Topic: Women all over the world:Call on Liberation of a Girl imprisoned for Meeting dad (Read 1694 times)

free Ms Bian

only pig not sign

accurate

It´s a totalitarian state. Any big organizations outside of the control of the regime that could destabilize the regime´s hold on power (by over time turning into political parties for example) will be persecuted and banned.

yes why this is banned in China ? What happened to their moral code for battery and abuse of helpless victims? Morales HYPOCRITES!

It has a swastika but that´s an ancient symbol which predates the nazis by thousands of years.

I just don't understand why this is banned in China. It looks very peaceful exercise to do.
Maybe something with logo? Similarities to nazi logo.

So her father got 12 years for practicing Falun Gong, which is outlawed in China I guess. Never understood what that was about. It´s some spiritual practise, meditation and such. And gymnastics and stretching I think.

Is that supposed to be some sort of subversive activity in China?

Women all over the world: Call on Liberation of a Girl imprisoned for Meeting Her Jailed Father

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Women all over the world: Call on Liberation of a Girl imprisoned for Meeting Her Jailed Father
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Why this is important

Bian Xiaohui was a fresh graduate. Her father was sentenced to 12 years in prison for impeding law enforcement with evil organisations in 2012. Instead of detesting or alienating herself from her father, Bian Xiaohui and her mother visited her father month to month. However, the legal rights to visit her imprisoned father has been obstructed and rejected by the prison authorities and her mother therefore fell sick. In order to strive to meet with her father, she sent her mother back for recuperation and she herself continued to request for visiting her father. She even tried to accuse the prison authorities but the case was not accepted. Helplessly, she then held a banner with “I WANT TO SEE MY FATHER”in front of the prison and handed out cards of her story to passersby on March 3, 2014.

Unfortunately, she was arrested before long. BianXiaohui, therefore, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison by district court in Shijiazhuang, Hebei on April 15, 2015 for committing the same crime as her father.

Visiting the imprisoned relatives is the legal rights to all people not only in China but also around the world. It is affection of relatives, which will help the ones who are punished to return to the society. However, the authorities rejected their requests for seeing their relatives, which shall be exposed, charged with and rectified instead of being shielded or encouraged. And the ones who disclosed or sued shall not be retaliated.

However, the affectionate girl has been convicted by the court in China.The conviction of the court not only showed its support for the illegality of the prison authorities but also showed contempt for the affection between family members. It is impossible for a daughter to accept such a verdict.

Therefore, we urge Shijiazhuang intermediate court to immediately acquit Bian Xiaohui so as to protect her rights for exposing and accusing of the prison authorities for their illegal acts.

We call for the Chinese government to give commendation to Bian Xiaohuiso as to show respect and encouragement to human affection!

THANKS A LOT

Signed.

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Women_all_over_the_world_Call_on_Liberation_of_a_Girl_imprisoned_for_Meeting_Her_Jailed_Father/?nfZYrjb


http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/ctb4y46c4f3c2v6665272

Free Bian Xiaohui

The Worldwide Females Call for Liberation of a Chinese Girl Who Was Imprisoned for Requesting for Visiting his Imprisoned Father
Set Xiaohui Free—An Innocent Daughter

http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/ctb4y46c4f3c2v6665272

Call for Signature Members!

The Worldwide Females Call for Liberation of a Chinese Girl Who Was Imprisoned for Requesting for Visiting his Imprisoned Father
Set Xiaohui Free—An Innocent Daughter

#Call for Signature Members#
http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/c4ln61yo54pdb5c660575
May 4, 2015

We are females from different countries. We are shocked to learn BianXiaohui, a 25 year old Chinese girl, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison by Hebei Chang'an Court for requiring for visiting his imprisoned father. It is incredible and unacceptable.

Bian Xiaohui was a fresh graduate. Her father was sentenced to 12 years in prison for impeding law enforcement with evil organisations in 2012. Instead of detesting or alienating herself from her father, Bian Xiaohui and her mother visited her father month to month. However, the legal rights to visit her imprisoned father has been obstructed and rejected by the prison authorities and her mother therefore fell sick. In order to strive to meet with her father, she sent her mother back for recuperation and she herself continued to request for visiting her father. She even tried to accuse the prison authorities but the case was not accepted. Helplessly, she then held a banner with “I WANT TO SEE MY FATHER”in front of the prison and handed out cards of her story to passersby on March 3, 2014.

