Belated News: Jiangxi Woman Develops Breast Cancer in Prison, Dies Four Years Later

(Minghui.org)

Name: Xiong MaofengChinese Name: 熊茂凤Gender: FemaleAge: UnknownCity: Jiujiang Province: JiangxiOccupation: Retired employee of Jiujiang City Housing Management OfficeDate of Death: September 2021Date of Most Recent Arrest: May 8, 2016Most Recent Place of Detention: Jiangxi Province Women’s Prison

A Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province resident was diagnosed with breast cancer only months after being admitted to Jiangxi Province Women’s Prison to serve a three-year term for practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Xiong Maofeng was released on the verge of death in July 2017. She struggled with poor health for the next few years and passed away in September 2021. 

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Xiong, a retired employee of the Jiujiang City Housing Management Office, was arrested on May 8, 2016 for talking to people about Falun Gong. Three other practitioners, Ms. Zhou Meili, Ms. Liu Xiaoci and Ms. Sun Cuihua, were also arrested. The police ransacked their homes in the evening and took them to the Jiujiang City Detention Center. 

While held at the detention center, Ms. Xiong began to experience some symptoms and was hospitalized for two months. 

The Xunyang District Court held a hearing of the practitioners’ joint case on October 25 and sentenced them to prison in December 2016. Ms. Xiong was given 3 years and Ms. Zhou was sentenced to 4.5 years. The other two practitioners’ terms were unknown. They were taken to the Jiangxi Province Women’s Prison days after their sentencing. 

Despite Ms. Xiong’s poor health, the prison guards still tortured her by depriving her of sleep, forcing her to stand for long hours, pouring freezing water over her in the winter, as well as subjecting her to constant beating and verbal abuse. She wasn’t allowed to take showers either. As a result, Ms. Xiong suffered excruciating pain in her legs and she felt her skin was peeling off her flesh. Her vision and hearing declined quickly. Her mind was in a confused state. She was later diagnosed with breast cancer.

With her on the verge of death, the prison released her in July 2017 to serve the remaining term at home. She passed away four years later in September 2021. 

In addition to her latest prison term, Ms. Xiong was previously arrested in June 2000 while on her way to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. Her other arrest was on April 8, 2008 prior to the Beijing Olympics.