(Minghui.org) A woman who committed a financial crime came across Falun Gong while she was held at a detention center 18 years ago. Ms. Peng Yun deeply repented her wrongdoings after learning Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She defended Falun Gong during her trial and was given a life sentence when her crime called for only a few years of imprisonment by law.
Ms. Peng, a resident of Xingtai City, Hebei Province, was only in her early 30s when she was arrested for committing a financial crime in 2001. During the time she was held at the detention center, she was impressed by the kindness of Falun Gong practitioners incarcerated for their faith. She deeply regretted her past wrongdoings and wished she could have learned Falun Gong earlier.
During Ms. Peng's court hearing, she talked about how Falun Gong helped her realize her mistakes and said the government shouldn't persecute such a good spiritual practice. She told the judge that she was determined to live by Falun Gong's principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance” from then on.
For defending Falun Gong, however, the judge gave her a life sentence.
Ms. Peng was later taken to Hebei Province Women's Prison, where she has suffered unimaginable torture in the past 17 years for not giving up her faith.
In order to force her to renounce Falun Gong, the guards put her through several brainwashing sessions, deprived her of sleep, shocked her with electric batons, denied her family visits, and frequently beat and verbally abused her.
The guards also didn't allow her to purchase daily necessities, including toilet paper and sanitary napkins. She could only use a small piece of cloth or used cardboard to cleanse herself after she used the restroom or when she had her period.
Because she hand-copied Falun Gong teachings and refused to do unpaid labor, the guards frequently held her in solitary confinement, a small, dark room with no windows or air conditioning. It was extremely hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. Most of the inmates could stand only a few days there, but Ms. Peng was held there for more than 100 consecutive days several times.
Toward the end of one such 100-day solitary confinement, Ms. Peng held a hunger strike for more than a month to protest the persecution. Even though she was extremely weak from the hunger strike and had frostbite on her hands and feet, the guards shocked her with electric batons on her neck and cheeks. Her tongue was stiff, and she was unable to talk clearly for a few months after that.
At another time after she was held in solitary confinement for more than 100 days, several inmates dragged her along the ground. Her clothes were pulled off with only her underwear left on. Her back was injured, and she bled all over the place.
After the incident, Ms. Peng held a hunger strike for more than 20 days. The guards locked her to a metal ring on the door, leaving her unable to stand or sit. She collapsed and became incontinent. Only then did the guards let her out.
At one time, the guards found a ballpoint pen core in her hand and forcibly took it away. When she resisted, they grabbed her hair and hit her head against the wall. She developed a brain injury and began to speak incoherently.
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