Unfortunately, she was arrested before long. BianXiaohui, therefore, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison by district court in Shijiazhuang, Hebei on April 15, 2015 for committing the same crime as her father. Chen Yinghua, who was fighting for Bian Xiaohui has also been sentenced.

Visiting the imprisoned relatives is the legal rights to all people not only in China but also around the world. It is affection of relatives, which will help the ones who are punished to return to the society. However, the authorities rejected their requests for seeing their relatives, which shall be exposed, charged with and rectified instead of being shielded or encouraged. And the ones who disclosed or sued shall not be retaliated.

As a female, I am greatly impressed by her deep love for her father. We are all daughters and have our own parents too. It is all very natural for a daughter to be grateful to the father and be concerned about him,for he has raised his child up. We feel appreciated by their deep affection, for the daughter never abandoned her father. Instead, she insisted on visiting her father month to month though her father has been imposed a heavy sentence. We become outraged at the prison authorities for impeding and rejecting Bian Xiaohui to visit her father. The ones who have expressed their supports for her accusing and protesting against the prison authorities should be honoured and praised both in the ancient and modern times.

However, the affectionate girl has been convicted by the court in China. The conviction of the court not only showed its support for the illegality of the prison authorities but also showed contempt for the affection between family members. It is impossible for a daughter to accept such a verdict.
Therefore, we urge Shijiazhuang intermediate court to immediately acquit Bian Xiaohui so as to protect her rights for exposing and accusing of the prison authorities for their illegal acts.

We call for the Chinese government to give commendation to Bian Xiaohuiso as to show respect and encouragement to human affection!

Attachment One: A Letter from the Executive Director of Beijing Yirenping (where Bian Xiaohui works) to Shijiazhuang Intermediate People’s Court on the Case of Bian Xiaohui
Attachment Two: Regulations on Meeting Rights of Relatives in Hebei and China
Attachment Three: Regulations on Meeting Rights of Relatives with People under Detention by International Standards

I A Letter from the Executive Director of Beijing Yirenping (where Bian Xiaohui works) to Shijiazhuang Intermediate People’s Court on the Case of Bian Xiaohui

May 3, 2015
Shijiazhuang Intermediate People’s Court:

I am the Executive Director of  Beijing Yirenping Center, an anti-discrimination advocacy organization. Recently, I am shocked to learn that Bian XiaoHui, an employee in our Center, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison by Shijiazhuang Chang’an people's court for breaking the law enforcement by way of heresy. Judging from our close relationships with Bian XiaoHui, we suppose she is a person with integrity and kindness, and she has a bright and cheerful disposition as well as great passion for life. It's impossible for her to break law enforcement by way of heresy. It is said that her lawyer has officially lodged an appeal. In order to have the case heard with justice and equity, we suppose it's necessary to introduce Xiaohui to you so as to enable you to know more about her. The details are as follows:

(1) Her Performance and Personality
Xiaohui is an earnest and studious girl who works with diligence and responsibility and has never made any careless mistakes. At the same time,being integrity, optimistic, reasonable and willing to learn new things and read books, she can get along very well with colleagues and has impressed us with a lot of wonderful memories. Bian Xiaohui, good at playing Guzheng, has great passion for traditional culture and has a traditional concept of Chinese family. Since XiaoHui was detained, colleagues are all very worried about her, the kind and lovely girl and hoped she could be acquitted in an early time.

(2) Her Commendable Filial Piety
Xiaohui’s hometown is in Tangshan, Hebei. She works in Beijing, but she still go back to his hometown to visit her father with mother each month when his father was imposed a heavy sentence. She is a good girl with great filial piety.Colleagues are deeply moved by her filial piety which deserves our respect.While Xiaohui was deprived of her legal right to visit her father, she strived for it by exposing their illegal acts and accusing the prison authorities, which was praised as the modern Ti Ying (a dutiful girl who rescued his father from corporal punishment for grievance). People are deeply impressed by her filial piety, and she is a great daughter like Dong Yong (a famous dutiful son) in the ancient time.

(3) She has never advertised any religious issues
As far as we know, Xiaohui’s father is imprisoned for religious problems, but she has no interest in religion at all. We never heard her advertised any religious issues, let alone that she will break the law by way of heresy. On the contrary, we have heard her talk about the jail for refusing her to visit her father for no reason, which is actually impeding the implementation of the law.

The words above are our evaluation and impression on Bian Xiaohui. We are willing to provide further testimony for the trial of the case.

