Woman in Her 70s On Hunger Strike Since Mid-June to Protest Arbitrary Detention for Her Faith

(Minghui.org) A city of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, resident in her 70s has been on hunger strike since June 14, 2023 to protest her detention for practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Sun Shuyun is now emaciated and her family is working hard to secure her release.

Ms. Sun has been arrested at least ten times since the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Falun Gong in July 1999. Her latest ordeal stemmed from an earlier arrest in 2022. Her home was raided and her personal belongings, including Falun Gong books and ID, were confiscated. While she was later released on house arrest, the police, especially officer Yu You of Xinyi Street Police Station in her home district of Daowai, refused to return her ID and other confiscated items despite her repeated requests.

Ms. Sun then filed a complaint with the Daowai District Procuratorate against officer Yu and others for illegally withholding her ID and Falun Gong books. She also later wrote a letter to Yu, urging him not to follow the communist regime to persecute innocent Falun Gong practitioners like her.

Yu refused to return her ID and forwarded her letter to his police chief. He next deceived her into going to his office on July 18, 2022 and arrested her on the spot. He confiscated her cell phone and Falun Gong informational materials before releasing her about five hours later.

Ms. Sun was arrested again on October 19, 2022 for giving out a calendar bearing Falun Gong messages to a man on the street in Hulan District. Officer Zhang Xueying of Hulan District Police Department’s Domestic Security Office interrogated her at the Xinmin Police Station. He searched her purse and found her home key. He then raided her home, and confiscated her Falun Gong books, laptop and other personal belongings.

The Hulan District Police Department submitted Ms. Sun’s case to the Hulan District Procuratorate, which initially issued a formal arrest warrant against her, but later retracted it. The procuratorate then returned her case to the police, citing insufficient evidence. The police department fabricated additional evidence against her and resubmitted the case. The procuratorate reissued an arrest warrant against Ms. Sun, and the police released her on bail.

Ms. Sun went to visit her sister in Xiangfang District, Harbin City on May 20, 2023. She was arrested right outside her sister’s apartment building. The arresting officers were from Hulan Domestic Security Office. Officer Liu Yingjun called her sister the next day and asked her to pick up Ms. Sun’s belongings confiscated during her arrest.

Ms. Sun’s sister and brother-in-law went to officer Liu’s office on May 25. Liu told the couple that officer Yu had asked them to arrest Ms. Sun for filing a complaint against him.

Ms. Sun has been held at the Harbin City Second Detention Center since her latest arrest on May 20, 2023. She refused to wear the inmate uniform and persisted in doing Falun Gong exercises. She also started a hunger strike on June 14. She was very weak, but remained firm in her faith.

Since Ms. Sun’s complaint against Yu was filed with the Daowai District Procuratorate, her sister went there on July 3 to inquire about her case. Officer Shao of the procuratorate said they were angry that Ms. Sun dared to go on a hunger strike in protest. He warned her sister that the Hulan District Procuratorate was in the process of filing an indictment against her.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Shao (邵), prosecutor of Daowai District Procuratorate: [phone], [phone]Yu You (于有), officer of Xinyi Street Police Station: [phone], [phone]Zhuang Wenjun (庄文军), captain of Hulan District Domestic Security Office: [phone], [phone]Liu Yingjun (刘英俊), officer of Hulan District Domestic Security Office: [phone]