider her case was denied.
Ms. Peng Xiaomei, also known as Peng Jinxiang, was sentenced to an unknown prison term on March 28, 2023 for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. She was allowed to serve time outside of prison due to her poor health.
The Changsha City Intermediate Court ruled on July 6, 2023 to uphold Ms. Peng’s wrongful conviction. She filed a motion with the same court requesting it to reconsider its earlier decision to reject her appeal. The court denied her motion on September 22, 2023. She was taken back into custody to serve time on April 11, 2024. It is unclear where she is being held.
Bedridden After Repeated Harassment and Arrests
Ms. Peng worked in the medical office of China Construction Bank before her retirement. Her prison sentence stemmed from her arrest on June 14, 2020, after being reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials.
The police later released her and said her case was concluded and she faced no further prosecution. They, however, seized her from home on May 13, 2021 and interrogated her about what she did on June 14, 2020. They released her under house arrest hours later, but harassed her or briefly detained her a few times in 2022 (on June 23, September 24, and October 16).
The repeated persecution episodes caused Ms. Peng’s blood pressure to spike, especially after her arrest on October 16, 2022. Nonetheless, the police took her to the Changsha City Detention Center two days later. Her condition kept worsening, and she could not move her body and felt dizzy on the morning of October 21, 2022. Her hands and legs were numb and had no strength. Her blood pressure couldn’t be measured. She was later sent to a hospital and her blood pressure remained high after three days of hospitalization.
The police eventually released Ms. Peng under house arrest again on October 24, 2022. She remained bedridden since. See the first related report for details of her persecution between 2021 and 2022.
Yanked Off Bed to Attend Court Hearing
Ms. Peng was lying in bed on the morning of March 28, 2023, when three officers showed up to take her to the Liuyang City Court [which is under the administration of Changsha City] to attend a hearing. They said that they were from the Xinhe Police Station and did not allow her family to accompany her to the court.
On the way to the courthouse, Ms. Peng asked to use the restroom. The police ignored her and did not stop their car. She ended up wetting her pants.
Judge Chen Yuchao sentenced Ms. Peng at the end of the hearing (exact prison term unknown). He also said that he’d order her taken back into custody once she recovered well enough.
Appeal Rejected and Motion Denied
Ms. Peng filed an appeal with the Changsha City Intermediate Court. Judge Zhong from the Liuyang City Court and officer Deng from the Xinhe Police Station delivered the higher court’s ruling to her house on July 6, 2023. They ordered her to sign the paperwork and promised that no one would bother her again if she complied. She noted that the ruling bore the signatures of presiding judge Li Fan (+86-13975106228) and judge Zou Xiaohong (+86-18817138226), who stated that they concurred with trial judge Chen’s decision to convict her and have her serve time outside of prison.
Officer Deng turned to Ms. Peng’s family when she refused to sign the ruling. Her loved ones also said no. Deng then signed the paperwork and left with Zhong.
Ms. Peng filed a motion with the Changsha City Intermediate Court requesting it to reconsider its ruling to reject her appeal. The higher court issued a decision to deny her motion on September 22, 2023.
The police and local street committee kept checking on Ms. Peng to see if she was getting better. They eventually arrested her on April 11, 2024 and placed her in an unknown facility.
Related Reports:
69-year-old Woman Bedridden After Being Persecuted Repeatedly for Her Faith
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