(Minghui.org) Ms. Ding Guoqin, a 70-year-old resident of Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, was arrested in October 2017 for her belief in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Her family had no information about her case or whereabouts until late August 2018 when they learned from an insider that she had been sentenced to two and a half years in Longquan Women's Prison (located in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan). As the authorities never offered any update on Ms. Ding's case, her family knew nothing about her indictment or trial.
Ms. Ding credits Falun Gong for curing her chronic ear infection and enabling her to hear clearly again. Her family was shocked to see that she was no longer the healthy woman they knew when they were finally allowed to visit her in prison in November 2018. She couldn't move her limbs and was in critical condition. Not long after the visit, Ms. Ding was sent to Shuangliu Police Hospital in Chengdu.
The hospital is notorious for mistreating Falun Gong practitioners. Two other Luzhou practitioners lost their lives after being detained there. Mr. Li Zhengling died in the hospital on June 24, 2008. He was 48. Right before the Chinese New Year in 2016, hospital officials released Ms. Chen Shikang in critical condition and she died about 20 days later, at 59.
Ms. Ding's family wonders what kind of abuse she was subjected to that resulted in her sudden health decline just three months into her imprisonment. Her transfer to the hospital worries them even more, given the other two practitioners' deaths.
Ms. Ding was born in an impoverished rural area of Sichuan Province. She started experiencing pain and infection in her left ear at age 8. The ear was often filled with pus, but her parents had no money to seek medical treatment for her. People shunned her for the bad odor emitted from her ear. She gradually lost hearing in her left ear and she did not hear well with her right ear either.
Ms. Ding's fate changed in June 1996, when she began practicing Falun Gong. Within several days of taking up the practice, her left ear became dry and regained hearing. Nobody called her a deaf person anymore and she was very happy.
Ms. Ding had always lacked confidence given her short statue and poor posture. Much to her surprise, she grew about five inches taller as an adult after she took up Falun Gong. She said she felt like her bones had been renewed.
Having benefited so much from Falun Gong, Ms. Ding felt compelled to tell people that Falun Gong is nothing like what's depicted by the hate propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party. For this she was arrested and jailed.
A group of officers descended on Ms. Ding's home one night in May 2017. They confiscated her Falun Gong books and forced her to sign her name on a blank piece of paper. Five months later, the police deceived her into going to Fenshui Police Station, on October 16, asking her to deliver vegetables. They arrested her as soon as she got there.
When her family visited the police station and the local court, no one provided any information about Ms. Ding. In late August 2018, they heard from an insider that she had been sentenced and sent to prison on August 22, 2018.
Ms. Ding's family requested to visit her in prison but were told to wait three months.
When the family was finally able to visit Ms. Ding in November 2018, they found her unable to walk as her arms and legs were paralyzed. Both Ms. Ding and her family cried over her misery.
In January 2019, Ms. Ding's family received a notice that she had been transferred to Shuangliu Police Hospital.
Shuangliu Police Hospital: +86-28—85964626,+86-28—84898287,+86-28—85960120
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