Former Teacher Thrice Imprisoned for Her Faith
(Minghui.org) A Panshi City, Jilin Province resident was recently taken to Jilin Province Women’s Prison to serve time for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Yu Wenyan was arrested on June 22, 2021, after being reported by a government official for urging him not to participate in the persecution of Falun Gong. Her 87-year-old mother was also arrested and held at the police station for a day.
The authorities quickly went through the process to sentence Ms. Yu. Her family was kept in the dark of her situation. A guard at the Jilin City Detention Center said that Ms. Yu was sentenced to five years in prison, but more details about her case remain unclear.
Past Persecution of Ms. Yu
Ms. Yu, a 62-year-old former elementary school teacher, was previously sentenced to seven years in 2002 and two and a half years in 2017 for practicing Falun Gong. Her elderly mother was once detained for 15 days and was also given one year of forced labor and seven years in prison for their shared faith in Falun Gong. The older woman had no place to live after being released in 2008 and moved in with Ms. Yu.
First Seven-year Prison Term
Ms. Yu was arrested in a police sweep around the Chinese New Year in February 2002. She was sentenced to seven years on October 8, 2002, and incarcerated in the Jilin Province Women’s Prison. Because she refused to renounce Falun Gong, the guards instigated the inmates to torture her. She was held in solitary confinement several times. Even though Ms. Yu was very weak, the inmates tied her limbs to the four corners of the top bunk of a bed and left her body suspended in the air for seven days. She was emaciated as a result of the torture.
Torture illustration: Suspended in a spread-eagle position
Arrested Again
Ms. Yu was arrested again on October 10, 2012, by officers from the Dongning Police Station and staff members of the residential committee. She was interrogated while tied up on a metal chair. The police took her to the Jilin City Lockup in the evening. Ten days later, as she began to experience tightness in her chest and severe dizziness, the police took her to the hospital for a checkup. After the doctor determined that she had suffered a stroke, the police released her.
Second Prison Term
Five officers broke into another residence of Ms. Yu’s in Changchun City, Jilin Province on March 12, 2017. They searched her place and confiscated her Falun Gong books, computer, printer, cellphone, and copy paper. She was taken to the Changchun City No. 4 Detention Center in the evening.
Shortly after, Ms. Yu began to vomit and couldn’t keep food down. Her vision became blurred and she had severe pain in her feet. The physical discomfort kept her awake at night, which caused her health to decline further. When the guards took her to the hospital, she was so weak that she couldn’t walk on her own. The guards dragged her by the handcuffs, which cut into her wrists and caused them to bleed.
Ms. Yu was later sentenced to two and a half years by the Kuancheng District Court of Changchun.
After she was taken to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison on September 27, 2017, the guards held her in solitary confinement for 45 days and forced her to sit on a small stool without moving, every day. The sitting caused excruciating pain to her buttocks, which developed infected sores that seeped and stuck to her pants. Sometimes the guards also forced Ms. Yu to watch propaganda videos during the sitting torture.
After Ms. Yu was taken to a regular cell, the guards still forced her to sit on the stool every day. Her use of the restroom was restricted and she wasn’t allowed to wash her hands after using the restroom.
A small stool that practitioners are forced to sit on
In September 2018, Ms. Yu was beaten by an inmate named Gao Yunxia for several consecutive days and lost consciousness as a result. She was hospitalized for three days and after she was discharged and taken back to the prison, Gao forced her to sit on the small stool again.
Another inmate, Li Jian, beat Ms. Yu in August 2019. Her legs and back were bruised and her skin was scraped.
Related reports:
Having Served 9.5 Years, Jilin Woman Faces Prosecution Again for Her Faith
Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in Jilin Women’s Prison