Sincerely
Lu Jun
Legal Representative of Beijing Yirenping Center


II Regulations on Meeting Rights of Relatives in Hebei and China
Article 48 of the Prison Law states, while in prison, the criminals can meet with family members and guardians in accordance with regulations.
Ministry of Justice introduced theImplementation Suggestions on Open System ofPrison Affairs through thePrison System ([2001] No. 105) on October 12, 2012, where the Disclosed Items of the Prison Affairs is attached. Item 5 of the basic rights of criminals (I) states,while in prison, criminals have the right to communicate and meet with people in accordance with regulations. Item 2 of provisions on meeting and communicate with people states, criminals have the right to meet with family members and guardians in accordance with regulations.

Article Two of Provisions Concerning Meeting and Communication with Criminals in judicial administration information disclosed by Hebei Bureau of Prisons states, while in prison, criminals shall be entitled to meet with relatives (these can only be his/her spouse, children, parents, grandparents, material grandparents, grandchildren, maternal grandchildren, siblings, uncles and aunts) and guardians in accordance with regulations. People who apply for meeting with the criminals must be checked for security by the police of the meeting room.


III Regulations on Meeting Rights of Relatives with People under Detention by International Standards
Article 2 of Universal Declaration of Human Rightspassed within the United Nations on December 10, 1948 states, everyone is entitled to enjoy all the rights and freedom provided by this Declaration,…Under Article 3, everyone has the right to life, liberty and personal security. The right of relatives to visit criminals, which is part of personal liberty, should be protected.
In 1955, the Regulation on Minimum Rules for Treatment of Prisoners was approved in the first session on crime prevention and treatment of criminals held by the United Nations. Under Article 37 of the Regulation, criminals shall keep in touch with relatives and friends worthy of trust under monitoring.

Under the detailed annotation ofUnited Nations Regulations on Minimum Rules for Treatment of Prisoners compiled by the International Association of Penal Law, the principle of protecting human rights of detained people shall be open to the public, namely, prisons and other places for detention should be open to the outside and independent investigators, and detained person shallhave the right to contact with the outside world. The Detailed Annotation states that detained person shall have the right to keep in touch and have a close contact with the outside world, which indicates that they can meet with immediate relatives.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was approved on the basis of Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the United Nations on December 16, 1996. Under Article 10 of the Covenant, All members who have been deprived of freedom shall be entitled to humane treatment and inherent dignity. The Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment was approved on December 9, 1998. Under Article 1, all persons under any form of detention or imprisonment shall be entitled to humane treatment and inherent dignity. It indicates that prisoners awaiting trial shall be entitled to humane treatment. It is the minimum level of human treatment and respect for criminals to meet with relatives. It is clearly defined in Article 19 of the Principles that in addition to abide by specific provisions in laws and regulations, detained or imprisoned persons shall be entitled to meet with family members, communicate with family members and keep in touch with the outside world.
Bian Xiaohui, an imprisoned victim, needs your supports with signature!

Women all over the world: Call on Liberation of a Girl imprisoned for Meeting Her Jailed Father

This petition is awaiting approval by the Avaaz Community

Women all over the world: Call on Liberation of a Girl imprisoned for Meeting Her Jailed Father
250 3
3 signers. Let's reach 250

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Women_all_over_the_world_Call_on_Liberation_of_a_Girl_imprisoned_for_Meeting_Her_Jailed_Father/?nfZYrjb

Why this is important

Bian Xiaohui was a fresh graduate. Her father was sentenced to 12 years in prison for impeding law enforcement with evil organisations in 2012. Instead of detesting or alienating herself from her father, Bian Xiaohui and her mother visited her father month to month. However, the legal rights to visit her imprisoned father has been obstructed and rejected by the prison authorities and her mother therefore fell sick. In order to strive to meet with her father, she sent her mother back for recuperation and she herself continued to request for visiting her father. She even tried to accuse the prison authorities but the case was not accepted. Helplessly, she then held a banner with “I WANT TO SEE MY FATHER”in front of the prison and handed out cards of her story to passersby on March 3, 2014.

Unfortunately, she was arrested before long. BianXiaohui, therefore, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison by district court in Shijiazhuang, Hebei on April 15, 2015 for committing the same crime as her father.

Visiting the imprisoned relatives is the legal rights to all people not only in China but also around the world. It is affection of relatives, which will help the ones who are punished to return to the society. However, the authorities rejected their requests for seeing their relatives, which shall be exposed, charged with and rectified instead of being shielded or encouraged. And the ones who disclosed or sued shall not be retaliated.

