(Minghui.org) Ms. Guo Yunzhi, 61, was arrested on February 14, 2015 after talking to the public about the persecution of Falun Gong by the communist regime. After a secret trial on June 30, 2015, for which her attorney and family were not notified, she was sentenced in August to four years in Shanxi Women's Prison.
The prison initially declined to admit her because of her poor health, but was pressured to do so by Jincheng City Detention Center. Ms. Guo now faces a cold winter and a harsh environment, as prison guards attempt to force her to renounce her faith.
She had previously been held for 18 months in a forced labor camp starting in 2001 and imprisoned for five years in 2004, where she was tortured and brutally forced-fed.
Abused in Labor Camp
On January 20, 2001, Ms. Guo was arrested by officers from Jincheng Police Department for telling people about the persecution of Falun Gong.
She was sent to one and a half years in Xindian Women's Labor Camp in Taiyuan City, where guards tried to starve her into renouncing her belief in Falun Gong. They also deprived her of sleep and instigated inmates to beat her and monitor her closely.
Ms. Guo was weak and barely able to breathe when she was released on August 9, 2002, 21 days after her scheduled term ended. However, she regained her health soon after she resumed practicing Falun Gong.
Tortured in Detention Center and Prison
On March 17, 2004, Ms. Guo was arrested and taken to Jincheng Detention Center for giving Falun Gong materials to other practitioners. Police also ransacked her home. When she went on a hunger strike in the detention center to protest her illegal arrest, she was tied to a “death bed” and brutally force-fed through her nose.
Torture demonstration: tied to “death bed”
Ms. Guo was emaciated and had difficulty walking after almost three months. She was carried to a courtroom by two people, one on each side, to face trial. She was sentenced to five years in prison and taken to Shanxi Women's Prison on January 16, 2005 to be “transformed,” or made to give up her belief.
The torture Ms. Guo endured in this prison were covered in a previous report.
For example, Ms. Guo was doused with water in extremely cold weather, wearing only a vest. She was then forced to stand barefoot on icy cold ceramic tile overnight.
She was also hung spread-eagle over a metal bed for several days without food or water.
Wages Held in Exchange for “Repentance”
Ms. Guo was employed by the Zezhou Township Board in Jincheng City. Her workplace suspended her wages after she was released from prison.
She was told by the chief of the Zezhou 610 Office,”We're not giving you a cent if you don't write a repentance statement!”
Better Health, Relationships After Learning Falun Gong
Ms. Guo previously suffered from severe diabetes and heart disease. She had tried medical and non-medical treatments, to no avail. Soon after she began practicing Falun Gong in August 1997, her diseases went away, and she regained her health.
In addition, Ms. Guo found elevation in her character. She had a strained relationship with her mother-in-law in the past. After learning Falun Gong, however, she took good care of her bedridden mother-in-law for years. The elderly woman later said that she is lucky to have such a good daughter-in-law.
Perpetrators' contact information:
Zhang Zhongqi (张忠琦): chief, Zezhou Police Station, +86-13935690863Tian Yi (田毅): captain, Jincheng Branch Police Station, +86-13935611808Zhang Peng (张鹏): direcror, Jincheng City Detention Center, +86-15135638888Hao Wanbin (郜万斌): presiding judge, Jincheng Chengqu District Court, +86-356-2024332 (office)
