75-year-old Woman Held in Psychiatric Hospital for Eight Months for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) A 75-year-old Jinzhai County, Anhui Province resident was held in the psychiatric department of Baiyun Hospital for over eight months for her faith in Falun Gong.

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

Ms. Hu Hongmei was arrested at home on February 25, 2022. After she was taken to the hospital, she stayed in a room with eight other people, including rights activists. The management was similar to that in a prison. Ms. Hu was never given enough food, yet she was forced to take three pills of unknown drug three times a day, every day. When she refused to take the drugs, the nurses twisted her neck and slapped her in the face. 

Sometimes five nurses held Ms. Hu while forcing her to take the drugs. Her ribs almost broke as a result. The nurses also force fed her, accusing her of eating too slowly. Sometimes they blew air into her stomach through the feeding tube to increase her suffering. While other detainees could go outdoor to have a break, Mr. Hu was never allowed to leave the room. The guards could kick her and tie her up at will. She also had her blood sample taken every month.

After over eight months of detention, the police videotaped Ms. Hu and took her photo. They also ordered her to sign a statement, promising never to practice Falun Gong again.

Ms. Hu said that her entire life has been miserable. When she was young, a military doctor practiced stomach operation on her, even though she was completely healthy. She tried to seek justice, but couldn’t afford the train ticket. When she grew older, she was targeted by the communist regime for upholding her faith. 

In the persecution of Falun Gong, it’s common practice for the authorities to send healthy practitioners to psychiatric hospitals and subject them to involuntary drug administration and physical torture. According to statistics from Minghui, as of December 27, 2021, at least 865 healthy Falun Gong practitioners from 29 provinces or province-level cities had been sent to mental hospitals at one point or another for upholding their faith.

Ms. Zhang Caixia, a hospital employee in Baoji City of Shaanxi Province, was arrested on her way to work on August 26, 2021. After being sent to Wangjiaya Rehabilitation Center, a mental hospital, she was forced to write statements to renounce her belief in Falun Gong. When her husband went to seek her release, he was also threatened to write statements against Falun Gong, or else he’d be arrested

After two decades, the persecution has also spread to the general public. One case in point was Li Tiantian, a four-month pregnant teacher in Hunan Province. She was taken to a mental hospital for expressing her support for a teacher in Shanghai, Song Gengyi, after Song was fired for voicing her doubts over the casualties of Nanjing Massacre.