(Minghui.org) Ms. Chen Yuanhua, 74, was recently sentenced to four years for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Chen Yuanhua was arrested by more than ten officers when she was walking on the street on January 8, 2022. At least another ten local practitioners were arrested that day. The police accused Ms. Chen of distributing informational materials about Falun Gong and took her to the Ninghe District Detention Center.
Because she was tortured, Ms. Chen developed some severe medical conditions and had to lean against the wall when she walked. The police allowed her to sit in a wheelchair during interrogation sessions (when they usually restrain Falun Gong practitioners in metal chairs). One officer promised to release her as soon as she agreed to sign statements to renounce Falun Gong. She refused because no laws in China forbid practicing Falun Gong.
Because Ms. Chen held firm to her faith, her family was not allowed to see her even when she was held in the detention center. She was transferred to the Tianjin Women’s Prison in late May 2023 and it’s not clear whether her loved ones were allowed to visit her there.
Ms. Chen’s husband, who is nearly 80 and incapacitated, relied on her for care. Her detention dealt him a heavy blow and his condition kept deteriorating. The doctor said he could die at any time.
Similar to Ms. Chen and her husband’s ordeal, another practitioner who was arrested on the same day, Ms. Han Shuyun, 70, was secretly sentenced to five years in prison. Her husband was also incapacitated and is having a hard time coping with the mental agony from her imprisonment.
Past Persecution
After Ms. Chen began practicing Falun Gong in 1998, her many ailments, including severe heart condition and insomnia, disappeared.
In the past 24 years of persecution, she spent nearly half of the time in detention or away from home. She served a labor camp term of 2.5 years and two prison terms totaling 7 years.
Detained for Appealing for Falun Gong
Ms. Chen went to Beijing on October 26, 1999 to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong and was arrested. The police kicked her, pulled her hair, and hit her head with the book Zhuan Falun confiscated from other practitioners. They also shocked her with electric batons. She was later transferred back to Tianjin and held at the Ninghe County Detention Center for a month, followed by another month at the town brainwashing center. The township government extorted 10,000 yuan from her family.
Ms. Chen was arrested again and detained for a month in 2000 during the Communist Party’s annual political meeting.
More than ten officers came to Ms. Chen’s home in 2001 and asked if she still practiced Falun Gong. She said yes. The officers arrested her, held her at the town government for seven days and then took her to a brainwashing center.
2.5-year Labor Camp Term
Because Ms. Chen refused to renounce Falun Gong at the brainwashing center, she was taken to the Banqiao Women’s Forced Labor Camp on January 21, 2001 to serve a 2.5-year term. She was not allowed to talk to anyone and was denied family visitation. Instigated by the guards, the inmates often verbally abused her and beat her.
Sentenced to Three Years for Distributing Falun Gong Materials
Ms. Chen was arrested again on June 3, 2006 for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. Her home was ransacked. She held a hunger strike to protest the persecution and was force-fed. The police also pinched her calves until they were bruised.
Ms. Chen was sentenced to three years at the Tianjin Women’s Prison by the Ninghe County Court on November 7, 2006. She was often beaten and forced to stand without moving every day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Another Four-year Prison Term
Ms. Chen was arrested on August 26, 2015 when she distributed information about Falun Gong. She experienced high blood pressure (190/100 mmHg) and severe chest pain due to the torture in custody. The police also force-fed her, which almost killed her.
Ms. Chen stood trial at the Ninghe District Court on January 26, 2016 and was later sentenced to four years. She appealed to the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold the original verdict. She was taken to the Tianjin Women’s Prison on July 7, 2016.
Related report:
74-year-old Woman's Health Suffering After Nearly 16 Months of Detention for Her Faith
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Category: Torture of Women
