(Minghui.org) Ms. Liu Jianxia, a Falun Gong practitioner in Henan Province, was kept in solitary confinement and abused inside Xinxiang Women's Prison for more than 100 days between late 2017 and early 2018. Her face became swollen and she had chest congestion as a result. The symptoms persist to this day. She is now in a life-threatening condition and relies on a large amount of medication every day.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a meditation system that consists of gentle exercises and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It has been suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Liu has been repeatedly targeted for her faith in Falun Gong. She was sentenced to 6 years and 2 months following her latest arrest in April 2016.
Numerous Detentions and Imprisonment
Ms. Liu lives in Sanmenxia City and is in her 50s. Because she went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, she was arrested and later sent to Shibalihe Labor Camp. After that Sanmenxia Court officials sentenced her to six years in prison.
To avoid further persecution, she was forced to stay away from home after she was released from prison. Officials from Sanmenxia 610 Office put her on the nationwide wanted list to pursue her.
On April 10, 2016, Ms. Liu and another practitioner, Mr. Yang Zhongsheng, were followed by police and arrested. Ten days later, an officer from Zhengzhou Third Detention Center called Mr. Yang's father, saying that Mr. Yang had died. Mr. Yang's older brother, Mr. Yang Zhonggeng, was beaten to death in police custody on June 28, 2013, just four days after his arrest. He was only 38.
Ms. Liu was first kept at Zhengzhou Police Department and later transferred to Sanmenxia Detention Center. After being secretly sentenced to six years and two months of imprisonment, she was sent to the Xinxiang Women's Prison.
Brainwashing and Forced Labor
After arriving at the prison, Ms. Liu was kept at Division 9, a unit designed to hold and torture Falun Gong practitioners. At first, Ms. Liu was isolated from other practitioners and forced to go through brainwashing sessions led by inmates or former Falun Gong practitioners who had given up their practice. The intense brainwashing went on day and night, and she was allowed to sleep only between midnight and 4 a.m. After getting up, she was again forced to write statements to defame her belief.
For practitioners who refused to yield, officials would find excuses for punishment or simply put them in solitary confinement – a tiny cell a little over one yard on each side. Practitioners sent there were given very little food and also forced to stand the entire day. Many practitioners determined in their belief had been tortured like this, including Ms. Liu. As a result, their legs were severely swollen, and they could not stand or walk.
Xinxiang Prison has been admitting Falun Gong practitioners since the persecution started in 1999. Practitioner sentenced across Henan Province were often sent there where they faced brainwashing, torture, and forced labor. Several practitioners have lost their lives because of this, either in prison or shortly after returning home. This prison continues to accept practitioners to this day.
Key Responsible Personnel:
Zhang Chuansheng: director of Xinxiang Women's Prison, +86-13735092601Hou Meili, assistant director of Xinxiang Women's Prison, +86-13735092603Yu Haijian: assistant director of Xinxiang Women's Prison, +86-13735092605
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