(Minghui.org) Since the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, over 500 Falun Gong practitioners have been detained at the Gansu Province Women’s Prison at various times.
The prison currently has seven divisions, with the seventh division being specifically used to detain Falun Gong practitioners. There are at least 25 practitioners who are still serving time at the prison, including:
Two in their 40s, both serving a seven-year term.
Five in their 50s, with prison terms ranging from three years and four months to ten years– nine in their 60s, serving terms from three years and nine months to six years.
Four in their 70s, with terms ranging from three years to eight years.
Three in their 80s, with the oldest, 87 years old, serving 4.5 years, an 81-year-old serving 3.5 years, and an 80-year-old serving an unknown term.
Two practitioners whose ages aren’t known, serving two years and three years, respectively.
1. Ms. Duan Xiaoyan, 54, was sentenced to ten years in July 2015, shortly after she finished serving a previous seven-year term. She was subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation, denied restroom use, and denied family visits in the prison.
2. Ms. Yang Mei, 58, was sentenced to seven years in 2018. Despite a disability that rendered her unable to take care ofherself, the authorities still imprisoned her. She has completely lost the ability to walk, stand straight, bend her body, or squat.
3. Ms. Li Xiuzhen, 75, was arrested in November 2019 and sentenced to 6.5 years. She was subjected to long-term physical torture, including beatings, being forced to squat for long hours, and denied restroom use. In addition to the physical torture, she has also been under tremendous pressure to renounce her faith. She remained steadfast nonetheless.
4. Ms. Cao Wenmei, 68, was arrested on February 17, 2020 and later sentenced to five years.
5. Ms. Yu Shufeng, 87, was arrested on February 23, 2020, for hanging up a banner that said “Falun Dafa is good.” She was later sentenced to 4.5 years. Despite her declining hearing and impaired mobility, the prison still admitted her. She suffered uterine prolapse and relies on a walker to get around.
6. Ms. Liang Ailing, in her 70s and disabled, was arrested at home on July 29, 2020 and sentenced to eight years. She was admitted to the prison in March 2023.
7. Ms. Wang Ling, around 40 and a teacher at Lanzhou Jiaotong University, was arrested on August 23, 2020, after being reported by a student for talking to them about Falun Gong. She was later sentenced to seven years.
8. Ms. Cui Chengxiang, 63 and a retired landscaping institute employee, was arrested on November 10, 2020 and sentenced to five years, following a hearing on March 17, 2023. She developed vascular inflammation due to the torture in prison and had difficulty walking.
9. Ms. Guo Lianqing, around 81, was arrested on September 6, 2021 and sentenced to 3.5 years on September 6, 2021. As she refused to renounce her faith in Falun Gong, the judge added six months to her term. She was previously given another 4.5-year term in 2014.
10. Ms. Zhang Ping, a 61-year-old former postal worker, was arrested on November 22, 2021 and sentenced to six years in June 2023, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. The prison guards force-fed her with psychiatric drugs and perform regular examinations on her.
11. Ms. Chen Gahong, in her 50s, was arrested in late 2021 and later sentenced to an unknown term.
12. Ms. Li Qiaolian, 69, was arrested on January 14, 2022 and later sentenced to three years and nine months. Prior to this latest sentence, she has served two terms at the Gansu Province Women’s Prison, for a total of 11 years.
13. Ms. Zhang Ping, 56 and a former employee of the Securities Department of a Trust and Investment Company, was arrested on May 9, 2022 and sentenced to five years on April 7, 2023. She was admitted to the prison in late January 2024 and force-fed psychiatric drugs.
14. Ms. Xie Guifang, 65 and a retired employee of the Jiayuguan City Nuclear 404 Factory, was arrested on February 28, 2023 and sentenced to five years around August 2023.
15. Ms. Liu Guifang, a 59-year-old retired physician, was arrested on May 30, 2023 and later sentenced to three years and four months.
16. Ms. Wu Yuying, 79 and a retired employee of Changfeng Machinery Factory, was arrested on June 16, 2023 and later released on bail. She was sentenced to three years on November 9, 2023.
17-18. Ms. Liu Wanqiu, a 60-year-old former transportation company worker, was arrested in July 2023, with her daughter, Ms. Liu Lei. Ms. Liu Wanqiu was sentenced to four and a half years and Ms. Liu Lei was given three years. This isn’t the first time that the mother and daughter have been sentenced for their faith. Ms. Liu Wanqiu was sentenced to four years in 2011 and seven years in 2015. Ms. Liu Lei was given three years when she was arrested with her mother in 2015. They suffered horrific torture and were force-fed toxic drugs at the Gansu Province Women’s Prison.
19. Ms. Liu Yuqin, 64, was arrested at home on September 19, 2023, after being reported for distributing Falun Gong informational materials earlier that day. She stood trial on January 11, 2024 and was sentenced to four years in early August 2024. This is the second time she was sentenced to prison for practicing Falun Gong, following a previous three-year term given in 2009. While serving the first term at the Gansu Province Women’s Prison, she was reduced to skin and bones and her hair turned completely gray.
20. Ms. Wei Zhouxiang, a 61-year-old former middle school teacher, was admitted to the prison in September 2023 to serve a four-year term. She previously served an eight-year term for practicing Falun Gong.
21. Ms. Cui Jianping, 66 and a former textile company engineering department worker, was sentenced to four years in 2023. She was previously given a four-year term in April 2009.
22. Ms. Yan Xiao, 44, was serving a seven-year term at the prison. On January 8, 2024, the prison guards stripped off her clothes and shocked her with three electric batons simultaneously. They also left her in a room where she was exposed to freezing temperatures. She had vaginal bleeding for 28 days afterwards.
23. Ms. Yang Jun, nearly 80, is serving an unknown term. She was found to have a severe heart condition and was forced to drink liquid psychiatric drugs.
24. Ms. Xu Liying, a former middle school teacher in her 70s, is serving a three-year term in the prison. Guard Xiao Yan forced her to mop the hallway and clean the restroom every day. She also forced her to squat while having meals and during brainwashing sessions.
25. Ms. Li Xiaolan is currently serving a two-year term.
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