Older Woman Dies after Unjust Incarceration

Ms. Yang Xiangzhen was handing out information about Falun Gong when she was arrested in April 2012. She was first detained at the Tanghe County Detention Centre and was then transferred to the Nanyang City Detention Centre on July 21st, 2012. She was sentenced to four years in prison.

Less than one year after being sent to Xinxiang Women's Prison, Ms. Yang developed symptoms of cancer and went into surgery. Prison officials sent her home afterward to avoid being held responsible for her condition.

Ms. Yang passed away early this year at the age of 69. She was from Tanghe County, Henan Province.

Prior Arrests and Imprisonment

On January 16th, 2008, several policemen broke into Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Dong Chunmei’s home where Ms. Yang was helping her look after her children. The police arrested both women.

On September 10th, 2002, several policemen abducted Ms. Yang from her home and took her to the Tanghe County Detention Centre.

Ms. Yang appealed for the right to practise Falun Gong in Beijing in June 2000. After being arrested there and sent back to Tanghe County, she was detained for one-and-a-half years. She was given very little to eat at the detention centre, so she went on a hunger strike to protest the ill treatment. She became critically ill. Prison authorities were afraid to take responsibility for her condition, so they tried to send her to Zhengzhou City for forced labour "re-education." The labour camp rejected her and sent her back to her family.

Another Death at Xinxiang Women's Prison

Xinxiang City Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhu Ying once was recognised as a national model worker. She was a representative for the National People's Congress and also served as a committee member for the National Labour Union.

Ms. Zhu was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had surgery in 2004. She started practising Falun Gong in 2005 and became disease free.

Ms. Zhu was arrested and her home was ransacked in April 2010. She was sentenced to eight years in prison and tortured to death on November 30th, 2010, in Xinxiang Women's Prison. She was 53 years old.

Xinxiang Women's Prison was established in July 1982 and is under the jurisdiction of the Henan Provincial Prison Administration Bureau. Several Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death there.

Summary of Key Persecution Facts:
Name: Yang Xiangzhen (杨祥珍 )
Gender: Female
Age: 69
Address: Unknown
Occupation: farmer
Date of Death: Early 2014
Date of Most Recent Arrest: April 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Xinxiang Women's Prison (新乡市女子监狱 )
City: Xinxiang City
Province: Henan
Persecution Suffered: extortion, detention