(Minghui.org) A woman in Shandong Province was secretly indicted and sentenced for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Qin Shaohua’s parents didn’t find out about her prison sentence until July 17, 2023, when they happened to call a local government official to inquire about her case status. They later called the local detention center but their daughter was not there. Only then did they learn that she had been transferred to the Shandong Province Women’s Prison on the day they called the government official.
Prior to that, Ms. Qin’s parents had mailed more than 200 complaint letters to various government agencies, seeking to hold responsible the arresting officers who targeted her for her faith. But no agency ever responded to them.
200+ Complaint Letters
Ms. Qin and her parents, Mr. Qin Songfa and Ms. Xu Xiuzhen, live in Yimin Village, Xiazhuang Town, Gaomi City. The three of them took up Falun Gong in 1998 and have been repeatedly targeted since the persecution began one year later.
Ms. Qin’s latest prison sentence stemmed from an earlier arrest on May 31, 2022. While she was released on 1,000-yuan bail that day, she was taken back into custody on February 8, 2023. The arresting officers from the Furi Police Station called her parents two days later to say she had been formally arrested and held at the Weifang City Detention Center. Weifang City oversees Gaomi City.
Ms. Qin’s parents haven’t heard any updates from the authorities since. They began writing complaint letters against the arresting officers and other perpetrators involved in their daughter’s persecution. In the next few months, they mailed out more than 200 letters to various government agencies, including:
Central government agencies:
Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Supreme People’s Court, National Constitution and Law Committee, National Supervision and Judiciary Committee, National People’s Congress, National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Disciplinary Inspection and Supervision Group of Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Supervision Committee in the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Public Security, and Ministry of Justice
Provincial government agencies:
Shandong Provincial Procuratorate, Shandong Provincial Court, Shandong Provincial Public Security Department, Shandong Provincial Department of Justice, Shandong Provincial Disciplinary Inspection Commission, Shandong Provincial Supervisory Committee, Shandong Provincial Judges and Prosecutors Selection and Punishment Committee Secretariat, and Shandong Provincial People’s Congress Standing Committee
Municipal government agencies:
Weifang City Discipline Inspection Committee, Weifang City Supervisory Committee, Weifang City Court, Weifang City Procuratorate, and Weifang City People’s Congress Standing Committee
Gaomi City Court, Gaomi City Procuratorate, Gaomi City Disciplinary Inspection Committee, Gaomi City Supervisory Committee, and Gaomi City People’s Congress Standing Committee
Town government agency:
Xiazhuang Town People’s Congress Standing Committee
Parents Write, Call, and Visit Government Officials
Mr. Qin and Ms. Xu never heard any response from these government agencies. They then visited or called some of the agencies.
Mr. Qin went to see Xu Bo, secretary of Yimin Village, in mid-April 2023. Xu then called Wang Dapeng, secretary of Gaomi City Political and Legal Affairs Committee. After hanging up the phone, Xu said to Mr. Qin, “Don’t write any more complaint letters. Don’t give me any more headaches.”
Mr. Qin called Xu one week later and asked when his daughter would be released. Xu said, “Around May or June.”
Mr. Qin called again in June and Xu changed his answer to June or July. Mr. Qin wondered why his daughter would be released one month later than Xu initially told him. Xu promised to check with higher-ups and get back to Mr. Qin. But he never called back.
Mother Finds Out About Daughter’s Prison Sentence by Chance
On July 17, 2023, Ms. Xu called Xu (no relation) and said she needed to deliver clothes to her daughter at the detention center. Xu seemed surprised, “What? She was not released? She should have long returned home. Let me check again.”
Half an hour later, Xu called back saying, “I forgot to tell you and your husband that your daughter actually had been sentenced to two and a half years.”
Father Learns of Daughter’s Prison Transfer by Chance
On July 20, Mr. Qin received a phone call from the police supervisory committee in Gaomi City regarding his complaints against the arresting officers. The caller insisted that the police had everything required (such as search warrant) so they didn’t break any law or violate any procedures in arresting Ms. Qin.
Mr. Qin then asked the caller if what Xu said about his daughter’s prison sentence was true. The caller said he knew nothing about the prison sentence and directed Mr. Qin to call the Furi Police Station or the Gaomi City Court.
Mr. Qin then called the Weifang City Detention Center to ask about his daughter. The person answering the call said she was no longer there. He confirmed that she had been sentenced to two and a half years and transferred to the Shandong Province Women’s Prison on July 17.
The person also appeared surprised, “Didn’t the court notify you of your daughter’s sentencing and prison transfer?” Mr. Qin said that he and his wife had been kept in the dark of their daughter’s prosecution and that they didn’t even know when she was indicted, tried, or sentenced.
The caller said, “Then you just need to wait to receive a notice from the prison confirming her prison admission.”
Mr. Qin and Ms. Xu have not received any notice from the prison at the time of writing.
Related Reports:
Shandong Woman Gets 2.5-Year Prison Term for Her Faith in Falun Gong
Husband and Wife Detained, Daughter Persecuted for Hiring a Lawyer
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