Imprisoned Woman Once Driven to Mental Collapse, Loses Eight Teeth During Force-feeding

(Minghui.org) Ms. Guo Yuanhe, 70, is a resident of Guidong County, Hunan Province. She was arrested in March 2020 and sentenced to four years and six months in October of that year, for upholding her faith in Falun Gong. She has suffered all kinds of torture including restricted restroom use, verbal abuse, and brainwashing in Hunan Province Women’s Prison. Because of the persecution, she was once driven to the point of mental collapse and treated in the Hunan Armed Police Hospital, where she was force-fed and lost eight teeth.

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

Several police officers arrested Ms. Guo on March 7, 2020, and took away her bag, which contained 500 yuan in cash and some Falun Gong materials. Her home was ransacked weeks later, on March 29. Her computers, printers, large amounts of cash, Falun Gong books, and photos of Falun Gong’s founder were confiscated. She was detained in the Chenzhou Detention Center until she was sentenced.

After she was taken to the High Alert Ward in Hunan Women’s Prison, Ms. Guo was subjected to intensive brainwashing and started to be in a delirious state in the spring of 2021. The prison guards often talked to her for hours, which put a great deal of mental pressure on her.

Ms. Guo was later transferred to the No. 2 Ward and monitored by three inmates around the clock. They often verbally abused her and reported her to the prison guards for even a little thing, including the way she walked. Under the tremendous pressure, she suffered a sharp decline in memory and began to speak incoherently.

Ms. Guo began to have cramps in the hands and feet in June 2021. She walked wobbly and sometimes fell over from losing her balance. The inmates did not help her up. Even worse, they scolded her for pretending to be ill and acting silly. This further aggravated her condition and she began to lose sleep at night. Sometimes she sat on the bed or stood by the bed the entire night, and sometimes she ran outside. She became thinner day by day.

Prison guard Li Jun and deputy ward chief Hu Rong also verbally abused and humiliated Ms. Guo several times. They ordered three inmates to put a straitjacket on her during hot summer days.

Torture illustration: Straitjacket

Ms. Guo became extremely emaciated, and anyone who tried to feed her was punished. She did not eat for several days. When she got weaker, she was then force-fed in the infirmary. She was not allowed to use the restroom and thus had to urinate in her pants.

During another force-feeding in July 2021, she was found to have seriously high blood sugar levels, and was then transferred to the Hunan Armed Police Hospital for treatment.

Ms. Guo was treated in the hospital for more than two months. She lost eight teeth as the doctor pried open her mouth during the forced feedings. Without enough teeth, she could not chew the food and had to swallow it whole.

Ms. Guo was very skinny when she was sent back to the prison. Inmate Zhou Yanqiong significantly reduced the amount of food given to her, with the excuse of controlling her blood sugar. She was only given three mouthfuls of rice for each meal.

The High Alert Ward was relocated on January 29, 2022, and Ms. Guo was assigned to another cell. As of today, her mental state is basically stable.