(Minghui.org) Before Human Rights Day, December 10, 2024, Falun Gong practitioners in 45 countries submitted to their individual governments another list of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials who have been involved in the persecution of Falun Gong. Because these officials have participated in the 25-year-long persecution, practitioners requested that they, along with their family members, be barred from entry to their respective countries and that their assets be frozen.

These 45 countries include The Five Eyes (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand), all 27 countries in the European Union (EU) and 13 countries on other continents. The EU countries are Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Romania, Czechia, Finland, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Croatia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, and Malta. The remaining 13 countries are located in Asia, Europe, and the Americas: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Israel, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Paraguay. This was the first time Paraguay has joined the list.

The CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong has continued for 25 years and the regime recently escalated its control overseas. According to a report published by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), the CCP highlighted a goal in a May 2024 meeting organized by the Ministry of Public Security, “Pay special attention to the cooperation between Falun Gong and Western politicians to sanction high-level Chinese leaders. Stop such behavior at all costs.”

Among the perpetrators listed were Luo Youtian and Guo Yanni, warden and deputy warden of Hunan Women’s Prison.

Perpetrator Information

Full Name of Perpetrator: Luo (last name) Youtian (first name)Chinese Name: 罗友田Gender: MaleDate/year of Birth: In November, 1964Place of Birth: N/A

Full Name of Perpetrator: Guo (last name) Yanni (first name)Chinese Name: 郭彦妮Gender: FemaleDate/year of Birth: N/APlace of Birth: N/A

Title or Position

Luo Youtian

October 2017 – June 2022: warden of Hunan Province Women’s PrisonJune 2022 – May 2023: Party secretary and director of Hunan Juvenile Correctional InstitutionJune 2023 – Present: Party committee member, secretary and warden of Hunan Province Second Women’s Prison

Guo Yanni

July 2019 – Present: deputy warden of Hunan Province Women’s Prison

Main Crimes

The high-security division (the sixth division) at the Hunan Province Women’s Prison is specifically used to detain Falun Gong practitioners wrongfully imprisoned for their faith. Each cell is managed by a head inmate appointed by the guards and given the title “study lead.” They were responsible for carrying out the specific tortures as ordered by the guards.

One of the most commonly used torture methods is being made to stand for hours. The practitioners are forced to stand from the time they get up at 6:30 a.m. until bedtime at 10 p.m. They have to keep their bodies motionless and are only allowed to move their arms when they eat or drink water.

For 24 hours, they are only allowed to use the restroom once, for only ten minutes, and they are prohibited from washing themselves during the day. They also must report to, and get permission from, the head inmate before they can use the restroom. With limited access to the restroom, some practitioners were forced to relieve themselves in their pants. Some avoided drinking water or limited their water intake. The long-term standing caused their feet to be bruised and their hands, abdomens, and legs to swell.

Torture illustration: standing

If practitioners refuse to renounce Falun Gong, they aren’t allowed to take showers, not even after their monthly mandatory haircut.

In addition to the standing torture, the practitioners are also verbally abused by the inmates and forced to watch anti-Falun Gong videos. After the initial sessions, the physical torture is escalated for those who still refuse to renounce Falun Gong.

Ms. Xiao Yongkang of Huayuan County was arrested on February 23, 2018, and sentenced to four years on October 30, 2018. She was transferred to the High Security Division at Hunan Province Women’s Prison on March 20, 2019. She endured horrific torture in the prison, including long hours of standing, sleep deprivation, starvation, and constant beatings. Several inmates poured urine over her head and wiped a soiled sanitary pad across her mouth.

Ms. Guo Yuanhe, a Guidong County resident around 70, was arrested in March 2020 and sentenced to four years and six months that October. She suffered all kinds of torture including restricted restroom use, verbal abuse, and brainwashing in the Hunan Province Women’s Prison. She was once driven to the point of mental collapse and treated in the hospital, where she was force-fed and lost eight teeth.

Ms. Liu Chunqin of Zhuzhou City was arrested on May 27, 2020, for talking to people about Falun Gong. She was sentenced to four years on November 6, 2020, and admitted to the Hunan Province Women’s Prison on March 1, 2021. At the High-Security Division, she was shocked with electric batons, forced to stand for long hours every day, and not allowed to take showers or even wash her dishes after each meal.

Select Death Cases

Ms. Zhang Yaqin was arrested on December 30, 2018, for talking to people about Falun Gong at a farmer’s market. She was sentenced to three years. She was sent to the Hunan Province Women’s Prison on August 13, 2019, and held in the High Security Division. She was subjected to intensive brainwashing aimed at forcing her to renounce Falun Gong. Her family was not allowed to visit her. She developed high blood pressure and became emaciated as a result of the torture. She passed away in prison on December 12, 2020, at the age of 65.

Ms. Xiao Meijun, a retired food transportation worker in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, was twice jailed at the Hunan Province Women’s Prison for a total of ten years. She was severely tortured and injected with unknown drugs. By the time she finished her second prison term in 2018, she was incapacitated and lost most of her teeth due to the forced-feedings. She passed away on March 2, 2020, at the age of 72.

Ms. Liu Dongxian of Changde City was arrested in December 2016 and sentenced to nine years on March 13, 2018. She developed a severe heart condition and high blood pressure as a result of the torture at the High-Security Division. She died in May 2024, only a few days after she was released. She was 72.

Ms. Jiang Pingtian, a Qidong County, Hunan Province resident, was arrested on August 7, 2020, after being reported for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. She was sentenced to 1.5 years at Hunan Province Women’s Prison and was released on February 4, 2022. She struggled with declining health and passed away on December 10, 2022, ten months after her release. She was 70.

Ms. Fan Wenxiu, a Yueyang City, Hunan Province resident, was arrested on September 1, 2017, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong and was later sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and fined 5,000 yuan. She was subjected to intensive brainwashing at Changsha Women’s Prison, aimed at forcing her to renounce her faith. Her cancer that was cured by practicing Falun Gong soon recurred due to the mental pressure. She also suffered colon perforation.

Ms. Fan underwent surgery on July 27, 2018, for ovarian cancer. Only then did the prison approve her medical parole. The police still harassed her at home. Her health continued to deteriorate and she passed away at a local hospital on January 21, 2020. She was 53.