(Minghui.org) A 59-year-old woman in Tianjin has been struggling with poor health since she finished serving three and a half years in July 2025 for her faith in Falun Gong.
Ms. He Yun started to practice Falun Gong in 1995. Her health soon improved, and her serious stomach problem disappeared. Witnessing this, her husband Mr. Zhao Huaquan also began to practice Falun Gong.
After the Chinese communist regime initiated the nationwide persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, the couple held firm to their faith and were repeatedly targeted. Ms. He had already been sentenced twice in the past, to a four-year term given in February 2001 and a six-year term in October 2007.
Mr. Zhao was sentenced to seven years in February 2001. He endured brutal torture and was also fired by his employer. His health declined over the years, and he died in November 2014 at the age of 49.
Most Recent Arrest and Prison Sentence
Ms. He was arrested on January 26, 2021, while working at a steamed bun shop. The police took her to her home and raided it. She was admitted to the Beichen District Detention Center shortly after.
Even though he police initially told Ms. He’s son that they would only detain her for three days, they held her in custody and submitted her case to the Beichen District Procuratorate.
Ms. He was indicted at an unknown time. Her family was kept in the dark about her case status. She was sentenced to three and a half years by the Beichen District Court on July 1, 2022.
Tortured in Prison
While serving time in Tianjin Women’s Prison, Ms. He was given only one steamed bun for every meal. There were no vegetables, meat, or pickles. Sometimes the bun was dried out, so she had to remove the crust and only eat the center.
She was starving, but the guards still forced her to stand for 18 hours a day, from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Meanwhile, the inmates kept ordering her to write statements to renounce and denounce Falun Gong.
In the heat of summer, the guard barred Ms. He from taking showers and then directed the inmates to verbally abuse her when she smelled bad.
The guards also ordered Ms. He to verbally abuse Falun Gong and its founder before using the restroom. She was forced to hold it and started to have blood in her urine.
On June 8, 2024, inmate Li Ming put a frozen water bottle on Ms. He’s mouth for six hours. She had an upset stomach for months after that.
The guards wrote words slandering Falun Gong on Ms. He’s underwear, chair, and water cup in order to upset her.
Because Ms. He refused to renounce Falun Gong, the guards forced other inmates to also attend brainwashing sessions and sit on small stools for hours on end to incite them to hate her.
To cover up what they’d done to her, before she was released, the guards forced her to sign a statement saying that neither the inmates nor the guards had tortured or abused her.
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