However, the affectionate girl has been convicted by the court in China.The conviction of the court not only showed its support for the illegality of the prison authorities but also showed contempt for the affection between family members. It is impossible for a daughter to accept such a verdict.

Therefore, we urge Shijiazhuang intermediate court to immediately acquit Bian Xiaohui so as to protect her rights for exposing and accusing of the prison authorities for their illegal acts.

We call for the Chinese government to give commendation to Bian Xiaohuiso as to show respect and encouragement to human affection!

Submission to UN on Bian Xiaohui – May 14, 2015
May 28, 2015 • 5:38 am
Submission to:

Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression

Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers

 

Communiqué on Behalf of Bian Xiaohui, Citizen of the People’s Republic of China,

Alleging Arbitrary Detention, Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and Violation of Freedom of Expression, Assembly and Association

 

I. IDENTITY

1. Family name: Bian (卞)

2. First name: Xiaohui (晓晖)

3. Sex: Female

4. Birth date or age (at the time of detention): July 16, 1990

5. Nationality/Nationalities: People’s Republic of China

6. (a) Identity document (if any): ID card

7. Profession and/or activity (if believed to be relevant to the arrest/detention): Before being detained and later imprisoned, Ms. Bian was repeatedly denied visitation rights to see her incarcerated father, Bian Lichao, who since 2012 has been serving a 12-year sentence in Shijiazhuang Prison in retaliation for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual meditation practice outlawed by the Chinese government. The denial of visits was in violation of Chinese law (see further details below about the circumstances of Ms. Bian’s arrest). Bian Xiaohui was forcibly seized from her home after she publicly demonstrated several times in the streets near the prison, insisting to see her father. After a yearlong pretrial detention, she was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. At the time of her initial detention, Bian was a recent graduate of Jilin University of Finance and Economics in Jilin Province and had started working with an NGO in Beijing.

8. Address of usual residence: Haidian District, Beijing, China

 

 II. Arrest

1. Date of arrest: March 12, 2014

2. Place of arrest: Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

3. Forces who carried out the arrest or are believed to have carried it out: Officers from the Shijiazhuang City Public Security Bureau (PSB) and national security personnel

4. Did they show a warrant or other decision by a public authority? No

5. Authority who issued the warrant or decision: No warrant is known to have been issued.

6. Reasons for the arrest imputed by the authorities: No reason given at the time of arrest.

7. Legal basis for the arrest including relevant legislation applied (if known): Since no warrant was issued, it is unclear what relevant legislation the police used to conduct the arrest.

 

III. Detention

1. Date of detention: Ms. Bian was put under criminal detention on March 13, 2014, and formally arrested on April 17, 2014.

2. Duration of detention (if not known, probable duration): Bian has been in detention since March 13, 2014.

3. Forces holding the detainee under custody: Shijiazhuang City PSB Qiaodong Branch

4. Places of detention (indicate any transfer and present place of detention): Bian has been detained at Shijiazhuang City No. 2 Detention Center.

5. Authorities that ordered the detention: Shijiazhuang City PSB Qiaodong Branch

6. Reasons for the detention imputed by the authorities: According to the detention notice dated March 13, 2014, Bian was criminally detained on suspicion of “using a cult to undermine implementation of the law.”

7. Legal basis for the detention including relevant legislation applied (if known): Article 300 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, “using a cult to undermine implementation of the law,” stipulates a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years to those who form or use superstitious sects or secret societies or weird religious organizations or use superstition to undermine the implementation of the laws and administrative rules and regulations of the State.

 

IV. Describe the circumstances of the arrest.

According to Bian Xiaohui, before she was taken away around 5 p.m. on March 12, 2014, more than a dozen police officers and national security guards barged into her home. They yelled at her and forcefully seized her without a warrant. Prior to this—on March 4, 7, and 12—Bian had held a banner in public near Shijiazhuang Prison, where her father is incarcerated, that said, “I want to see my father.” When people asked about her situation, she told them she has not been allowed to see her father for a couple of months and that she worried about his conditions in prison.

Under Chinese law, Bian and her mother should have been allowed at least one visit a month to see Bian Lichao, but their request to visit him had not been granted every month; prison authorities denied some monthly meetings in 2013, including in November and December. The last time Ms. Bian was granted visitation was on January 20, 2015, despite the fact that she and her mother tried to meet Bian Lichao every month up until the time that Ms. Bian was detained.

