Having Been Imprisoned and Tortured for 14 Years, Former Obstetrician Arrested Again for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) A Fuyang City, Anhui Province resident in her 60s has been detained for six months, after being arrested in July 2022 on the street for her faith in Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Fan Wenfang is currently being held at the Fuyang City Women’s Detention Center. Other details about her case aren’t clear.

Nearly 14 Years of Incarceration

Since the onset of the persecution of Falun Gong, Ms. Fan, a former obstetrician, has been repeatedly targeted for not renouncing her faith. She was held at the local detention center multiple times, and three times in a brainwashing center. She was also given three labor camp terms totaling about two years, and sentenced twice, to seven and five years. She barely survived the torture and frequent force feedings while in custody.

Three Labor Camp Terms

Ms. Fan was arrested in March 2000 by agents from the Fuyang City 610 Office and taken to the Hefei Women’s Forced Labor Camp. She held a hunger strike to protest the persecution and was force fed. Seven inmates pried open her mouth with three metal spoons and a mouth opener. Handfuls of her hair were pulled out during the torture. Her ears, nose, lips, tongue, and throat were severely injured. Emaciated and on the verge of death, she was released in March 2001.

Before Ms. Fan recovered, the police arrested her again and took her back to the labor camp to serve six months. She was again tortured to the brink of death and carried back home by the guards. Her husband was extorted of several thousand yuan to pay her medical expenses.

Ms. Fan was reported in early 2002 for doing the Falun Gong exercises at home, and taken to the labor camp for the third time. She again held a hunger strike in protest. The guards ordered four inmates to monitor her around the clock. They tied her head, hands, torso, and feet to the bed and administered an IV drip. The only time she was let off the bed was to use the chamber pot. The guards also left the chamber pot uncovered next to the bed and they wouldn’t empty it until it was completely full, filling the room with pungent smells.

Torture illustration: Being tied up in bed

Tortured in the Detention Centers

Not long after Ms. Fan was released, she was arrested again in September 2002 and taken to the Funan Detention Center. The police again force fed her. She became malnourished and suffered from low blood sugar. The police didn’t release her until she was merely skins and bones.

Only a day after she returned home, she was taken back into custody at the Yingshang Detention Center and tortured there for another 30 days.

Ms. Fan’s next arrest was on May 25, 2003 under orders from the Fuyang City 610 Office. This time, she was held at the Linquan County Detention Center for six months.

Ms. Fan also held a hunger strike to protest the persecution. The detention center head ordered eight male inmates to hold her to the ground, with various people holding her head, ears, hands, and feet. Others pinched her nose, squeezed her cheeks, and pried open her mouth. Handfuls of her hair were again pulled out. She also suffered injuries to her mouth and nose. Eight of her teeth were knocked out and most of the remaining teeth became loose. She sometimes suffered incontinence due to the forced feedings, and fainted.

The guards sometimes force fed her with spicy water and unknown drugs. They once striped her clothes and sexually assaulted her while force feeding her.

Two Prison Sentences

Ms. Fan was carried to the Yingzhou District Court on December 3, 2003 on a stretcher. The judge sentenced her to seven years in the Anhui Province Women’s Prison.

To protest the persecution, Ms. Fan held a hunger strike for three years. The guards pulled her hair and pushed her legs back and forth every day. All of her teeth fell out due to frequent force feedings. She lost so much weight that one could easily pick her up. The torture also caused her to suffer a mental collapse. She resumed practicing Falun Gong after being released in June 2010 and regained her health.

Her peaceful life didn’t last long. While riding a bike on the street on November 24, 2013, she was stopped by the patrolling police and arrested after the officer found Falun Gong materials in her bag. She was sentenced to another five years at the Anhui Province Women’s Prison and was also relentless tortured there.