(Minghui.org)

Name: Jiang LinyingChinese Name: 蒋林英Gender: FemaleAge: Nearly 70City: N/AProvince: ShanghaiOccupation: Former textile factory workerDate of Death: December 24, 2022Date of Most Recent Arrest: February 3, 2021Most Recent Place of Detention: Baoshan District Detention Center

A resident of Shanghai died in a detention center on December 24, 2022, while serving a four-year term for her faith in Falun Gong. Ms. Jiang Linying was nearly 70.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Jiang Linying

Ms. Jiang’s husband received a call from the Baoshan District Detention Center on the afternoon of December 24 and was told that she was in critical condition and had been taken to the hospital. When he asked what condition she had and which hospital she was taken to, the caller said the information was confidential and denied his request to visit her.

Hours later, another guard called from a cellphone (+86-18100051158) and said Ms. Jiang was having difficulty breathing and that the doctor had issued a critical condition notice for her. The guard still barred the family from visiting her and said it was good enough that they informed the family of her condition. The family was outraged and demanded the guard to try their best to save Ms. Jiang’s life. 

At 10: 29 p.m., the same guard called from the same cellphone number and told the family that Ms. Jiang had passed away. It’s not clear whether the family had been allowed to see her after her passing.

Ms. Jiang, a retired textile factory worker, took up Falun Gong in February 1999. For upholding her belief in Falun Gong after the persecution began five months later, she served two prison terms of 3.5 and 5 years, respectively, as well as a labor camp term of one year and three months.

While being incarcerated, Ms. Jiang was subjected to torture, including being injected with drugs to destroy her central nervous system, brutally beaten, forced to stand for prolonged periods of time, forced to sit on a small stool in one position for extended periods of time, denied restroom use, deprived of food, or forced to over eat.

A group of officers went to Ms. Jiang’s home on October 25, 2018 to warn her not to leave home during the China International Import Expo in Shanghai to be held on November 5-10, 2018. They threatened to detain her if she went out to talk to people about Falun Gong, “If you want to take care of your old mother, stay home! If you don’t listen to us, be prepared to go to prison!” 

The police harassed Ms. Jiang at home on February 3, 2021 and ordered her to sign statements renouncing Falun Gong. When she refused, they arrested her and ransacked her home. Her Falun Gong books and computer were confiscated. The police also seized 274 pieces of paper currency worth 2,900 yuan in total and printed with information about Falun Gong as a way to circumvent strict internet censorship. Her mother was so distraught by her arrest that she passed away shortly after.

Ms. Jiang was held at the Baoshan Detention Center. Meanwhile, the police went to the shops near her home and questioned the vendors whether they saw Ms. Jiang using the paper currency with information about Falun Gong. Four witnesses testified against her, claiming that she used the money to buy vegetables from them between late January and early February. 

Ms. Jiang’s arrest was approved on March 9. She had an asthma attack on March 26 and suffered persistent fever and cough. The detention center guards didn’t take her to see a doctor until April 2, when the doctor found that she had pneumonia caused by asthma.

The police submitted Ms. Jiang’s case to the Baoshan District Procuratorate in early May 2021. Worried about her health, her family demanded her release, but to no avail. After over a year of detention, she was sentenced to four years by the Jing’an District Court on September 8, 2022. She appealed, but the local intermediate court ruled to uphold her original verdict.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Baoshan District Detention Center: +86-21-28959537Detention Center guard who informed the family of Ms. Jiang’s passing: +86-18100051158Tang Min (唐敏), head of Baoshan District Detention Center: +86-21-28959530

Related reports:

Having Served Ten Years, Shanghai Woman Gets Four More Years for Her Faith

After Spending Ten Years Behind Bars, Shanghai Woman, 69, Arrested Again for Her Faith

Ms. Jiang Linying Incarcerated 11 Times for Refusing to Give Up Her Faith