(Minghui.org) A 49-year-old resident of Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, has become extremely frail since she was admitted to the Hunan Province Women’s Prison in the capital city of Changsha on October 26, 2023, to serve three years for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Yu Yingzhu’s family went to the prison many times but was never allowed to visit her. The guards would not even take the clothes they had brought for her. They were not even allowed to call her or see her virtually. They only learned from an insider recently that she has been held in the High-Security Division since her prison admission and subjected to relentless brainwashing and brutal torture designed to force her to give up Falun Gong.
The insider revealed that Ms. Yu has become extremely frail and she could die at any time. It is unclear if her frailty is due to physical injuries and/or medical conditions. Her family is extremely concerned about her safety and well-being.
Ms. Yu’s sister tried to visit her again on December 11, 2023, but was not allowed inside the prison. She called the prison’s two phone lines (+86-731-82323290 and +86-731-82323210) and the guards who answered both said that Ms. Yu was totally fine and in good health. They said that the fact that the prison never called the family meant there was nothing to worry about. Her sister begged to differ, saying, “I heard from a credible source that my sister has been tortured so brutally that she is now in serious condition and her life is in danger. How can you still claim she is fine?” One guard blurted out, “How did you know? Who told you that?”
Sentenced to 3 Years for Her Faith
Ms. Yu was arrested on March 29, 2023. She went on a hunger strike in protest and became emaciated. She was released under house arrest on June 1 but taken back into custody on August 24. She was very weak and unable to stand for more than a few minutes at a time when she stood trial on September 8.
The Yuhua District Court sentenced Ms. Yu to three years at the end of her hearing and the Changsha City Intermediate Court ruled to uphold her wrongful conviction at an unknown date. She was admitted to the Hunan Province Women’s Prison on October 26, 2023.
This is not the first time that Ms. Yu has been targeted for her faith. She previously served three forced labor terms totaling nearly eight years for practicing Falun Gong.
High-Security Division in Hunan Province Women’s Prison – a Hell within Hell
All newly admitted Falun Gong practitioners were first assigned to the High-Security Division to go through intensive brainwashing aimed to force them to renounce their faith. Some practitioners dubbed the division a “concentration camp” and “a hell within hell.” The guards assigned inmates to monitor the practitioners. Those who refused to give up their belief were forced to stand at attention from 6 a.m. to midnight every day. They were not allowed to brush their teeth or clean themselves. The guards also limited the number of times they could eat, drink, or use the restroom every day.
If a practitioner still held firm to her faith after all this, she would be denied use of the restroom completely and handcuffed and shackled. She was also not allowed to dress for the weather and had to wear the same jacket in both summer and winter. Ms. Zhang Yaqin, a practitioner from Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, suffered brutal torture at the high-security division. She died in prison on December 12, 2020.
Related reports:
49-Year-Old Hunan Woman Admitted to Prison After Losing Appeal Against 3-Year Sentence
Once Incarcerated for Nearly Eight Years, 49-Year-Old Woman Gets Three Years for Her Faith
Hunan Woman on Hunger Strike for a Month and Counting Following Latest Arbitrary Arrest
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