(Minghui.org)
Name: An YingjiChinese Name: 安英姬Gender: FemaleAge: 64City: YanjiProvince: JilinOccupation: N/ADate of Death: December 26, 2022Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 1, 2012Most Recent Place of Detention: Yanji City Brainwashing Center
A Yanji City, Jilin Province resident passed away on December 26, 2022, after enduring two decades of detention and torture for upholding her faith in Falun Gong. She was 64.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. An Yingji attended an in-person lecture series in 1994 by Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, but didn’t take up the practice. In 1997, she was dealt a heavy blow when her younger brother was murdered. Her hair turned completely gray in a short period of time and she also suffered severe hair loss. She had tightness in her chest, which often kept her awake at night. Meanwhile, she developed a phobia and didn’t dare to go out at night. She also constantly worried that her daughter, who was attending elementary school, would suffer similar misfortune. She lived in fear and distress.
With a strong hope of being able to live a peaceful and healthy life, Ms. An began to practice Falun Gong in 1998. Within only a month, not only did all of her symptoms disappear, she also gained a new outlook on life. Everyone who knew Ms. An was amazed by her rapid changes and encouraged her to keep practicing Falun Gong.
Family Falls Apart
After the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution in 1999, Ms. An faced enormous pressure, as her husband, a police officer, attempted to force her to renounce Falun Gong. He was also pressured by his supervisor to choose between his job and marriage. As Ms. An refused to abandon her belief, her husband divorced her.
One-year Labor Camp Term
Ms. An went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong in late 1999. She was arrested and taken back home by officers from the Yanji City Domestic Security Office. She went to Beijing to appeal again in January 2000 and was arrested a second time. Since then, she was put on a government blacklist and subjected to non-stop persecution.
Ms. An was arrested another time in October 2000. After three months at the Yanji City Detention Center, she was transferred to the Heizuizi Forced Labor Camp to serve a one-year term. The guards often shocked her with electric batons, beat her, forced her to stand for long hours and made her work without pay. She was also subjected to intensive brainwashing, aimed to force her to renounce her faith.
On the Verge of Death in the Detention Center
Ms. An’s next arrest was on February 28, 2006. Many of her valuables, including her TV, VCD machine, cellphone, computer, camera and over 10,000 yuan in cash, were confiscated.
At the Yanji City Domestic Security Office, the police grabbed her hair and hit her head against the floor. She was deprived of sleep for three days. She trembled when the police stepped on photos of Falun Gong’s founder in front of her.
The police attempted to force Ms. An to provide information about other practitioners. She refused to comply and started a hunger strike in protest.
Ms. An was transferred to the Tumen City Detention Center on March 2, 2006. The guards force-fed her and added an unidentified white powder to the food, which made her vomit, gave her diarrhea, made her eyes swell, and made her dizzy. Because she refused to eat, the guards poured potato soup over her.
The guards didn’t let Ms. An wash and just poured water over her. The smell of potato soup lingered in her hair for weeks. The guards also confiscated her toothbrush and comb. She was subjected to constant beatings and verbal abuse as well.
After days of this torture, Ms. An was almost paralyzed and unable to stand. Yet the guard still kicked her in the chest. She experienced tightness in her chest and couldn’t breathe.
In the northeastern province in China, it still snows from time to time in April. To increase her suffering, the guards moved Ms. An’s bed by the window and then left the window open to let the freezing wind blow in on her. When Ms. An was released on the verge of death after 48 days of torture and abuse, she became very sensitive to cold and often had pain in her legs.
Tortured in Brainwashing Center
Ms. An’s last arrest was on July 1, 2012, at work. The police took her to the Yanji City Brainwashing Center, where she was forced to watch videos and attend lectures smearing Falun Gong.
The guards forced her to stand without sleep and then handcuffed her to the window rails. Her hands became extremely swollen as a result. Then the guards tied up her legs in the half lotus position, handcuffed her wrists behind her back and wrapped the rope around her neck, forcing her to bend over at an angle. They kept her tied up for a day before removing the rope and force-feeding her. The entire standing and tying torture lasted 37 hours. She wasn’t allowed to use the restroom during the time and was forced to relieve herself in her pants.
To avoid further persecution after being released, Ms. An lived away from home for years. In 2015, she filed a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin, the former head of the communist regime who ordered the persecution.
The multiple incarceration and torture sessions, as well as the subsequent mental distress and displacement took a toll on Ms. An’s health. She fell ill within the past several years and passed away on December 26, 2022.
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