(Minghui.org) Yancheng is a city located in the middle of Jiangsu Province. In the past 14 years, all levels of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) organizations, including the 610 Office in Yancheng, have relentlessly carried out the campaign of persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
Below are examples of well educated women in Yancheng who have been severely persecuted for their belief in Falun Gong. They are only a small sampling of the persecution that has taken place in this area.
Ms. Huang Zhuoxiu was Chief Engineer of the Yancheng Chemical Machinery Factory. She was awarded “outstanding entrepreneur” for her excellent work.
After the CCP began persecuting Falun Gong in 1999, she went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. The authorities arrested her and sent her back to Yancheng, where she was repeatedly tortured and forced to undergo brainwashing.
The 610 Office forbade her from leaving home or contacting other people. They also tapped her cell phone and assigned plainclothes officers to monitor her.
Ms. Huang was also added to the CCP’s blacklist, because the Party had passed down orders that a practitioner who was well-educated or who had a high position should be dealt with "strictly.”
In 2005, the Yancheng 610 Office, under orders of the then-Party-head Zhang Jiuhan of Yancheng, arrested her again and sent her to the Xinghua Brainwashing Center, where she was cruelly persecuted. When she was allowed to return home, she was in a vegetative state.
Ms. Miao Ping was Chief Financial Officer of the Yancheng No. 2 Construction Group Corp. She was also a representative of the Yancheng Municipal People's Congress and deputy head of the company’s labor union.
After the persecution of Falun Gong began, Zhou Gubo and other officials from the Funing County Domestic Security Division often ordered Ms. Miao to the police station for a “conversation.” At the station they took videos of her and threatened her in an attempt to stop her from practicing.
Tian Zhengwu, Wang Hua, and other officers from the Funing Police Department broke into her home in March 2001. They ransacked it, took her Falun Gong books, illegally arrested her, and sent her to the Binhai Detention Center where she was detained for a month.
Officials from the local police department, procuratorate, and 610 Office repeatedly threatened her and told her that if she didn’t give up practicing Falun Gong, she would be sentenced to forced labor.
Ms. Miao remained steadfast in her belief. As a result, she was arrested and sentenced even though she was a representative of the Municipal People's Congress.
On June 2, 2005, she was arrested after she mailed a letter that explained the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong. Her home was ransacked and she was taken to the Yancheng Military Hotel. Sixteen officers from the Funing County 610 Office and Funing County Domestic Security Division put her in a solitary cell and tortured her for 13 days. She was also deprived of sleep for four days.
The Yandu District Court sentenced her to three and a half years in March 2006. She appealed to the Yancheng Intermediate Court, but the decision was upheld.
She was then sent to the Nantong Women’s Prison in May 2006, where the guards attempted to “transform” her by severe torture in order to earn bonuses. They assigned two inmates to monitor her day and night and set up a “transformation" team that kept playing videos that slandered Falun Gong and made her watch them. In addition, she wasn't allowed to talk to anybody and was isolated.
Because Ms. Miao didn’t give up her belief, the guards tortured her more cruelly. They had her do slave labor, abused her in public, forced her to stand without moving for 23 days, shocked her with electric batons, and wouldn't let her use the restroom.
Ms. Miao was persecuted and tortured like this for three years and six months.
In late 2011, Ye Bing and other agents from the Funing 610 Office broke into her home, attempting to arrest her. She managed to escape with her neighbors’ help. However, Ye Bing put her on the online “wanted” list.
She was arrested again in Nanjing City in May 2013, and was incarcerated in the Jiangning Detention Center for 37 days.
Ms. Liu Lihua, 28, worked in Shanghai. She began practicing Falun Gong in 1997. Her mother, Ms. Zhou Xueying, is also a practitioner.
Ms. Zhou was taken into custody in early 2007 simply because she practiced Falun Gong. In order to rescue her mother, Ms. Liu sent information to the Minghui website detailing the persecution of her mother. However, her email was intercepted by the CCP’s Internet surveillance agents.
Officers from the Yandu District 610 Office and the Domestic Security Division arrested her at work on February 8, 2007, and took her to a hotel in Yancheng where she was severely tortured.
Yandu District 610 Office deputy head Xu Zhiliang and other officers used torture to extort a confession from her. The torture was so brutal that her screams could be heard throughout the entire building. The hotel staff in charge of cleaning that room saw pieces of her hair on the floor every day.
Because she refused to “confess,” she was transferred to the Yancheng Detention Center on February 13, 2007.
The Tinghu District Court sentenced her to five years in Nantong Women’s Prison on March 15, 2007. While in prison, she was forced to do slave labor for 13 to 14 hours every day. The guards had her make clothing for export and had inmates monitor and torture her.
Five years of abuse seriously damaged her health. Before she was arrested, she was a vibrant young woman. But after she was released from prison, she was physically and mentally slow and her eyes looked dull and glassy. She was terrified and refused to go out without her mother.
