(Minghui.org) A 66-year-old disabled woman in Huichun City, Jilin Province, was sentenced to a 1.5-year prison term because she practices Falun Gong. After she was released her pension was suspended and the police constantly harassed her.
Ms. Zhang Junling
Ms. Zhang Junling’s lower left leg was amputated after a train accident in 1981, and she had chronic back pain. In 2007, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. Just when she felt hopeless, she began to practice Falun Gong and the pain went away. Her many other ailments, including severe heart disease and kidney and liver problems, also disappeared.
Ms. Zhang was arrested on February 14, 2019 when she put up posters which had information about Falun Gong. The police ransacked her home and confiscated her Falun Gong books and materials. Even though she was disabled the Huichun City Lockup still admitted her and barred her family from visiting her. Her family weren’t allowed to make cash deposits to her commissary account, but could only send her clothes.
Ms. Zhang developed several medical conditions during the 15-day administrative detention. She was taken for a physical exam and was found to have high blood pressure and heart disease. She also experienced swelling and pain around the area where she had a mastectomy years ago. The prosthetic leg she wore no longer fit after she lost a significant amount of weight due to mental distress.
The police brought her back to the police station and attempted to force her to sign a statement to renounce Falun Gong. She refused to comply. After hours of intimidation, the police released her on bail on March 1, 2019.
Ms. Zhang was summoned by the Huichun City Procuratorate in early June 2019. She said she couldn’t go due to her physical condition. The prosecutor then sent the police to her home.
During their visit on June 10, 2019 the police demanded to know where she got her Falun Gong books, and ordered her to sign her case document, as well as a prepared statement renouncing Falun Gong. Once again, she refused to comply, especially after she noticed the police listed 50 Falun Gong DVDs as prosecution evidence to charge her when they only took 5 DVDs from her.
For the next two months, the police harassed Ms. Zhang seven times and ordered her to sign the statement to renounce Falun Gong. The harassment terrified and traumatized her husband, who was incapacitated after having a stroke. It often took days for him to recover after each harassment episode.
Ms. Zhang was sentenced to 1.5 years with a 2-year probation by the Longjing City Court on September 26, 2019. The judge initially allowed her to serve time outside of prison, but the police took her back into custody and sent her to the Yanji Detention Center on June 9, 2021 and then to the Jilin Province Women’s Prison in early August 2021, in a wheelchair.
While Ms. Zhang was serving time, her husband was hospitalized twice and spent over 100,000 yuan to pay for the medical fee and home health aide. After Ms. Zhang was released on November 23, 2022, she was devastated to see the messy kitchen, broken appliances, and her aging and emaciated husband. She also had various conditions herself, including high blood pressure, heart problem, and back pain. She had trouble finding a new prosthetic leg that could fit her and her leg pain hurt when she walked. On top of the physical suffering, the non-stop harassment by the police and residential committee staffers also put her under tremendous mental distress.
As Ms. Zhang could no long take care of her husband at home, she sent him to an assisted living center. His own pension wasn’t enough to cover the monthly fee and Ms. Zhang’s pension was suspended, leaving the couple in financial hardship.
Related Reports:
Disabled Woman Taken to Prison in a Wheelchair to Serve a Renewed Term for Her Faith
Convicted for Her Faith, Disabled Woman Taken Back into Custody
Jilin Woman Sentenced to Prison for Raising Awareness about Persecution of Her Faith
Jilin Woman, 60, Detained for Telling People How Falun Gong Restored Her Health
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