Ms. Jiao Shuzhen, 61, on a Hunger Strike Protesting Persecution in Hebei Women's Prison

Ms. Jiao Shuzhen of Handan City, Hebei Province, was arrested from her home and secretly sentenced to four years in prison in December 2008. She was taken to the Hebei Women's Prison on January 4th, 2009. In late February, she began a hunger strike to protest the persecution. Her current situation is unclear. The authorities refuse to release her, citing her insistence on her belief in Falun Gong.

The only person now at Ms. Jiao's home is her nearly 70-year-old husband, who has been suffering from cancer. He is virtually unable to walk and needs her to take care of him.

Ms. Jiao had poor overall health since she was young, and had serious psoriasis. Not long after she began practising Falun Gong, she became healthy. She helped neighbours bring bags of grain weighing over 100 pounds upstairs and voluntarily took care of the weekly cleaning duties for the whole building. She is well respected by those around her.

Ms. Jiao was arrested in March 2001 and jailed in the Handan City Second Detention Centre for over half a year. After her release, the officers from Nonglin Road Police Station went to her home to harass her on all the politically sensitive days. In 2002, officers from the Nonglin Road Police Station arrested her ahead of the 16th Party Conference, and detained her in the station for half a month, until after the conference was over. In July 2007, there were mass arrests, which forced her to stay away from her home ever since.

At 7:00 a.m. on March 31st, 2008, a group of officers from the Nonglin Road Police Station and the national security squadron in the Hanshan District in Handan City, led by Lu Yinghai, broke into the apartment that Ms. Jiao rented and took away her TV set, DVD player, satellite receiver, antenna, computer, printer, and other valuables. They even took her electric bicycle. They arrested her a second time and jailed her in the Handan City Second Detention Centre.

In December 2008, Ms. Jiao was secretly sentenced to four years in prison. She was taken to Shijiazhuang Women's Prison on January 4th, 2009. She is currently being held in Ward 1. She is on a hunger strike and in dire physical condition.

Shijiazhuang Women's Prison: 86-13832116656 (Mobile), 86-311-83939601 (Office)
Warden Zhang Yi

Ward 1 Captain Zai
Guards Luu Fenglan, Meng Ying, Zhagn Ping, Li Ning, Guo Xiaolin, Xing Meijie, Zhang Hui, Zao Wei

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/3/13/197052.html