When she was incarcerated in the detention center, her employer came to visit her and told her that the company would always be open to her whenever she wanted to return. However, due to the long-term abuse, she did not recover right away and could no longer work.
Ms. Wang Yuying was awarded “Outstanding Teacher” at the Funing County Kindergarten in Yancheng.
Because she appealed on behalf of Falun Gong in Beijing and Nanjing, she was twice arrested and detained.
In early June 2005, officers from the Binhai County Domestic Security Division, under orders from the Yancheng 610 Office, arrested her and ransacked her home because she sent letters that clarified the facts about Falun Gong. The police secretly sent her to the Kangda Hotel and interrogated her using torture for 13 days, during which she was deprived of sleep.
The police beat and kicked her. They fastened one of her hands to an upper window, forcing her to stand up. Then two officers kicked her legs from behind, causing her to kneel while she was hung in the air. The police repeatedly tortured her like this day and night.
Ms. Wang passed out many times and was in critical condition. However, the police continued kicking her every day. The torture didn’t stop until the head of the Binhai County 610 Office, who often tortured Ms. Wang and was in charge of the interrogation, had a stroke, collapsed, and was taken to the hospital. The other officers then became afraid of suffering karmic retribution, too, and no longer dared to kick her.
Ms. Wang was then transferred to the Yancheng Detention Center, where she had to live with a dozen inmates in a very small cell in the hot summer. She was only given moldy rice to eat but was forced to work more than 10 hours a day. Due to the inhuman forced labor, she was in critical condition several times and she became emaciated.
After nine months in Yancheng Detention Center, she was sentenced to two years of imprisonment by the Yandu District Court. When she was released, she was little more than skin and bones.
Ms. Chen Juan was a retired doctor in her 70s. She was arrested when she told people the facts about Falun Gong in a hospital in the summer of 2005.
Despite her age, the police tortured her on the tiger bench for 28 days. They also beat her and didn’t give her anything to eat.
As a result of the repeated abuse, she passed away on April 18, 2006.
Ms. Yan Lin was a doctor at the Yancheng Skin Disease Prevention and Treatment Institute. She was awarded “Outstanding Doctor” many times for her excellent work.
After July 20, 1999, her employer detained her in the basement of the institute for more than 30 days simply because she refused to renounce her belief in Falun Gong.
In autumn 2007, she was arrested by officers from the Yandu District 610 Office and the Domestic Security Division when she was discovered informing people about the persecution of Falun Gong. The police incarcerated her in the Yancheng Detention Center for one year, after which the Yandu District Court sentenced her to three years of imprisonment. She was also dismissed by her employer because of the illegal sentence.
After she was released, the police kept monitoring her and often harassed her.
In early July 2011, agents from the Yandu District 610 Office took her to the Wanlong Hotel in Yancheng and detained her for 10 days of forced brainwashing.
Ms. Yang Zhiping was an employee of a government department in Yancheng. She was recognized as an “Outstanding Civil Servant” several times.
In June 2005, she was arrested at work by seven officers from the Yancheng Domestic Security Division, the Tinghu District Domestic Security Division, and the Wenfeng Police Station. Her home was ransacked. She was secretly taken to a military hostel in Yancheng where the police interrogated and tortured her for 19 days.
The police handcuffed her, deprived her of sleep, took pictures of her, and forcibly took fingerprints and collected blood samples from her. She passed out many times due to the high-pressure threats.
She was transferred to the Yancheng Detention Center 19 days later and blood samples were taken from her again. She was injected with unknown drugs and held for nearly 10 months. The Yandu District Court sentenced her to five years of imprisonment. Ms. Yang appealed the decision, but the Yancheng Intermediate Court wouldn’t listen. She was sent to Nantong Women’s Prison in May 2006.
While she was in prison, she was forced to watch videos that slandered Falun Gong. The guards had her do forced labor for 13 to 14 hours a day, injuring her fingers and wrists. If she couldn’t finish her workload, the guards abused her and forced her to stand still all night.
In addition, the guards assigned two inmates to monitor her day and night, and didn’t give her any food.
As a result of this treatment, Ms. Yang was in critical condition and sent to the prison hospital in the autumn of 2008. She was given injections that caused dark purple and black bruises.
After she was released, the police continued to monitor her. They set up a camera at the gate of her apartment building and had plainclothes officers follow her when she went out.
As a government employee, Ms. Yang was supposed to have a high salary and benefits. However, due to the pressure from the authorities, her employer stopped paying her salary and benefits starting in June 2005. In her 60s, well past retirement age, she had to look for jobs to support herself.
Ms. Zhu Lijun was a civil servant in the Yancheng Economic and Technological Development Zone.
She was arrested by Wang Hua and Xu Dengfeng from the Funing County Domestic Security Division for distributing information about the persecution of Falun Gong with practitioners Wang Changming and Xu Jianqin in Funing County in August 2007. The police sent her to the Dongjiao Hotel in Funing County and interrogated her for seven days. Afterward, she was transferred to the Xiangshui Detention Center in Yancheng and held for more than 30 days.
