[Newly Translated Older Death Case] 74-Year-Old Yunnan Woman Suffers Memory Loss and Muscle Atrophy Due to Drug Administration in Prison, Dies 11 Years Later

(Minghui.org) Editor’s note: This is part of a series of death cases newly translated by the English version of Minghui.org. These cases have long been published on Chinese Minghui.org but have not been translated until now.

Name: Zhang LinChinese Name: 张林Gender: Female Age: 74City: Pu’erProvince: YunnanOccupation: Retired food factory workerDate of Death: 3/20/2020Date of Most Recent Arrest: 1/10/2005Most Recent Place of Detention: Kunming Women’s Second Prison 

Ms. Zhang Lin, of Pu’er City, Yunnan Province, passed away on March 20, 2020. Her death capped years of persecution for practicing Falun Gong, including serving a 17-month forced labor camp term and a 4-year prison term. She endured relentless torture and was also subjected to repeated drug administration.

Ms. Zhang, a retired worker from the Lancang County Food Factory, took up Falun Gong in July 1997. She was arrested in June 2001 and given a 17-month term at the Dabanqiao Women’s Forced Labor Camp in Kunming City, the capital of Yunnan. She was forced to work long hours without pay. The guards also forced her to take unknown drugs, even though she was perfectly healthy. 

Ms. Zhang was arrested again on January 10, 2005. She had difficulty breathing due to the abuse in custody. After taking her to the hospital, Ye Shirong, the director of the local 610 Office forced her to take two pills. She fell unconscious, shook involuntarily, and felt very weak afterwards.

Ms. Zhang was sentenced to four years in September 2005 and taken to the Kunming Second Women’s Prison. The guards instigated the inmates to beat her, denied her use of the restroom, and force-fed her unknown drugs. She was also forced to sit on small stool for long hours without moving. 

Once, when Ms. Zhang had a minor cold, the guards ordered several inmates to hold her down on a bed. One of them choked her neck, knelt on her chest, and forced her to take some pills. She experienced a suffocating feeling afterwards. 

In another incident, in July 2007, Ms. Zhang coughed a few times. The guards then took her to the prison hospital, where the doctor gave her a shot. She lost consciousness after a few seconds. She had no breath, her heart stopped beating, and her blood pressure was undetectable. They had to take her to a hospital for emergency treatment. 

Fearing that she would die in prison, the guards forced Ms. Zhang to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong and released her. Once released, she suffered from persistent swelling and significantly declined memory. She couldn’t even remember the streets around her home. Although her condition improved a bit after she resumed practicing Falun Gong, she still struggled with muscle atrophy, weight loss, and blurred vision. Her memory continued to decline. She would suddenly lose consciousness and remain unconscious for hours. When she came to, she couldn’t remember what had happened. Over time, Ms. Zhang was unable to stand up and lost her appetite. Her fainting also became more and more frequent. After struggling with failing health for over 10 years, she died on March 20, 2020.