(Minghui.org) When 65-year-old Ms. Hu Yanmin, of Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, was released from serving a seven-year term for her faith in Falun Gong, the insulation material factory she owned had been seized by the government, including the land, facility, and materials.
In addition to seizing her factory, the authorities also suspended her retirement payment during her imprisonment (China has a retirement age of 55 for women). Even when the authorities resumed her retirement payment after she was released, she was only given 1,500 yuan a month, the same level as seven years ago, as the authorities refused to credit her retirement account with the pension increase available to other retirees. Otherwise, she would be receiving at least 2,000 yuan a month.
When Ms. Hu was arrested in 2014, her factory enjoyed a booming business. She had 50 employees and her annual profit was over 800,000 yuan. Her financial loss over the years was at least 5.6 million yuan.
Arrests and Seven-year Sentence
The police broke into Ms. Hu’s factory on September 28, 2012. Jiang Mingfu, of the Xishi District Domestic Security Office, climbed into Ms. Hu’s dorm on the second floor. In front of her mother, nearly 80, they raided the place, confiscating her Falun Gong books, some cash, as well as the computer and printer she used for her factory.
Despite the fact that Ms. Hu’s mother needed her care, the police arrested Ms. Hu and took her to the Yingkou City Detention Center. Due to her high blood pressure (240/130 mmHg), the guards rejected her admission. Not willing to give up easily, the police took Ms. Hu to another hospital to measure her blood pressure, only to have the same result. In the end, the police extorted 30,000 yuan from a relative of Ms. Hu’s and released her. The police revealed to her relative that they arrested Ms. Hu because of her money.
The police kept harassing Ms. Hu and her relative in February 2013. They also submitted her case to the Xishi District Procuratorate.
Ms. Hu was arrested on August 25, 2014, and held at the Yingkou District Detention Center. The Laobian District Court sentenced her to seven years on May 27, 2015. She appealed with the Yingkou City Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold her original verdict on July 22, 2015. She was taken to the Dabei Prison on September 1, 2015.
The Dabei Prison is notorious for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. The guards in the training ward didn’t allow the practitioners to take showers, wash their bowls or even buy toilet paper. The practitioners were forced to watch propaganda videos smearing Falun Gong all day long. Those who refused to comply would be hung up by the wrists.
After three months of torture at the training ward, Ms. Hu was assigned to a regular ward and forced to work without pay. She was also subjected to constant torture and verbal abuse. The guards limited her purchase of daily necessities if she couldn’t finish the daily quota. She was released on August 24, 2021.
Related reports:
Business Owner Wrongly Sentenced, Factory Forced to Close
Ms. Hu Yanmin Recounts How Police in Liaoning Province Have Persecuted Her
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