Jilin Woman Sentenced to Five Years for Practicing Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) A Changchun City, Jilin Province, resident was sentenced to five years in June 2022 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Yu Guizhen, 56, was arrested at home at around 9 p.m. on October 16, 2021. Without a search warrant, the police confiscated her Falun Gong books, computer, printer, calendars with information about Falun Gong, ID, and cell phone. After one day at the police station, Ms. Yu was taken to the Weizigou Lockup and kept there for 15 days. 

The police brought Ms. Yu back to the police station for interrogation on November 1 and held her there overnight. She was taken to the Changchun No. 4 Detention Center the next day and denied visits by her lawyer. 

When submitting her case to the procuratorate, the police fabricated evidence to frame Ms. Yu. The over forty Falun Gong books confiscated from her home were recorded as over one hundred and then the hundreds of calendars became over a thousand. The Chaoyang District Court sentenced Ms. Yu to five years in June 2022. Further details about her sentencing aren’t clear.

Two Labor Camp Terms, Gallbladder Injured from Beatings

Ms. Yu’s husband passed away many years ago. She operated a deli and raised their son on her own. Years of hard work took a toll on Ms. Yu’s health. She became seriously ill and was on the verge of death. Introduced to Falun Gong by a friend, she took up the practice on May 14, 1995, and recovered in a month. 

After the communist regime ordered the persecution, Ms. Yu went to Beijing three times to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong and was arrested each time. She was given two labor camp terms, totaling over four years. She was constantly beaten and shocked with electric batons. Her gallbladder and back were severely injured, and she still has not fully recovered from her injuries after two decades. 

Ms. Yu was first arrested on December 30, 1999, and given three years at the Heizuizi Women’s Forced Labor Camp on January 21, 2000. The guards hung her up by the wrists, with her feet suspended from the ground, causing excruciating pain in her arms. In the winter, they stripped off her clothes, tied her up, and exposed her to low temperatures overnight. The guards often forced her to work 18 hours a day without pay or ordered her to remain in one position without moving for extended periods of time. 

Because Ms. Yu refused to write a guarantee statement to renounce Falun Gong in October 2000, the guards shocked her with electric batons at the highest voltage. She became incontinent and numb all over her body. After she was taken back to her cell, the guards continued to beat her. 

In 2002, Ms. Yu and other practitioners were kept in isolation and deprived of sleep. The guards forced them to watch videos and read books smearing Falun Gong. They also beat and force-fed them. As Ms. Yu refused to give in, a guard shocked her private part with an electric baton. She became incontinent right then and had trouble relieving herself for several months. 

Other practitioners also suffered appalling tortures. When Ms. Liu Suqin was covered with bruises from the beating, the guards sprayed water on her and shocked her with electric batons. Ms. Zhang Huayun’s spine was severely deformed and she had enormous difficulty walking. Ms. Wang Suhua suffered a mental breakdown from the torture. 

Ms. Yu was arrested again on July 2, 2012. She was taken to the Heizuizi Women’s Forced Labor Camp on August 2, 2012 to serve a one-year term, during which time she was shocked with electric batons again and forced to do unpaid labor.