(Minghui.org)
Name: Zhu QiulingChinese Name: 朱秋玲Gender: FemaleAge: 67City: SuzhouProvince: JiangsuOccupation: retired teacherDate of Death: June 2024Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 20, 2009Most Recent Place of Detention: Nantong Women’s Prison
Zhu Qiuling, 67, from Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, died in June 2024, after living in poverty for years as a result of having her pension suspended because she practiced Falun Gong.
Ms. Zhu Qiuling took up Falun Gong in March 1998 and soon recovered from her 14-year-long childbirth complications, including vaginal bleeding, light-headedness, chest tightness, and leaking breasts (which later developed into cancer). She was also able to let go of her resentment towards her ex-husband, who had a mistress and divorced her when their daughter was only six years old. As a middle-school teacher, she cared deeply about her students and received many awards for her outstanding performance. She retired in July 2007 after 30 years of service, and her school re-hired her to work for another year.
After the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999, Ms. Zhu was arrested four times. After she was arrested on July 20, 2009, she was sentenced to five years in prison, where she endured horrific torture. See the related reports for details of her repeated persecution.
Ms. Zhu’s school suspended her pension the entire time she was imprisoned. After she was released on July 19, 2014, they reinstated her pension. In November 2019, they also issued back pay covering the amount that was withheld during her five-year prison term. Only ten days later, however, the Wuzhong District Social Security Office instructed her school to suspend her pension starting in December 2019 and to take back the retirement benefits deposited into her pension account from July 2014 (when she was released from prison) to November 2019, totaling $302,859 yuan.
Ms. Zhu submitted an administrative reconsideration to appeal the social security office’s decision. She also filed an administrative lawsuit against the agency in April 2021 when it ignored her request. The Gusu District Court scheduled a hearing for July 15, 2021 but the legal outcome concerning the amount that was taken back is not clear. Ms. Zhu’s pension was never reinstated and she lived in poverty before she died.
Retired Teacher Seeks Justice Over Suspended Pension for Her Faith in Falun Gong
Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province: 14 Falun Gong Practitioners Detained for Over a Month
Ms. Zhu Qiuling Sentenced to Prison; Mr. Chen Yinru Awaiting Trial