(Minghui.org) A former music teacher in Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province has been denied family visits since she was admitted to the Sichuan Province Women’s Prison in August 2021 to serve three and a half years for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Gan Xuemei held firm in her faith and the prison used that as an excuse to deny her family visits and subject her to 24/7 monitoring, sleep deprivation and other forms of abuse. They called her husband numerous times during the past few years, ordering him to “work on” his wife. He refused to comply because he knew his wife would not renounce her faith since there was nothing wrong with it.
A prison guard recently tried to locate Ms. Gan’s daughter and have the school-age girl “work on” her mother. He threatened to extend Ms. Gan’s prison term if she still refused to renounce her faith.
Ms. Gan wrote two letters home in late 2021, which took a long time to be delivered. Her husband learned from the letters that she had developed a heart condition and high blood pressure soon after her prison admission. He then requested to have her released on medical parole, but was denied. It is unclear whether the prison has rendered any medical attention to Ms. Gan.
Arrest and Sentencing
Ms. Gan was arrested on August 29, 2020, while distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. The arrest came only three years after she had served a 15-month term, also for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong.
The Dujiangyang City Court held a virtual hearing on April 16, 2021 and didn’t notify her lawyer of the hearing until three days prior. The court prevented several of her family members from attending the hearing. Only her husband, younger brother, and sister-in-law were allowed to enter the courtroom.
Ms. Gan’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea for her. He argued that no law in China says that practicing Falun Gong is a crime and that none of the evidence demonstrated how Ms. Gan had harmed anyone.
Ms. Gan testified in her own defense. She recounted how her health and character improved by practicing Falun Gong. She maintained that she didn’t do anything wrong in upholding her faith.
After judge Nie Jianming handed down the 3.5-year sentence, Ms. Gan appealed to the Chengdu City Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold the original verdict on June 21, 2021.
Ms. Gan was taken to the Sichuan Province Women’s Prison in Chengdu City around August 2021.
Related reports:
Former Music Teacher Sentenced to 3.5 Years for Her Faith
Former Music Teacher Stands Trial for Practicing Falun Gong, Faces Second Prison Term
Copyright © 2023 Minghui.org. All rights reserved.
