(Minghui.org) Editor’s note: This is part of a series of death cases newly translated by the English site of Minghui.org. These cases have long been published on the Chinese site of Minghui.org but have not been translated until now.
Name: Zhang ShuminChinese Name: 张淑敏Gender: FemaleAge: around 71City: LaizhouProvince: ShandongOccupation: retired teacherDate of Death: February 27, 2022Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 7, 2018Most Recent Place of Detention: Shandong Province Women’s Prison
A retired teacher in Laizhou City, Shandong Province, died on February 27, 2022, months after being harassed for practicing Falun Gong. She was around 71.
Ms. Zhang Shumin was arrested on November 7, 2018, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. She was held for 15 days at Laizhou City Detention Center before being transferred to Yantai Detention Center on November 22. The detention center denied her family visits and refused to accept the clothes that her daughter sent her.
The Laizhou City Court tried Ms. Zhang through a video call on March 19, 2019. She testified in her own defense and argued that she didn’t violate any law in upholding her faith. The judge remained silent most of the time during the hearing.
Ms. Zhang’s family attended the hearing in Laizhou, which is more than 100 miles away from Yantai Detention Center. Towards the end of the hearing, they were allowed to get closer to the video conferencing screen for Ms. Zhang to take a closer look at them.
Ms. Zhang was later sentenced to three years and admitted to the Shandong Province Women’s Prison in 2020. During a physical examination, she was told that she had lung cancer, even though she had no symptoms. Despite her opposition, the prison hospital performed surgery on her.
Ms. Zhang was released ahead of time in August 2020. The Laizhou City Justice Bureau suspended her pay soon afterward and also ordered her to repay the salary issued to her during her prison term. The local community also worked with the police to pressure her to write statements to renounce Falun Gong.
Her health quickly declined and she became bedridden and incapacitated. In November 2021, a man and a woman from the justice bureau broke into her home and grabbed her hands to press fingerprints on some paperwork. She died months later on February 27, 2022.
Related Report:
Retired Teacher Tried Through Teleconference for Her Faith, Denied Family Visits for Almost 8 Months
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