(Minghui.org)

Chinese Name: 邱楚燕English Name: Qiu ChuyanGender: FemaleAge: 44City: GuangzhouProvince: GuangdongOccupation: N/ADate of Death: mid-December 2022Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 22, 2021Most Recent Place of Detention: unknown

Ms. Qiu Chuyan

Ms. Qiu Chuyan from Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province died in mid-December 2022, less than two years after she was arrested for her faith, Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. Ms. Qiu Chuyan was only 44 years old.

Ms. Qiu began practicing Falun Gong in 2006 and credited the practice for teaching her the importance of being a good person. She said that she learned to be good even when no one was watching.

Ms. Qiu lived in a rental apartment in Liwan District, Guangzhou City. Her financial condition isn’t very sound, but she still managed to produce informational materials to expose the persecution of Falun Gong.

When she distributed informational materials about Falun Gong in Fangcun (part of Liwan District) in March 2021 she was recorded by surveillance cameras. The police came for her weeks later.

Four officers from the Liwan District Police Department, the Shiweitang Police Station and the Qiaozhong Police Station broke into Ms. Qiu’s home around 5 p.m. on March 22, 2021. She just finished cooking dinner but hadn't eaten, when she was seized by the police. They confiscated her Falun Gong books and informational materials, as well as her computer, printer, and paper currency printed with Falun Gong messages (as a creative way to raise awareness of the persecution since Falun Gong practitioners are blocked from all legal channels to appeal).

The Nanhuaxi Police Station called Ms. Qi’s husband around 11 p.m. that night, threatening to raid his mother’s home. He protested and they relented.

Around 4 p.m. the next day, four officers from the Liwan District Domestic Security Office, the Shiweitang Police Station and the Nanhuaxi Police Station, showed up at Ms. Qiu’s mother-in-law’s home. The elderly woman firmly refused to let them in and they left. It’s not clear why the police also targeted Ms. Qiu’s mother-in-law.

Ms. Qiu was released on one-year bail on the evening of March 23, 2021. A health exam during her brief detention showed that Ms. Qiu had a hemoglobin level of 0.1 grams per deciliter when the normal range for adult women is 12.1-15.1 g/dL.

On May 21, 2021, an officer Luo on the pre-trial team of the Liwan District Police Department called Ms. Qiu’s husband to inform him that they planned to request the Liwan District Procuratorate to indict her.

Officer Xu of the Shiweitang Police Station called Ms. Qiu’s husband on August 4, 2021, saying that they needed to depose her at the police station. Her husband said that her health condition was still worrisome and that she was unfit to be deposed.

Two weeks later, Ms. Qiu’s mother-in-law was harassed by several people from the Shiweitang Police Station and her local street committee. The police threatened the older woman to make sure her daughter-in-law reported to them whenever she was summoned.

The entire family felt tremendous pressure, causing Ms. Qiu’s health to further decline. She started having more complications in early 2022. Her stomach bloated and she was very weak.

The Shiweitang Police Station summoned Ms. Qiu again on March 8, 2022. She went but refused to sign any paperwork.

Eight days later, Ms. Qiu’s condition suddenly worsened and she was rushed to the hospital. Officers from the Shiweitang Police Station came to the hospital and informed her husband that they placed her under house arrest since her one-year bail just expired. Her husband refused to sign the house arrest notice but the police shoved the paperwork into his hand as they left.

The Shiweitang Police Station called Ms. Qiu’s husband on March 28, 2022 and said they needed her to sign so-called authentication certificates. By law, only independent, third-party forensic agencies can examine, verify and authenticate evidence against a suspect. It’s unclear whether Ms. Qiu signed the police-prepared authentication certificate.

Ms. Qiu hired a lawyer in May 2022. The lawyer went to the Liwan District Procuratorate to review her case documents but he was told that the Liwan District Police Department had not submitted her case yet.

The frequent police harassment took a toll on Ms. Qiu’s husband’s health too. He could no longer cope and asked to divorce her. She didn’t want to but she understood the pressure he faced. She agreed to his divorce request and wished him the best.

Her mother worried about her. Even though she was in a poor financial situation she Ms. Qiu some money. She returned it to her mother.

Ms. Qiu submitted her request to have her case dropped on October 6, 2022. The request was delivered by express mail to the Liwan District Procuratorate, the Liwan District Police Deprtment, and the Shiweitang Police Station. In her request, she described how Falun Gong taught her to live by its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. She emphasized that her practice of Falun Gong didn’t cause any harm to any individual or society. However, the authorities went after her for exercising her constitutional right to freedom of belief. The relentless persecution of her cost her her health and marriage.

She also included in her request a copy of Announcement 50 issued on March 1, 2011, by the General Administration of Press and Publication to repeal the ban on Falun Gong publications. She reiterated that it was totally lawful for her to possess, produce, and distribute Falun Gong related information.

Ms. Qiu did not receive a response. She died two months later, around mid-December 2022.