(Minghui.org) A woman serving seven years for her faith in Falun Gong has only been allowed to see her family twice since she was admitted to prison in May 2021. The first time was shortly after her mother, who was arrested and convicted at the same time for their shared faith, was tortured to death in the same prison in July 2021. She has been denied all forms of communication with her family since they visited her the second time in January 2022.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Yu Jianli and her mother, Ms. Fu Guihua, of Changchun City, Jilin Province, were arrested in a group sweep on August 15, 2019. Five members of their extended family were also seized by police, including Ms. Yu’s husband Mr. Wang Dongji and his parents, as well as Ms. Yu’s brother-in-law Mr. Meng Xiangqi and his father. All seven of them were sentenced to between seven and seven and a half years on February 26, 2021.
Ms. Fu and Ms. Yu were taken to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison on May 27, 2021, Ms. Fu to serve seven and a half years and Ms. Yu to serve seven years. Ms. Fu died from torture two months later on July 25.
During the first few weeks Ms. Yu was held in the eighth ward, she was not allowed to sleep until after 1 a.m. and was forced to get up just past 2 a.m. every day. She was also not allowed to brush her teeth or shower. She could only use the toilet three times a day. She was forced to sit still on a small bench at all times.
Later on, Ms. Yu was ordered to go to bed at 10 p.m. and get up at 4 a.m. every day. She was subjected to brainwashing while being forced to sit on a small bench during the day. The guards restricted her from buying daily necessities.
Except for a brief meeting with her family on July 27, 2021, two days following Ms. Fu’s death, the only other time Ms. Yu has been allowed to meet with her family was in January 2022.
During her January meeting, Ms. Yu told her family that she was forced to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong against her will, as the guards threatened to subject her to barbaric torture if she didn’t comply. She asked her family to find a lawyer for her and file a motion to reconsider her case. When she was about to describe the abuses she suffered, the guard standing on the side took over the phone and ended the meeting. She hasn’t been allowed to have any contact with her family since.
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