(Minghui.org) On November 21, 2023 the Xihu District Domestic Security Office in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, took back into custody three local women who had been sentenced to prison for practicing their faith, Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
The three practitioners were arrested separately between 2020 and 2021. They were also prosecuted separately and were all later sentenced to prison.
Ms. Yu Fangzhuang, 90, was given six months on December 21, 2020 and allowed to serve time outside of prison due to her advanced age. Ms. Deng Meizhen, 82, was sentenced to two years after her arrest in February 2021 (the exact date she was sentenced is unknown). She was allowed to go home after she was sentenced. Ms. Xiong Quanmei, 71, was sentenced to one year and ten months on August 25, 2021. She was allowed to serve time outside of prison due to her poor health.
The Xihu District Domestic Security Office notified all three women on November 14, 2023 that they had to undergo physical examinations in preparation for their prison admission. They were then taken back into custody one week later.
It is unclear why the police targeted Ms. Yu and Ms. Xiong again since they already finished serving time outside of prison in June 2020 and June 2023, respectively. For details of their arrests and sentencing, see the related reports at the end of this article.
90-Year-Old Woman Sentenced to 6 Months in December 2020
Ms. Yu was arrested on July 1, 2020 and was released on bail after 12 hours of interrogation. She stood trial at the Xihu District Court on December 21, 2020. She was sentenced to six months and fined 2,000 yuan. Given her advanced age, the court initially allowed her to serve time outside of prison. She finished serving her term on June 21, 2020.
The Xihu District Domestic Security Office notified her on November 14, 2023 to have a physical examination in preparation for her prison admission. Her son accompanied her to the hospital for the checkup. The police seized her from her home on the night of November 21, 2023 and took her to a prison (name and location unknown).
82-Year-Old Woman Sentenced to Two Years in 2021
Ms. Deng was arrested on February 2, 2021 after being reported for giving a Falun Gong keepsake to a 12-year-old child in Hongdu Market. When she refused to sign a statement to renounce Falun Gong, the police summoned her daughter to the local police station to sign the statement on her behalf. She was released on bail five days later. It is not known when she was given the two year sentence. She was also taken back into custody on November 21, 2023. It is unclear which prison she was sent to.
71-Year-Old Woman Sentenced to One Year and Ten Months in August 2021
Ms. Xiong was arrested on July 18, 2020 and interrogated for more than 20 hours, before being taken to the Nanchang City First Detention Center. She was issued a formal arrest warrant on August 18, 2020 and released on bail on October 12, 2020 after she developed tumors in her neck and jaw. On August 25, 2021 the Xihu District Court sentenced her to one year and ten months and fined her 3,000 yuan. Due to her medical conditions, she was allowed to serve time outside of prison.
Even though Ms. Xiong finished serving her term on June 25, 2023, the Xihu District Domestic Security Office notified her on November 14, 2023 to have a physical examination in preparation for her prison admission. On November 21, they seized her from home and took her to the Zhonghuan Hospital (a police hospital). She was scheduled to be transferred to the Jiangxi Province Women’s Prison in one month.
Past Persecution of Ms. Xiong: Five Arrests Lead to 3 Years of Forced Labor and 3 Years in Prison
Ms. Xiong worked in the Laotongxing Winery in Jiangxi Province. She suffered from allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, dizziness, and hearing loss when she was young. Growing up in a broken family and having an unfortunate marriage, she had a negative view about life. The teachings of Falun Gong changed her after she began practicing in 1998. She became healthy and optimistic. She strove to be a better person and her family relations improved.
After the persecution began, Ms. Xiong decided to speak up for Falun Gong and tell others why it was wrong. She was arrested 5 times and given a three-year labor camp term in 2002 and another three-year prison term in 2015.
Ms. Xiong before her persecution
Ms. Xiong after her persecution
While she was incarcerated, Ms. Xiong was frequently beaten, starved, humiliated, hung up for a long time, handcuffed and shackled in an extremely painful position for hours. She was not allowed to bathe. She was forced to do intensive work, and denied family visits. She was dazed and emaciated when she was released in February 2018. She was also devastated to find that her former employer revoked her pension.
Ms. Xiong’s persecution put her family under tremendous pressure. They constantly worried about her safety, and the authorities frequently harassed them. Her husband, a police officer, lived in fear and died in 2014. Their older daughter miscarried twice as a result of the emotional stress from the constant police harassment.
Related reports:
88-year-old Woman to Serve Time Outside of Prison for Practicing Falun Gong
Two Jiangxi Residents, One 88, Sentenced to Prison for Their Faith
Three Jiangxi Residents Sentenced to Prison for Their Faith in Falun Gong
Three Jiangxi Residents Appear in Court Following Arrests for Studying Spiritual Teachings Together
Three Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested Again After Years of Persecution
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