(Minghui.org) A 67-year-old retiree in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, was transferred to Jiangxi Province Women’s Prison (located in the capital city of Nanchang) on June 6, 2023, to serve a third prison term of 3.5 years for practicing Falun Gong.
Since the Chinese Communist Party initiated the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, Ms. Zhou Meili has been repeatedly arrested for upholding her faith. In particular, she was held in forced labor camps three times and sentenced to prison twice totaling 13.5 years prior to her latest sentencing.
Ms. Zhou’s three forced labor terms (3 years, 1.5 years, and 1 year) followed her arrests on January 15, 2001; August 25, 2005; and January 2, 2008, respectively.
She was sentenced to three years in prison after her arrest on July 12, 2011, and her second prison term (4.5 years) followed her arrest on May 8, 2016.
Shortly after Ms. Zhou finished serving her second prison term on November 8, 2020, the Jiujiang City Social Security Bureau ordered her to pay back the 110,000 yuan in pension funds she received while she was serving time. The agency claimed that a new policy barred all retirees from receiving retirement benefits while serving time, although there is no such Chinese labor law. Because Ms. Zhou couldn’t afford to repay the funds, the social security bureau suspended her pension. She relied on the financial support of her children to get by.
Ms. Zhou’s latest sentencing stemmed from her arrest on June 11, 2022. She was sentenced to 3.5 years by the Yongxiu County Court on November 11 of that year. On June 6, 2023, she was admitted to the same prison where she served two previous terms.
The details of Ms. Zhou’s past persecution can be found in the following related reports.
Related Reports:
Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province: Three Dafa Practitioners Sentenced, Seven Await Verdict
Having Served 13.5 Years, Jiangxi Woman Sentenced to Another 3.5 Years for Her Faith
Once Incarcerated for 13.5 Years, Jiangxi Woman Arrested Again for Her Faith
Jiangxi Woman Spends 13.5 Years Behind Bars for Upholding Her Faith, Now Has Her Pension Suspended
Ruichang Court in Jiangxi Province Attempts to Frame Four Falun Gong Practitioners
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