(Minghui.org) Ms. Cai Zefang, an 85-year-old Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, resident, went missing after she went out on February 8, 2023. Her family recently confirmed that she was arrested for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
After Ms. Cai started a hunger strike to protest the arbitrary arrest on February 18, the authorities took her to the Nanchong City No.2 People’s Hospital. She is being held in a room on the fifth floor. The police keep her chained to the bed and force-feed her. There are two officers in the room to monitor her around the clock. Her family is calling on the international community to pay attention to her case.
Over the past two years, Ms. Cai has been frequently targeted for her faith. Following her arrest on January 29, 2021, for talking to people about Falun Gong, the police submitted her case to the procuratorate and continued to harass her.
Ms. Cai was notified by the procuratorate on November 8, 2021, that she had been indicted. She appeared in court on January 3, 2022, charged with “undermining law enforcement using a cult organization,” the standard pretext used to criminalize Falun Gong. The persecution she suffered before was listed as evidence for the prosecution and she was accused of being a repeat offender.
The judge summoned Ms. Cai on February 9, 2022, to pronounce the year-and-a-half prison sentence. She was also fined 3,000 yuan. When Ms. Cai asked the judge why her age was changed from 84 to 75, the judge responded that 75 was 80.
Ms. Cai was taken to the Nanchong City Detention Center that evening. When the guards refused to admit her, the police took her home around 3 a.m.
The police took Ms. Cai to the detention center again on February 16. Due to her dangerously high blood pressure (220/180 mmHg), the guard still refused to admit her and the police had to take her home.
Three officers showed up at Ms. Cai’s home on April 24. They held her arms, dragged her to the police car, and drove her to the police station. She started a hunger strike to protest the persecution and was released at around 8 p.m. The police ordered her to report to their station whenever she was summoned.
The court ordered two police officers to arrest Ms. Cai again on May 16. They took her to the hospital for a physical exam and then to a detention facility without a sign on the door in the evening. When the guards refused to take her, the police spent an hour trying to persuade them otherwise, but to no avail. They had to take Ms. Cai home at midnight.
It’s not clear if the police will enforce Ms. Cai's latest sentence.
Two Labor Camp Terms and Another Prison Sentence
Over the past 24 years, Ms. Cai has served two labor camp terms and another prison term for upholding her faith.
She was arrested on July 14, 2000, at a fellow practitioner’s home and held in the Yuechi County Detention Center for 15 days.
Ms. Cai went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in November 2000 and was arrested again. She was held at the Tiananmen Police Station and Haidian District Detention Center, before being given a one-year term in the Daxing County Women’s Forced Labor Camp.
Ms. Cai was given another two-year term at the Maojiashan Women’s Forced Labor Camp in Chongqing, following another arrest in July 2002.
She was arrested yet again in 2004 for talking to people about Falun Gong. The police gave her another two-year labor camp term, but due to her physical condition, she was released after 40 days and exempted from serving time.
Ms. Cai’s next arrest was on June 5, 2011, after being reported for raising awareness about the persecution of Falun Gong. She demanded to meet with a prosecutor during the eight months she was held in Guang’an District Detention Center but was repeatedly ignored.
While interrogating her, the police attempted to force her to admit to the fabricated evidence. They also threw the photo of Falun Gong’s founder on the floor and ordered her to step on it. She refused to comply. The local court later sentenced her to three years. Her appeal was rejected.
Ms. Cai was taken to Sichuan Province Women’s Prison in February 2012. She was deprived of sleep and forced to stand for long hours. Her blood pressure increased to 200/160 mmHg and yet the guard still forced her to do hard labor without pay. Two inmates had to help her walk a long way to the workshop every day until the day she was released.
Ms. Cai was arrested one more time, on December 26, 2017, while talking to people about Falun Gong.
Related reports:
84-year-old Woman Repeatedly Harassed and Sentenced for Practicing Falun Gong
Judge Changes 84-year-old Woman’s Age to 75 Before Sentencing Her for Practicing Falun Gong
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