(Minghui.org) A 64-year-old woman in Taicang City, Jiangsu Province, was arrested on May 20, 2024, for her faith in Falun Dafa, a mind-body practice also known as Falun Gong that is based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Ms. Qin Yanqiu was advising people to recite the auspicious phrases “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” that day, when an elderly man wrote down the phrases on a piece of paper and showed it to someone else. The person he showed them to reported Ms. Qin to the police. Several Gaoxin District Police Station officers soon appeared to arrest her and later raided her home.
The police did not find any Falun Dafa materials in Ms. Qin’s home but they took her to a local detention center anyway. She remains detained.
This is not the first time that Ms. Qin has been targeted for her faith since the Chinese Communist Party launched a nationwide campaign against Falun Gong in July 1999. She and her husband Mr. Shi Zehui both took up Falun Gong in 1997 and soon recovered from their health problems. They remained firm in their faith after the persecution began and were both fired from their jobs. Ms. Qin was a postal worker and Mr. Shi was a teacher at the local Jianxiong Vocational and Technical College.
When the couple tried to get their jobs back, the police took Ms. Qin to a psychiatric hospital in April 2000 and held her there for 162 days. Her medical records stated, “She was committed involuntarily by the police because she remained steadfast in her faith in Falun Gong. She is mentally healthy with a sound mind and clear thinking.”
Besides losing their jobs, Ms. Qin and Mr. Shi were both detained many times. Mr. Shi was arrested at least seven times, resulting in a forced labor term of three years and two prison terms totaling 8.5 years. He developed liver cancer and had kidney and lung issues. Some of his other internal organs were also damaged from inmates beating him.
Prior to her latest arrest, Ms. Qin was also arrested seven times, resulting in a forced labor term of three years and two prison sentences totaling 8 years. In the labor camp, she was beaten, shocked with electric batons, forced to stand out in the sun all day long, not allowed to shower, and deprived of sleep.
Below is a quick recap of Ms. Qin’s prior seven arrests:
-First arrest on November 28, 1999: Detained for 82 days, released on February 3, 2000
-Second arrest on April 21, 2000: Held for 162 days in the Taicang City Psychiatric Hospital, released on September 30, 2000
-Third arrest on January 4, 2001: Held in a forced labor camp from March 23, 2001, to April 3, 2004
-Fourth arrest on September 7, 2004: Held for one month in the Taicang City Detention Center.
-Fifth arrest between July and August 2005: Served a four-year prison term in Nantong Women’s Prison from August 19, 2005, to August 18, 2009
-Sixth arrest on September 1, 2012: Detained for nine days
-Seventh arrest around October 1, 2017: Served a four-year prison sentence
For details of the couple’s past persecution, see the following reports.
Related Reports:
Husband Jailed, Wife Facing Sentencing - All for Their Faith in Falun Gong
Former Teacher Sentenced to Prison Again for His Faith in Falun Gong
The Persecution Endured by Ms. Qin Yanqiu and Her Husband in Taicang City, Jiangsu Province
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