(Minghui.org)

Name: Zhou YunyingChinese Name: 周云英Gender: FemaleAge: 75City: DalianProvince: LiaoningOccupation: UnknownDate of Death: November 28, 2023Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 22,2020Most Recent Place of Detention: Yongzheng Police Station

A 75-year-old native of Dalian City, Liaoning Province, died on November 28, 2023, while living away from home to avoid persecution for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Ms. Zhou Yunying’s ordeal stemmed from her arrest in July 2015 after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong at a fair. The arresting officers from the Jinzhou City Domestic Security Office in Dalian City took her for a physical examination and she was found to be unfit for detention. They released her on one-year bail. 

The Jinzhou District Court sentenced Ms. Zhou to three years with three years probation on November 20, 2016. Presiding judge Yang Huichao, as well as judges Wang Hui and Lin Weidong, signed the verdict. 

Three officers from the Yongzheng Police Station and two officers from the Jinzhou City Domestic Security Office raided Ms. Zhou’s home on July 22, 2020. They confiscated her Falun Gong books and more than 30 music players. They took her to the police station for interrogation and released her on house arrest a bit past 7 that evening. They said they planned to take her back into custody later to serve the three-year prison term given in 2016. 

According to China’s Criminal Law, a convict on probation no longer needs to serve the original sentence if there is no violation of probation conditions. Ms. Zhou’s probation ran from November 20, 2016 to November 20, 2019, during which time there was no evidence of her violating probation conditions. As such, the original sentence of three years shall no longer be executed. It was unclear what legal basis the police used to threaten her with prison admission after her latest arrest, which took place past her three-year probation period.

In order to avoid being imprisoned, Ms. Zhou lived away from home. The police put her on the wanted list and tapped her family members’ phones and harassed them. She could not contact her loved ones and lived a very difficult life in her final years. 

Upon learning of her death, her family went to the local Youyi Police Station to remove her from their household registration book. Officer Fu Yulong refused to process the application on the grounds that Ms. Zhou was a fugitive.