Beijing-based activist Li Meiqing has been force-fed over 100 tablets of sedatives while being detained by national security officers, according to her sister.

Li was detained from Feb. 28 to March 9 during a politically sensitive period coinciding with China’s annual parliamentary session. Li was then taken to Beijing Nanyuan hospital in a conscious state and had her stomach pumped, before being transferred to the 307th Hospital of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army for emergency care.

Li is currently in criminal detention on the grounds of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” — an offence often criticized as being a tool for Chinese authorities to suppress political dissidents.

She felt dizzy, nauseous and fatigued during her time in the hospital, said her sister Li Huanjun, adding that she was worried that Li would not receive proper medical care in detention.

Li Huanjun, who is in exile in the United States, told Apple Daily that her sister had not been protesting since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s inconvenient to go anywhere, there are checks everywhere,” she said.

Instead, Li’s latest detention might be a result of her publicizing her mistreatment to the media, her sister said.

On Friday, Li’s elderly mother waited for around three hours at the local law enforcement agency before receiving confirmation that her daughter was detained.

Local officials said that Li had legal representation, and Li’s mother said she planned to visit the detention center on Monday.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play