(Minghui.org) A severely disabled woman in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, was convicted in late September 2022 and ordered to serve 15 years in prison for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
The 15-year sentence against Ms. Niu Xiaona, 47, included a 14-year term previously given in 2004. She was allowed to serve the prior 14-year sentence outside of prison due to her physical disability. Following her latest conviction, the Harbin Railroad Transportation Court claimed that Ms. Niu failed to provide official documentation proving she had served the 14-year sentence outside of prison and thus ordered the combined term of 15 years. Ms. Niu was also fined 1,000 yuan. She has appealed the verdict with the higher court.
Meanwhile, Ms. Niu’s mother, Ms. Tuo Wenxia, 72, who was arrested with her in 2021 but released on bail, has been diagnosed with late-stage endometrial cancer. She is so weak now that she doesn’t have the strength to walk.
Mother and Daughter’s Arrests
Ms. Niu’s father Mr. Niu was stopped by two plainclothes officers at 4:30 a.m. on April 19, 2021, when he went out to do the exercises. The officers snatched his keys and went to raid his home. Ms. Niu and Ms. Tuo’s 79 Falun Gong books, four laptops, several cellphones, over 300 thumb drives with information about Falun Gong, and dozens of yuan in cash with information about Falun Gong printed on the bills (as a way to raise awareness about the persecution given strict censorship in China) were confiscated.
All three were taken to the police station for interrogation. Mr. Niu was released afterwards. Ms. Tuo, who was emaciated and had swelling in her legs due to previous persecution, was also released later that day, but only after she was refused admission by the local detention center. She was also found to have fluid accumulation in her lungs.
Since mid-March 2022, Ms. Tuo also began to have systemic pain and constantly felt cold. She was found to have late-stage endometrial cancer, but the doctor couldn’t operate on her as she also has hyperthyroidism, which caused the metabolism disorder and influenced the progression of the endometrial cancer.
When Ms. Tuo’s one-year bail expired on April 20, the police placed her on residential surveillance and threatened to arrest her again.
Ms. Niu’s Detention and Conviction
Ms. Niu was interrogated from noon until midnight after her latest arrest on April 19, 2021. She was taken to the detention center the next day and admitted despite her disability.
While a college student in the 1990s, Ms. Niu developed progressive rheumatoid arthritis, the same disease that killed her grandfather. Tormented by the disease, she became emaciated and lost almost all her hair. Her knees were extremely swollen and bent nearly 90 degrees. Her arms were also swollen and crossed in front of her chest. Her finger joints were deformed from the swelling as well. Confined to bed, she bore constant excruciating pain all over her body.
After she began to practice Falun Gong, her pain disappeared and the swellings subsided. But as her joint periosteum, the membrane that covers the outer surface of bones and provides attachment for muscles and tendons, had already rotted, her legs were severely deformed and she couldn’t fully stand up on her feet anymore. She remains wheelchair-bound.
Her condition worsened following her latest arrest. She couldn’t move her right ankle. Unable to walk, she had to move by her buttocks. In only a few days, the skin on her buttocks had rubbed off.
Unable to move up the stairs leading to the restroom, Ms. Niu had to ask for the inmates’ help to carry her there. And also because she couldn’t squat due to her rigid knees, she often soiled her pants when urinating. Later she bought a commode chair for defecation. She ate very little to avoid using it. During the three months she was detained, she only defecated four times and each time would require hours to finish.
When Ms. Niu’s family visited her in early June, she told them that she had chest tightness and extreme pain all over her body, including in her head and eyes. Her hands were also deformed and she was emaciated.
After keeping her in custody for three months, the police finally released her on bail on July 9, 2021. The police interrogated her again in early March 2022 and accused her of having a bad attitude by not cooperating with them.
The Harbin Railroad Transportation Court tried Ms. Niu in late September 2022 and sentenced her to 15 years.
Related reports:
Elderly Mother and Disabled Daughter Face Prosecution for Practicing Falun Gong
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