Having Lost Her Husband and Mother to the Persecution of Falun Gong, Woman in Serious Condition Sentenced to Eight Years

(Minghui.org) A woman widowed by the persecution of Falun Gong was recently sentenced to eight years in prison for her faith. Even though Ms. Zhang Xiulan was emaciated and very weak, the detention center guards still beat her and ordered her to renounce her faith. Her family are demanding that the authorities release her on medical parole.

Ms. Zhang, of Jiaozhou City, Shandong Province, took up Falun Gong with her husband Mr. Liu Fuxi in 1996. Mr. Liu’s migraine, stomach problems, and strong addiction to nicotine and alcohol subsequently disappeared. Ms. Zhang, on the other hand, credits Falun Gong for curing her arthritis and gynecological disease. Mr. Liu’s business was booming and their family lived a good life.

When the Chinese Communist Party suddenly started the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, the couple was forced to live away from home for five years to hide from the police.

Mr. Liu later became incapacitated and bedridden. He was terrified when the police suddenly broke in at 1 a.m. on August 28, 2016, after Ms. Zhang was reported for distributing information about Falun Gong. The police turned their home upside down and confiscated a large number of personal belongings. The mental stress took a toll on Mr. Liu’s health and he passed away in less than 20 days. He was 59 years old.

As soon as she finished Mr. Liu’s funeral, Ms. Zhang was forced into displacement again to avoid further persecution. Every time when she heard a police siren, she was paralyzed with fear and agony. Her own health also began to decline. She lost a significant amount of weight and became hunchbacked.

Unable to live on her own any longer, she moved to her daughter’s place to seek some care. Before she could recover, the police deceived her daughter into opening the door on December 16, 2021, by pretending to be property management personnel. Four officers barged in and took Ms. Zhang away. Her mother, who was staying with them, was petrified and passed away the next day.

After a few days at the Zhongyun Police Station, Ms. Zhang was taken to the Pudong No. 3 Detention Center and has been held there since. She was tried by the Huangdao District Court on August 23, 2022 and sentenced to eight years in prison. Her family wasn’t allowed to attend the trial. She has vowed to appeal the verdict.

According to an insider, Ms. Zhang is merely skin and bones, and extremely weak. Despite her condition, the guards still beat her and verbally abuse her, in order to force her to renounce Falun Gong.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Zhuang Lijie (庄丽洁), head of Pudong No. 3 Detention Center: [phone], [phone]Chen Zhijie (陈志杰), head of Zhongyun Police StationCao Wei (曹伟), president of Huangdao District Court: [phone], [phone]