At Ms. Bian’s last prison visit with her father, he informed her of mistreatment he suffered, including deprivation of proper medical treatment for heart disease, and said that prison authorities were trying to coerce him into cooperating with them in unlawful (but unspecified) activities. Bian Lichao told his daughter that family visits had been previously denied due to his resistance to cooperate with the authorities. Both father and daughter agreed that he should not comply with them in engaging in any unlawful activities, a stance that we believe contributed to the eventual deprivation of visitation rights.

 

V. Indicate reasons why you consider the arrest and/or detention to be arbitrary

It is strongly believed that Ms. Bian’s detention and subsequent prison term have been retaliation for her trying to expose her father’s mistreatment and other unlawful behavior on the part of local authorities, as well as her demands to visit him. Through her public demonstrations and online activities, Bian exposed that authorities were in violation of Article 48 of China’s Prison Law, which stipulates that prisoners be allowed to meet with family and guardians. In addition, according to Article 45 of Measures for the Administration of Convicts Retained at Jails for Execution of Sentences, detainees are allowed visitation by family up to two times a month, a right that Ms. Bian and her mother were not allowed to exercise. Her initial detention is believed to be a pretext to stop Bian from informing the public about her situation and her father’s case, especially after she posted videos of police officers harassing her when she publicly demanded to visit her father and shared information about mistreatment that he has suffered. Police took her into custody around the time of major legislative meetings of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing—a typically “sensitive” political period in early March when the country’s authorities are on high alert to “maintain stability.”

Authorities blatantly violated laws and deprived human rights throughout Ms. Bian’s case, from the period of initial detention through her trial. When she was first seized, police did not provide a detention notice. This violates Article 83 of China’s Criminal Procedure Law (CPL), which stipulates that public security bureau officers must produce a detention warrant when detaining an individual. In addition, the charge against her, “using a cult to undermine implementation of the law,” is fabricated, and is a trumped-up allegation often used to arbitrarily retaliate against individuals in China who have any involvement in religious or spiritual practice. In fact, however, Bian had not participated in any religious or spiritual activities, and nor did she did mention religious or spiritual beliefs when talking to passersby during her public demonstrations.

In addition, Ms. Bian was deprived of her right to access legal counsel. After nearly two months of incommunicado detention, Bian was only allowed to see her lawyers in early May 2014. Bian told them the violations she had suffered, including torture and other forms of mistreatment. According to Bian, authorities denied visits by her lawyers because she refused to wear prison uniform and shackles. Moreover, she was forced to sleep on the floor for 25 days, from March 19 to April 14, 2014, while forced to use laundry detergent to wash her hair and freezing cold water to wash her body. Prison authorities also force-fed Bian after she staged a hunger strike for a week in protest against the deprived right to legal counsel, despite the fact that she had expressed willingness to eat.

Myriad legal and procedural violations occurred throughout Ms. Bian’s trial, with local authorities obstructing her right to a fair and open trial. Her first-instance trial was held on August 21, 2014, at the Qiaodong District People’s Court in Shijiazhuang, but authorities prevented family members and others (including representatives from the Canadian Embassy) from attending, despite their having received prior permission to observe. Such behavior violates China’s CPL, which stipulates that first-instance trials shall be heard in public (Articles 11 and 152 of the 1996 CPL; Article 183 of the 2013 CPL). Her lawyers protested the barring of Bian’s family members from the courtroom, and proceedings were temporarily suspended. Most of the people allowed to attend the proceedings were government personnel and people who were paid to observe, according to one individual in attendance. The lack of judicial independence is also evident in testimonies against Bian, as most “evidence” presented in court reportedly was provided by Shijiazhuang Prison personnel and police officers.

On December 12, 2014, the first-instance trial resumed, at the Chang’an District People’s Court in Shijiazhuang. However, only one of her lawyers was allowed to attend while family members and others were again denied entry. Police harassed Bian’s supporters outside the courthouse and blocked them from entering. On April 10, 2015, the court convicted and sentenced Biao Xiaohui to 3.5 years in prison in a closed trial; one of Bian’s lawyers was only informed of the verdict several days later.

The circumstances of Bian’s detention and ongoing imprisonment satisfy both Category II (i.e., when the deprivation of liberty results from the exercise of the rights or freedoms guaranteed by articles 7, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, and 21 of the UDHR and Category III (i.e., when the total or partial non-observance of the international norms relating to the right to a fair trial, spelled out in the UDHR and in the relevant international instruments accepted by the States concerned, is of such gravity as to give the deprivation of liberty an arbitrary character).

