(Minghui.org) Ms. Hu Yanshun was sentenced to 9 years in prison for practicing Falun Gong after authorities altered her age from 76 to 70, in order to justify the heavy sentence. She was abused in the prison and her health drastically declined. She passed away three years after being released. She was 87.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Hu, a resident of Daying County, Sichuan Province, was constantly harassed, arrested, and detained multiple times for not renouncing her faith. She was convicted and given one year of house arrest in 2003 after being reported for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong.
Ms. Hu was last arrested in 2007. The local court in Daying County changed her birth year from 1932 to 1938, which was soon followed by an announcement on April 23, 2008 that she had been sentenced to a 9-year prison term.
Two other Falun Gong practitioners were arrested along with her, Ms. Li Qunying and Ms. Chen Yuzhen, who were sentenced to 3.5 and 8 years respectively.
Ms. Hu was ordered to serve time at Chengdu Women's Prison. The inmates there verbally abused Ms. Hu and spat on her. They also forcibly took her hand to press her fingerprints on a prepared document renouncing Falun Gong.
As a result of the mental pressure and physical assaults, Ms. Hu suffered from swollen legs, sciatic nerve pain, and heart problems. She also experienced memory loss and was unable to take care of herself.
She was released on January 11, 2016, one year and four months before the scheduled date. The police subsequently harassed her and her family constantly, sometimes demanding that she report to them at the police station.
Fearing police retaliation, her family locked her at home and didn't allow her to contact other local Falun Gong practitioners.
Meanwhile, the local government suspended her low income subsidy with the excuse that she was a convicted criminal.
The pressure from the persecution led to her health rapid declining. She passed away on December 30, 2018 while staying at her daughter's home.
Related reports:
86-Year-Old Ms. Hu Yanshun From Sichuan Province Has Suffered Nine Years in Prison
Age Records Altered to Justify Heavier Sentences--Ms. Hu Yanshun, 81, Still in Prison
