United Nations Refugee Ms. Zhang Xinyi Illegally Imprisoned in Hunan Provincial Women's Prison

Ms. Zhang Xinyi is a Falun Gong practitioner and United Nations refugee. On April 28th, 2005, she was arrested by the Tianxin District Public Security Sub-Bureau in Changsha City. At the same time, her family home was ransacked and personal property was confiscated. In August, soon after a secret trial and without her family members being informed, Ms. Zhang was sentenced to a three-year term of imprisonment by the Tianxin District Court in Changsha City (the presiding judge was Chen Xinzheng). Ms. Zhang refused to accept the decision and lodged an appeal. However, in December 2005, Ms. Zhang's appeal was rejected by the Changsha Intermediate Court (the presiding judge was Yang Saiyu). On January 12th, 2006, Ms. Zhang was imprisoned in the Hunan Provincial Women's Prison. Ms. Zhang is now illegally imprisoned in the prison orientation team.

The Hunan Provincial Women's Prison is one of the central locations to imprison and persecute women Falun Gong practitioners in Hunan Province. About 100 practitioners are illegally imprisoned there. After July 20th, 1999 (when the persecution started), under the lead of deputy prison director Zhao Lan, the prison tightly followed the Chinese Communist Party to persecute the imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners. They carried out brainwashing including mental and physical torture, with the goal of destroying the practitioners' spirits. Dafa practitioner Ms. Jia Cuiying from Jishou, Hunan Province, developed lung cancer as a result of the relentless pressure and torture. She was released on bail for medical treatment and died only four months later. In addition, many practitioners were persecuted until they developed mental disorders. Generally, when Dafa practitioners first enter the prison, the guards begin by using all kinds of hypocritical methods to approach the practitioners, and try to use the practitioners' human weaknesses to wait for an opportunity to brainwash and reach the goal of "transforming¹" them. Dafa practitioners who resist this method are then tortured.

At present, there is much cause for concern about Ms. Zhang Xinyi's situation. Because she cultivated and practised Falun Gong, persisted in her belief, and told people, who had been misled by the government propaganda, the facts about Falun Dafa and exposed the persecution, Zhang Xinyi was persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party more than once.

In August 2002, Ms. Zhang and her husband, Li Guojun, were teaching at the Jinbian Chinese School in Cambodia. They were arrested by the Cambodia Immigration Office. Later, they were deported to China. Cambodian government personnel told the couple clearly that they were told to do this by the Chinese Embassy.

At that time, Ms. Zhang and her husband had already applied for asylum to the UNHCR (Headquarters of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and the application was accepted, so they were officially refugees protected by international law. Because of this, their case received a lot of media attention. On August 23rd, 2002, the Xingzhou Daily reported this event in an article entitled, "UNHCR criticizes the government for not protecting two Falun Gong practitioners" (see illustration).

Police imprisoned Ms. Zhang and her husband for one month when they were deported to China. Only after international rescue efforts, were they released.

Ms. Zhang was most recently arrested on the afternoon of April 28th, 2005. Her family members returned home and saw that the house was in disorder. The computer, printer and Dafa books were gone, and Ms. Zhang had been taken away. From that day to the time that Ms. Zhang was sentenced and sent to Hunan Provincial Women's Prison, about eight to nine months had passed. Ms. Zhang's husband, Mr. Li Guojun, has not been allowed to see her even once. Every time Mr. Li went to the prison to visit his wife, the authorities lied and said, "Zhang Xinyi does not want to meet with you." In addition, they frequently withheld letters from family members. Ms. Zhang went on a hunger strike for 40 days to protest. Officials handcuffed Ms. Zhang to a window shutter to force-feed her.

In August 2005, the Tianxin District Court, fearful of letting other people know about the trial, secretly held a trial to hear Ms. Zhang's case, and didn't even notify her family. Her husband Li Guojun asked the presiding judge, Chen Xinzheng, about the case. The judge shirked responsibility and even tried to blame Mr. Li, saying such things as, "You did not show up." Ms. Zhang was thus "illegally sentenced²" and imprisoned for made-up crimes. Mr. Li and their son Li Yanwen (a high-school senior) are both currently under tremendous pressure.

The fact that United Nations refugee Ms. Zhang is being persecuted again reveals the Chinese Communist Party's true nature. It blatantly ignores international law and international human rights treaties.

We appeal to all people around the world to help rescue Ms. Zhang Xinyi, and help her obtain her freedom again.

Personnel in the Changsha Intermediate Court who participated in the illegal decision: Presiding Judge Yang Saiyu, Judge Ou Yangning, Liu Yaowu, Clerk Huang Shizhi

Personnel in the Tianxin District Court who participated in the illegal decision: Presiding Judge Chen Xinzheng, Judge Pen Li'an, Zhang Huifang, Clerk Tang Bin

Personnel from the Tianxin Procuratorate who participated in "the public prosecution": Prosecutor Yu Lihua

Other Related units and personnel:

Xinkaipu Local Police Station: 86-731-5572702
Tianxin District 610 Office, Yang Shengming: 86-731-5175673
Chief of the Tianxin District Court, Geng Mingsheng: 86-731-5890000
Chief Prosecutor of the Tianxin District Procuratorate, Sheng Lei: 86-731-5890501
Tianxin District Chief, Xia Jianping: 86-731-5899888
Tianxin District government: 86-731-5899420 (Fax)
Changsha Police Station 610 Office: 86-731-2587501

Hunan Provincial Women's Prison:
Deputy warden Zhao Lan: 86-731-2323007 (Office), 86-731-2323878 (Home), 86-13308498728 (Mobile)
Surveillance Team: 86-731-2323710
Prison guards: Tang Qingyun, Long Yanhong

Hunan Provincial Women's Prison address: 528 Xiangzhang Ave., Yuhua District, Changsha City, Hunan Province

Mailing address: PO Box 2, Changsha City, Hunan Province, Zip code: 410004

Hunan Provincial Prison Administrative Bureau (The higher authority of the women's prison); Bureau Chief and Secretary, Liu Wanqing

Deputy Chief, Li Yunfeng (primary person in charge of the "transformation" work): 86-731-4592780 (Office), 86-13908463868 (Mobile)

Note

1. "Reform or Transform" Implementation of brainwashing and torture in order to force a practitioner to renounce Falun Gong. (Variations: "reform", "transform", "reformed", "reforming", "transformed", "transforming", and "transformation")

2. Illegally arrested: Contrary to what former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, who initiated the persecution, and the Chinese Communist Party would like the world to believe, practising Falun Gong is NOT illegal in China. Although the Public Security Department issued an unconstitutional set of restraints on the practice at the onset of the persecution in 1999, no laws have been passed by the only legislative body in China, the People's Congress, banning Falun Gong or granting the police the authority to arrest Falun Gong practitioners for practising the exercises or distributing flyers. For a more complete discussion of the illegality of the persecution of Falun Gong, please refer to the article "The Ban on Falun Gong—A Dictator's Whim, Not the Rule of Law". (Variation: "illegally sentenced")

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/2/17/121035.html