Yunnan Woman Given Labor Camp Term, Extorted and Harassed for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) Since the Chinese communist regime began to persecute Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline, in 1999, Ms. Zhang Xiuzhen, a Kunming City, Yunnan Province resident in her 60s, has been given a labor camp term, constantly harassed by the police, and had her pension suspended.

Ms. Zhang was arrested on October 15, 2008, after being reported by a subdivision’s security office for distributing copies of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party there. She was interrogated at the Daguanlou Police Station. The police also collected her fingerprints and took her photo. Later, the police took her back to the subdivision, forced her to go to the place where she distributed the materials, and took photos of her there.

Ms. Zhang later escaped from the police station, only to be arrested again on May 16, 2009, after being reported by a plainclothes officer for talking to people about Falun Gong in a park. She was first held at the Beimen Police Station and then transferred to the Wuhua District Detention Center in the evening. The guards stripped her clothes off and took away her shoes. She was assigned to a room shared with 33 detainees. When she arrived, there was no place for her to sleep. She sat overnight.

The police later ransacked Ms. Zhang’s home and confiscated her Falun Gong books and related materials.

Ms. Zhang was given 1.5 years at the Yunnan Province Women’s Forced Labor Camp on May 25. She was forced to sit on a small stool without moving for long hours each day, while watching videos slandering Falun Gong and its founder. She was also forced to do unpaid labor, including picking pears. The physical torture caused her to suffer systemic edema and have trouble urinating. She had pain all over her body.

As soon as she was arrested, Ms. Zhang’s workplace suspended her pension. It’s not clear whether it has resumed her pension at the time of writing.

Ms. Zhang was arrested again on April 15, 2016, after being reported for putting up information about Falun Gong in a park. The police attempted to force her to write something on a piece of blank paper. She refused to comply. Her body kept shaking when the police took her to the hospital for a physical examination.

Around midnight, three officers brought Ms. Zhang to a small hill and questioned her whether she still practiced Falun Gong. Ms. Zhang was taken back home by her son at 3 a.m. He said he paid the police 6,000 yuan in exchange for her release. He paid the money through WeChat and he didn’t know who the money went to.

The extortion caused the family to suffer further financial distress, as her son hasn’t worked since Ms. Zhang’s husband passed away in 2014.

Zhu Yunjie and an officer surnamed Geng of Daguan Police Station harassed Ms. Zhang again on December 30, 2020, and ordered her to sign a statement to renounce Falun Gong. She refused to comply.

Perpetrators’ contact information:
Zhu Yunjie (朱云杰), office of Daguan Police Station: [phone]Wang Zhirong (汪志荣), chief of Daguan Police Station: [phone]Kang Wei (康伟), deputy chief of Lianhua Police Station: [phone]