(Minghui.org) A 70-year-old woman has been denied family visits since she was imprisoned in April 2020 for her faith in Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
A prison guard suddenly contacted Ms. Geng Wenjing’s family in July 2020 and said that they wouldn’t bear any responsibility no matter what happened to Ms. Geng. When her family asked for more information, the prison guard explained that Ms. Geng refused to cooperate with the physical examination and they were concerned about her health.
The prison guard then urged Ms. Geng’s family to persuade her to give up practicing Falun Gong and sign a statement to renounce it. He promised to reduce her term if she signed the statement. He added that Ms. Geng has been placed under strict control, as she refused to cooperate with the authorities.
Ms. Geng’s family has only been allowed to make a few phone calls to her in the past four months. It’s reported that she is being held in the 17th ward for elderly practitioners and she is being assigned to clean the cells there. Her family suspected that the prison guard’s real intention in calling them was to get them to help the authorities to pressure Ms. Geng. They are also worried about whether Ms. Geng is being abused in prison.
Ms. Geng, a Xinji City, Hebei Province resident, was arrested on August 29, 2019, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. The police confiscated her 7 yuan banknotes printed with information about Falun Gong as well as some Falun Gong related materials.
Due to the information censorship in China, many practitioners are using creative ways, including printing messages on banknotes, to raise awareness about the persecution.
Ms. Geng appeared in the Anping Court on January 17, 2020. Her family learned on April 13, 2020, that she was sentenced to four years in prison, with a 20,000 yuan fine.
Ms. Geng was transferred from Hengshui Detention Center to the Shijiazhuang Women’s Prison on April 15.