She was forced to do slave labor in Xiangshui Detention Center. Guard Ma Cuiying made her work from 6:00 a.m. to midnight, causing her to suffer from high fever and long-term constipation.
The guards also secretly put poisonous drugs in her food, so she was frequently disoriented. Her family requested she be released for medical reasons. However, Wang Hua, head of the Domestic Security Division, transferred her to Binhai Detention Center, Funing County Detention Center, and then to Yancheng Detention Center. She was detained for nearly a year and her body and mind were damaged.
After she was released, the police arrested her again and took her to Yancheng Mental Hospital. They forcibly injected her with drugs that cause nerve damage. She was released after two months, but the police continued to secretly monitor her.
Her employer dismissed her in 2007 and didn’t grant her her pension. Upon her repeated request, she was given a stipend of 450 yuan per month. However, her request to return to work was denied.
Ms. Gao Ling was employed at the Yancheng Land Authority.
She was arrested by officers from the Yancheng Police Department and the Yandu District Police Department in June 2005 and detained in the Kangda Hotel in Yancheng.
The Yandu District 610 Office and the Yandu District Domestic Security Division sent more than 10 police officers to interrogate her with torture for 13 days, during which time she was deprived of sleep.
She was then transferred to the Yancheng Detention Center. The guards injected her with unknown drugs that made her cough and have a headache. She was unable to fall asleep because of the drugs and was forced to do slave labor.
The Yandu District Court sentenced her to four years of imprisonment in early 2006. She was transferred to Nantong Women’s Prison in May 2006.
While in prison, she was forced to work under the hot sun for more than two months. As a result, she passed out several times. However, the guards and inmates continued to make her do forced labor regardless of her fragile physical condition.
Furthermore, she was forced to watch videos that slandered Falun Gong and ordered to write articles to slander Falun Gong. She was not allowed to sleep if she couldn’t meet the guards’ requirements.
Due to the severe persecution, her blood pressure went up to over 200 and she was in extremely poor health. The guards noticed she was unable to do forced labor, but still had her cook for the inmates.
After she was released, the authorities still sent plainclothes officers to monitor and follow her.
Her employer cut off her salary and benefits starting in June 2005.
Ms. Chen Yu was also a civil servant in the Yancheng Economic and Technological Development Zone.
She was arrested along with practitioner Ms. Zhu Lijun in August 2007 and detained at the Dongjiao Hotel in Funing County. After a seven-day interrogation, she was taken to the Funing County Detention Center and forced to do slave labor.
After she was released, she was often harassed and followed by the local police.
Ms. Chen was dismissed in 2009 and deprived of all her benefits. Upon her repeated request, she was given a stipend of 450 yuan. In order to make a living, she had to leave her home and work in another city.
Ms. Wei Hongsen worked at the Funing County Construction Bank. She was arrested for distributing Falun Gong materials with her younger sister, Ms. Wei Hongya, in 2001. The Funing County Court sentenced her to eight years in Nantong Women’s Prison.
After she was released, she was often harassed by the local police and agents from the 610 Office. The police tapped her phone and monitored and followed her. She had to leave her home to avoid further persecution.
She was arrested again in 2012 when she distributed Falun Gong materials in a community in Yanzhou City. The police arrested her, her husband, their daughter, and then son and took them to the Yanzhou City Detention Center.
The Guangling District Court in Yanzhou sentenced her to three years and six months in Nantong Women’s Prison, where she remains.
Ms. Wei Hongya worked at the Yancheng College of Technology. She was arrested with her older sister in 2001 and was also subjected to eight years in the Nantong Women’s Prison.
After she was released, the police often harassed and monitored her.
In 2011, she was arrested again when she gave Shen Yun DVDs to people at a market. Officers from the Yulong Police Station tortured her and knocked out four of her teeth.
She was held in the Yancheng Detention Center for a year and then sentenced to four years in Nantong Women’s Prison by the Tinghu District Court. She is still in prison.
Ms. Lu Hongxia, in her 20s, majored in computer science at Fangzhi University of Technology in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Because she didn’t give up her belief in Falun Gong, the school dismissed her and removed her registered residence in Changzhou City in 2000, just when she was about to graduate. Ms. Lu had to move back to Yancheng, where she tried to register her residence with a local police station. However, the local officials refused to register her.
Because she had neither a registered residence nor a diploma, she could not find a job. In addition, she had to move from place to place in order to avoid police harassment or arrest. Due to the long-term mental pressure and fear of persecution, her liver cancer recurred in August 2006 and she passed away.
9. College Lecturer Imprisoned
Ms. Shi Meirong was a lecturer a Yancheng Teachers College. After the CCP began persecuting Falun Gong, the college Party secretary often threatened her, attempting to force her to give up her belief. Ms. Shi refused. As a result, she was sent to the Yancheng Detention Center and then sentenced to three years in Nantong Women’s Prison by the Tinghu District Court.