(Minghui.org) A married couple in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, Mr. Zhou Yonglin and Ms. Sun Jiping, were arrested on January 20, 2021, for telling people about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. Five other locals, also Falun Gong practitioners, were arrested together with the couple. At the time of writing, the couple remained in police custody and their family is worried about Ms. Sun's health as the 67-year-old used to have severe anemia.
Arrested and Interrogated
Mr. Zhou and Ms. Sun, together with five other practitioners, were telling people about Falun Gong when they were arrested by officers from the Yanjia Township Police Station. The couple was taken to the police station before being transferred to Linghai City Domestic Security Office the following day. The other practitioners were released on bail on the day of their arrests.
The couple’s home was ransacked and many of their items, including the Falun Gong founder's picture, Falun Gong materials, printer, computer, and printing paper were confiscated. The exact number of items that were confiscated remained unknown as no one was at home during the home raid. Their salary cards also went missing. To date, the police station hasn’t provided a list of items confiscated.
The couple was interrogated the next day. After the interrogation, Ms. Sun was transferred to Jinzhou City Women's Detention Center while Mr. Zhou was detained at Jinzhou City Detention Center. Due to the pandemic, they were quarantined for 21 days.
During the one day Ms. Sun was held at Yanjia Township Police Station, she started having a stomachache and went to the restroom several times. The police officer who accompanied her insisted that she was faking it.
On February 2, the police called the couple's son and told him that his parents' arrests have been approved and they were now facing prison sentences. The police also said that the couple could be transferred to Lingyuan City, about 120 miles from Jinzhou.
As their son is working in Shenyang City (about 140 miles from Jinzhou), he was not able to return home due to the pandemic. While the couple was quarantined, the police refused to let their family deposit money and clothes; their lawyer was also prohibited from visiting them.
Previous Arrests
Ms. Sun lived with her elder sister and her sister's in-laws after losing her parents at a young age. In order to have a better life for her sister and her family, Ms. Sun started working very hard at a young age and fell sick. Her illnesses, including severe anemia, were cured after she practiced Falun Gong.
When the Chinese Communist Party started persecuting Falun Gong in 1999, Ms. Sun and Mr. Zhou went to Beijing on February 12, 2000, to appeal and were arrested. They were tortured and later transferred to Linghai Detention Center. The couple was beaten to the point of being unable to walk.
Later, the couple was sent to the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp and detained there for two years.
On September 6, 2004, Ms. Sun was telling people about Falun Gong in Linghai City when she was reported to the police and arrested. She was once again detained at the Linghai Detention Center and beaten. She went on a hunger strike to resist the persecution. The police then told her that they wouldn’t be responsible for her if she died from the hunger strike.
As Ms. Sun was very weak, the police forcefully injected unknown drugs to sustain her life. After she recovered a little, she was sent to the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp again to be persecuted.
At the forced labor camp, Ms. Sun was in a semi-conscious state and had severe anemia. She couldn't sit up. She was eventually released on July 27, 2005, as the forced labor camp was afraid she would die there.
Recently Recovered from Severe Anemia, Family Worried for Her Health
Ms. Sun suddenly felt short of breath in October 2016 and her condition worsened day by day. Her face and legs became swollen and the skin on her legs would form a pit when pressed; Her stomach also became bloated. She had no appetite.
By early 2017, Ms. Sun's whole body, including her eyeballs, was swollen. She couldn't wear any socks, shoes or clothes. She could constantly feel as though there was a big piece of burning charcoal in front of her chest. The heat and pain increased when she moved. She felt out of breath and would fall asleep unconsciously.
About three months later, Ms. Sun had no energy to change her clothes or get out of bed. She had to lean on a wall while sitting. She felt contented if she could take a nap while sitting. However, she would be jolted awake due to difficulties in breathing.
Ms. Sun's son sent her to the local hospital. After various physical exams, she was diagnosed with anemia. Her hemoglobin was only 1.8 grams. There was a lack of oxygen and blood oxygen; fluid was accumulating in her abdomen and heart. Her heart was deformed with one side bigger than the other. The doctor was skeptical that Ms. Sun could live.
Ms. Sun had a 2000 ml blood transfusion. She became better after she took some medications and was given oxygen for three days. However, her blood index continued to fall every week during the examination and she had to go for blood transfusions again.
Later, Ms. Sun was transferred to the Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University for treatment where she was diagnosed with bone malignant hyperplasia syndrome, hypoproteinemia, and myocardial damage. All the medical experts told her son that she would have to depend on blood transfusions to live.
Ms. Sun had at least eight blood transfusions between May 2017 and September 2018 with each transfusion at 400 or 800 ml.
After returning home from the hospital, Ms. Sun resumed practicing Falun Gong exercises and her health began to improve. However, before she had fully recovered, she and her husband were arrested and detained again.
On February 5, 2021, Ms. Sun's elder sister took her medical records to the police department, but didn't get to see Zhang Ronghui, the head of the Domestic Security Office in charge of Ms. Sun’s case.
When she went the second time, the security guard connected her with Zhang. Upon hearing that Ms. Sun used to have severe anemia, Zhang told the sister to mail over the record and also her hospitalization record.
When she expressed the concern that Ms. Sun's health might deteriorate due to the detention, Zhang replied that there would not be any problem as they have done a stringent physical exam costing 500 yuan per person, while completely ignoring the abuses Ms. Sun might face in the detention center.
Parties involved in the persecution:Zhang Ronghui (张荣辉), captain of Linghai City police department: +86-416-191035, +86-416-8191070, +86-416-8191067Zhang Chunlei (张春雷), director of Yanjia Township Police Station: +86-13840633555, +86-17641601759Chen Ruirui (陈睿蕊), director of Jinzhou City Women's Detention Center: +86-416-3708086
