65-Year-Old Woman Dies After Seven Years in Prison and Subsequent Harassment

(Minghui.org)

Name: Fan ChuanxiuChinese Name: 樊传秀Gender: FemaleAge: 65City: ZixingProvince: HunanOccupation: N/ADate of Death: June 5, 2024Date of Most Recent Arrest: N/AMost Recent Place of Detention: Hunan Province Women’s Prison

Ms. Fan Chuanxiu, of Zixing City, Hunan Province, passed away on June 5, 2025, after enduring years of persecution for practicing Falun Gong. She was 65.

Ms. Fan took up Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline, in 1998 and soon recovered from the ailments she had. After the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution of Falun Gong a year later, she went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice her faith, only to be arrested and sentenced to seven years by a court in Zixing.

The Hunan Province Women’s Prison where Ms. Fan was jailed held continuous brainwashing sessions. Falun Gong practitioners who refused to renounce their faith were forced to attend the sessions, where they weren’t allowed to sleep and were forced to watch videos smearing Falun Gong. Ms. Fan was taken to the strict management cell on March 31, 2003 for a brainwashing session. The guards forced her to sit on a small stool motionless every day for long hours. Her buttocks soon festered and the pain was excruciating.

One day, eight inmates surrounded Ms. Fan and placed photos of Falun Gong’s founder under her buttocks and feet. They said to her, “This is the country’s penal institution. You have to obey the orders here.”

As Ms. Fan refused to budge, the persecution escalated. She wasn’t only forced to watch the propaganda videos, but also ordered to hand copy articles slandering Falun Gong. When she refused to comply, the inmates placed photos of Falun Gong’s founder all over her body. They then forced her to stand in the restroom, but without allowing her to use it. She was forced to relieve herself in the pants. Unable to tolerate the smell, the inmates rinsed her with cold water before allowing her to go to bed after midnight. When she slept, they placed three photos of Falun Gong’s founder under her body.

When Ms. Fan urged the inmates not to persecute her, they refused to listen and forced her to stand while holding her arms up. After standing in such a position for 12 days, she could no longer keep her balance and felt like collapsing to the ground at any moment.

After Ms. Fan was released, the local police harassed her on a regular basis and forbade her from practicing Falun Gong again. Her health declined over the years and she died on June 5, 2025.