(Minghui.org) During a court hearing on December 28, 2020, Ms. Mao Kun shook her head when the judge ordered her to plead guilty for practicing Falun Gong. “It’s impossible,” she said simply.
Ms. Mao from Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, was sentenced to 11.5 years for upholding her faith, a traditional mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. She had already endured two stints in a forced labor camp and a prison term for her belief, incarcerated for a total of 8 years and 9 months.
Ms. Mao appealed the verdict. While awaiting the result, she was suddenly taken to a hospital emergency room around April 9, 2021. Her family was asked to apply for medical parole on her behalf. But before they even got a chance to submit the application, Ms. Mao passed away in the hospital on the evening of April 11. She was 57.
While it’s not clear what happened to her at the Chengdu City Detention Center, Ms. Mao's family suspects that torture may have been responsible for her sudden death.
Ms. Mao Kun
Latest Arrest and Sentencing
Ms. Mao, an accountant, was arrested at home at around 3 p.m. on July 10, 2019. Five other practitioners who were visiting her, including Ms. Huang Sulan, Ms. Li Jun, Ms. Huang Xiuhua, Ms. Jiang Jiefang, and Ms. Zhang Zhenhua, were also arrested. Ms. Mao's arm was broken and her face was bruised during the violent arrest.
Dozens of officers ransacked Ms. Mao’s home from 4 p.m. the day of the arrest until 2 a.m. the next day. Many personal belongings and informational materials about Falun Gong were confiscated. Ms. Mao's parents, in their 80s and who lived with her, were terrified by the police raid. They wept in the hallway while the police were ransacking their home.
Ms. Mao, Ms. Zhang, Mr. Du Rong, and Chen Shigui (gender unknown) were tried in the Jinniu District Court on December 28, 2020. Mr. Du and Chen Shigui were arrested in a police sweep the same day as Ms. Mao and Ms. Zhang.
During the trial Ms. Mao recounted how the police beat her during the arrest. She testified that a group of officers pounded on the door. Before she could open it, the officers broke in. One punched her in the eye and knocked her down. They held her down and handcuffed her behind her back, breaking her arm in the process.
Ms. Mao’s lawyer asked her, “Do you remember what the police officer who beat you looks like?” Ms. Mao said she did.
Before she could describe the officer, the prosecutor stopped her and denied that the police had used violence during her arrest. He claimed that it was the falling door that injured her.
Both Mr. Du and Ms. Zhang testified as to how practicing Falun Gong improved their health. They related how they were taken to the Xinjin Brainwashing Center following their arrests and beaten and interrogated every day. The police told them, “We have all kinds of methods [to torture you].”
Chen said in a final statement, “We try to be good people by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. We didn’t violate any law and are innocent. We demand to be acquitted.”
The judge sentenced Ms. Mao to 11.5 years with a 20,000-yuan fine. Ms. Du was sentenced to 9 years and fined 10,000 yuan. Ms. Zhang was given 8 years and fined 8,000 yuan. And Chen received 7.5 years with a 6,000-yuan fine.
Past Persecution
Shortly after the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution of Falun Gong, Ms. Mao was subjected to one year in Nanmusi Forced Labor Camp in late 1999 and her term was extended for nine months.
She was arrested again on December 10, 2001, only a few months after she was released, and given another year in the same labor camp. She held a hunger strike for six months to protest the persecution and was on the verge of death before her release.
Her next arrest was on September 10, 2007, after which she was sentenced to 5.5 years by the Wuhou District Court on October 10, 2008.
Related reports:
Four Sichuan Residents Sentenced to Lengthy Terms for Their Faith
Ms. Mao Kun on Hunger Strike to Protest Extended Sentence in Chengdu City
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