 

VI. Indicate internal steps, including domestic remedies, taken especially with the legal and administrative authorities, particularly for the purpose of establishing the detention and, as appropriate, their results or the reasons why such steps or remedies were ineffective or why they were not taken.

Friends of Bian Xiaohui tried to file a compliant against her unlawful arrest, but it was rejected. To amass public support, her family members, friends, and lawyers posted her case background and updates online. Ms. Bian’s case has received coverage in the media, and foreign diplomats were informed of her case. In particular, representatives from the Canadian Embassy received permission to observe Bian’s trial, but they were denied entry on two separate days of hearings. Recently, a group of people started an online campaign (in both Chinese and English) calling for her release.

 

Date Submitted: May 14, 2015
http://www.chrdnet.com/2015/05/submission-to-un-on-bian-xiaohui-may-2015/

Prisoner of Conscience – Bian Xiaohui
Jul 2, 2015 • 9:43 pm
Bian Xiaohui 卞晓辉

BianXiaohui

Crime: Using a cult to undermine implementation of law

Length of Punishment: 3 years and six months

Court: Shijiazhuang Chang’an District People’s Court

Trial Date: August 21, 2014 (suspended); December 12, 2014 (resumed)

Sentencing Date: April 10, 2015

Dates of Detention/Arrest: March 12, 2014 (detained); April 17, 2014 (arrested)

Place of Incarceration: Shijiazhuang City No. 2 Detention Center (Hebei Province)

 

Background

More than a dozen police officers and national security officers raided Bian Xiaohui’s residence on March 12, 2014 after she repeatedly demanded to see her imprisoned father. They forcefully seized her without a warrant and put her under criminal detention the next day. Bian had protested with a banner—on March 4, 7, and 12—outside Shijiazhuang Prison, where her father is incarcerated, that said, “I want to see my father.” When passersby asked about her situation, she told them she has not been allowed to see her father for a couple of months and that she worried about his condition in prison. During the last visit with her father in prison, he informed her of mistreatment he had suffered, including deprivation of proper medical treatment for heart disease and repeated and prolonged interrogation.

After nearly two months of detention incommunicado, Bian was first allowed a visit from her lawyers in early May 2014. Bian told them the violations she had suffered, including torture and other forms of mistreatment. According to Bian, guards forced her to sleep on the floor for 25 days, from March 19 to April 14, 2014. She was given laundry detergent to wash her hair and forced to use freezing cold water to wash her body. Authorities denied her visits from her lawyers because she refused to wear the prison uniform and shackles. Prison authorities also force-fed Bian after she staged a hunger strike for a week in protest against her deprived right to legal counsel, despite the fact that she had expressed a willingness to eat.

A number of legal and procedural violations occurred throughout Bian Xiaohui’s trial, as local authorities obstructed her right to a fair and open trial. Her first trial was held at the Qiaodong District People’s Court in Shijiazhuang, but authorities prevented family members and supporters from attending. Bian’s lawyers left the trial in protest and the hearing was resumed on December 12 without any notice to her family or attorneys, except for lawyer Jiang Yuanmin (蒋援民). Her lawyers filed an appeal after the guilty verdict; however, they suspected a second hearing had taken place behind closed doors on June 12, 2015. The presiding judge ignored repeated efforts by her lawyers to seek clarification.

Born in 1990, Bian is a recent graduate of Jilin University of Finance and Economics in Jilin Province and had started working with an NGO in Beijing. Bian’s father, Bian Lichao, a middle school teacher, has been serving a 12-year sentence in Shijiazhuang Prison since 2012 in retaliation for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual meditation practice outlawed by the Chinese government. The denial of Bian Lichao’s visits with his daughter constitute a violation of Chinese law, which guarantee prisoners at least one family visit a month. When Bian Xiaohui was taken away, her aunt, Chen Yinghua (陈英华) was also detained and sentenced to four years for photographing Bian holding the banner and sharing it on the Internet. Bian’s mother, Zhou Xiuzhen (周秀珍), also a teacher, has been in detention since the day after Bian was taken away. Hebei police seized Zhou to end her efforts to generate support to push for her daughter’s release. According to colleagues at the NGO, Bian Xiaohui has “a bright and cheerful disposition as well as great passion for life.”

http://www.chrdnet.com/2015/07/prisoner-of-conscience-bian-xiaohui/

 she wanted to see her father