(Minghui.org) A 75-year-old woman is in serious condition, four months after she was arrested for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Liu Xiaomiao, of Shenze County, Hebei Province, was arrested at around midnight on January 10, 2022 in a police sweep. During her initial two-week detention at the Jinzhou City Hotel, the police kept her handcuffed and forced her to wear a black hood that covered her eyes and mouth. She sat and slept on a foam board on the ground. Even though she has severe myopia, the police didn’t inform her family when her glasses were lost. Not until a month later did her family learn about her situation and send a new pair of glasses to her.
The mental and physical distress took a toll on Ms. Liu’s health. She was unable to eat, and has been taken to the hospital for resuscitation several times.
Ms. Liu is currently being held at the Shijiazhuang City No. 2 Detention Center and is receiving IV drips every day. Although the police constantly ordered her to write a statement renouncing Falun Gong, no officer wanted to take responsibility for her case when the detention center guards demanded that the police take her back due to her poor health.
Ms. Liu struggled with severe menopausal syndrome, including having insomnia and bad mood, before taking up Falun Gong. All of her symptoms disappeared shortly after she learned Falun Gong.
With the onset of the persecution, not only was Ms. Liu targeted, but her husband, mother, and four younger sisters were all persecuted for their shared faith.
Mother Ms. Zhang Junping
Ms. Liu’s mother, Ms. Zhang Junping, was also arrested in 2001 when she went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. The then 75-year-old woman was held at the Shenze County Detention Center for over three months and fined 700 yuan.
Her five daughters also suffered tremendously over the years.
Oldest Daughter Ms. Liu Xiaomiao and Her Husband
Ms. Liu was first arrested in October 1999 when she went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. She was detained for 40 days and fined 1,000 yuan. The local detention center also charged her 400 yuan for food expenses.
She was arrested again in 2000 for talking to people about Falun Gong and given two years of forced labor. While being held at the Shenze County Detention Center in November 2000, the police video recorded her and used the clips to produce propaganda news to defame Falun Gong.
Ms. Liu’s husband, Mr. Cao Zhiqun, was arrested in 2001 for going to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. He was held at the Shenzhe County Detention Center for two months and fined 5,000 yuan. He faced constant harassment after being released. He was terrified following a harassment on February 28, 2014 and passed away a week later on March 7. He was in his 60s.
Second Daughter Ms. Liu Qingying
Ms. Liu Qingying, the second daughter of the family, went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in 1999 and was arrested. During her two-month detention at the Shenze County Detention Center, Gao Cuijun, then the county deputy Party secretary, slapped her in the face and kicked her. She was arrested again at home in 2000 and detained for four months.
Her most recent arrest was on August 17, 2019, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong in a park. The police ransacked her home and allowed her to go home on the same day.
Third Daughter Ms. Liu Yingjie
The family’s third daughter, Ms. Liu Yingjie, was arrested six times between 1999 and 2005. While serving three years of forced labor, she was constantly slapped in the face, which caused her to completely lose her hearing. She held multiple hunger strikes to protest the persecution, and was force-fed and had gastric bleeding.
She has been subjected to countless harassment incidents during the past two decades. She was arrested on March 19, 2021 and taken to the police station, where she was ordered to provide her fingerprints and have a blood sample taken. As she refused to comply, the police made another attempt to arrest her on May 11, but relented due to her husband’s strong protest. The police arrested her again twenty days later on May 31 and detained her until June 11.
Fourth Daughter Ms. Liu Wuying
The fourth daughter of the family, Ms. Liu Wuying, was given three years of forced labor in 2002. Although she was released on medical parole, the police constantly harassed her. She was forced to live away from home to avoid the harassment, only to be arrested again and taken back to the labor camp to finish serving her term.
The guards once deprived her of sleep for 66 days and forced her to stand against a wall. She once fainted and collapsed due to extreme fatigue. The guards then poured cold water over her to wake her up.
Ms. Liu was arrested again on May 12, 2017. The police ransacked her home and filled two cars with belongings confiscated from her, which were valued at more than 10,000 yuan.
While she escaped one arrest on May 31, 2019, she was seized by the police on June 18 and taken to the Shijiazhuang No. 2 Detention Center for 15 days.
Fifth Daughter Ms. Liu Cuiying
The youngest daughter of the family, Ms. Liu Cuiying, was arrested five times between 1999 and 2005. She was also given two years of forced labor. The guards beat her, forced her to stand while holding her head against the wall, and also burned her with cigarettes. She was arrested again on July 7, 2008 prior to the Beijing Olympics and given another labor camp term.
Perpetrators’ contact information:
Zhu Xiaoguang (朱晓光), officer of Shijiazhuang Police Department: +86-13931976537Li Lixin (李立新), officer of Shenze County Police Department: +86-311-83524910, +86-311-83522122Yu Junpo (于军坡), officer of Shenze County Police Department: +86-13785101718Wang Junqing (王军清), officer of Jinzhou City Police Department: +86-13932107591
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