(Minghui.org) A 60-year-old woman in Jingmen City, Hubei Province remains detained following her arrest on September 23, 2023, for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
The police broke into Ms. Zhang Guangjie’s home and confiscated her printer, computer and other personal belongings. Her mother, in her 80s, who lives with her, was terrified and now struggles to care for herself.
This is not the first time that Ms. Zhang, a retiree of Jingmen Petroleum Company, has been targeted for her faith. She was sentenced to four years following her arrest in 2001 and another three years following her arrest in 2016. She served both terms at the Hubei Province Women’s Prison (located in the capital city of Wuhan) and was brutally tortured. Unable to bear the pressure from the persecution, her husband divorced her. Her father also passed away after living in fear for years.
Ms. Zhang’s employer also suspended her pension during her second prison term, citing a new policy barring retirees from receiving pension (even though there is no such stipulation in China’s labor law or social insurance law).
Family’s Suffering
While Ms. Zhang was being persecuted for her faith, her husband couldn’t handle the pressure from the police, who went to his workplace to investigate him and obtain “evidence,” negatively affecting his work and life. He grew angry and divorced her.
During the time Ms. Zhang was in prison, her parents endured tremendous pressure and were on the verge of collapse when their relatives and friends gave them the cold shoulder.
Ms. Zhang’s daughter was preparing for her high school entrance exams and couldn’t concentrate due to the mental pressure.
In 2004, Ms. Zhang’s father was involved in an accident on his way home and broke his legs. He couldn’t walk or eat and had to depend on his wife, who also had to care for their granddaughter. After he recovered enough to walk with a cane, the three of them went to the prison to visit Ms. Zhang and brought her some food, but not all of it was allowed to be given to Ms. Zhang.
Ms. Zhang’s father ended up in critical condition in October 2014 and had to have a leg amputated after a major surgery. He recited “Falun Dafa is good” to alleviate the intense pain. Someone reported him, and the police came to harass him. Nearly 80, he was terrified and traumatized and passed away shortly after. His wife, now in her 80s, moved in with Ms. Zhang after she was released from prison, only to be dealt a blow when her daughter was arrested again.
Related reports:
Hubei Woman Incarcerated Twice for Her Faith for a Total of Seven Years
Judge Admits Illegality of Case Against Falun Gong Practitioners, Still Submits It to a Higher Court
Judge Upholds Guilty Verdicts Against Two Falun Gong Practitioners in Hubei
Four Practitioners from Jingmen City Illegally DetainedPolice Impound
Practitioner's Car on Fabricated ChargesTorture Victim from Jingmen City Arrested Again for His Belief
Trial of Falun Gong Practitioners Canceled, Supporters Arrested
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