Ms. Pan Guiying Died in October 2013 as a Result of Physical and Mental Abuse in Prison

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Pan Guiying has died as a result of mental and physical abuse in the Heilongjiang Women's Prison in October 2013, just one year after she was released from prison.

Ms. Pan started practising Falun Gong in 2003, almost four years after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned Falun Gong in 1999. She was arrested at her home in Fuyu County, Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province on July 12th, 2008, and sentenced to four years in prison. She was released on July 12th, 2012.

A Chronicle of Ms. Pan's Persecution

Jiangan Police Station officers broke into Ms. Pan's home in July 2008, and Ms. Pan and her two children were taken to the police station. Ms. Pan's son was released after police extorted 6,000 yuan¹ from her family. Her daughter was released after she was forced to write five statements renouncing Falun Gong.

The police interrogated Ms. Pan with torture to extract a confession and to try to force her to give the names of other practitioners. She was taken to the Qiqihar City First Detention Centre the same night.

Ms. Pan was sentenced by the Qiqihar City Court in May 2009 to serve four years at Heilongjiang Women's Prison in Harbin. In attempting to “transform” [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] her, the guard brutally tortured her. For example, she was forced to sit still on a small wooden bench. She was also forced to stand straight from 5:30 a.m. to several hours past midnight.

Forced to Renounce Falun Gong

Ms. Pan signed the five statements to give up Falun Gong after being tortured. She changed her mind later, however, and solemnly declared on November 11th, 2010, “The 'five statements' to renounce practising Falun Gong I signed are null and void. I will firmly practise Falun Gong.”

Ms. Pan also resisted doing hard labour. Consequently, the guards tortured her and confined her in an isolation cell for a year. Two prison guards, two collaborators and one inmate worked together to brainwash her. They forced her to watch videos that slandered Falun Gong.

Four years of imprisonment, along with the accompanying physical and mental abuse, took a steep toll on her physical and mental health. Ms. Pan passed away just one year after her release.

More than 300 practitioners are still detained in Heilongjiang Women's Prison. They are forced to perform heavy labour and write “thought reports” daily.

Summary of Key Persecution Facts:
Name: Pan Guiying (潘桂英)
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Address: Fuyu County, Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang
Occupation : Unknown
Date of Death: October 2013
Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 12th, 2008
Most Recent Place of Detention: Heilongjiang Women's Prison (黑龙江女子监狱)
City: Harbin
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered : Sleep deprivation, forced labour, brainwashing, imprisonment, solitary confinement, torture, extortion, interrogation, detention

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.