Elderly Female Practitioner in Dire Condition after 7 Months in Detention

Ms. Huang Qiaoqin's life is likely in danger after being detained for seven months. She now weighs about 80 pounds, down from her normal weight of around 150, and is emaciated.

Ms. Huang, a resident of the Xuhui District in Shanghai, is in her 60s. Local police arrested her on November 25th, 2013, and ransacked her home the same night. She was taken to the Xuhui District Detention Centre.

She was not allowed to do the Falun Gong exercises in the detention centre, and her health deteriorated. Pustules and sores grew inside her ear, causing excruciating pain. The doctor in the prison hospital said that they could not operate to remove the pustules, so she nearly lost her hearing.

Ms. Huang also developed eye problems and is now almost blind. Her blood sugar levels are too high, and her teeth are so loose that she has trouble eating. Because of her teeth, she is only given a small amount of porridge at each meal.

The police submitted her case to the Xuhui District Procuratorate on March 26th, 2014, and she was threatened with a sentence of seven years in prison.

Sentenced to Forced Labour in 2008

Ms. Huang was also arrested in 2008 for practising Falun Gong and sentenced to one year of forced labour.

The guards in the camp refused to give her enough to eat, with the excuse that she had diabetes. Since she was unable to eat or sleep well, her health deteriorated.

Sister Passes Away after Long-Term Persecution

Ms. Huang's sister, Ms. Huang Qiaolan, was also a Falun Gong practitioner. She was arrested on November 20th, 2001, for distributing Falun Gong materials exposing the persecution.

The authorities extorted 50,000 yuan¹ from her family when they tried to secure her release, but Ms. Huang Qiaolan was still sentenced to three years in prison after being held in a detention centre for a year.

She was released later on parole, but officers from the local 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and police station made routine trips to her home to threaten her and sent her to a brainwashing centre twice.

Her health faded under the constant stress and fear of persecution. She passed away on October 29th, 2004, at the age of 58.

Before the Persecution: Saved by Falun Gong

Ms. Huang has had a hard life. When her sister died in 2004, she still had to deal with endless harassment by regime officials. But even before the persecution began, and notably before she found out about Falun Gong, she endured many difficulties.

When she was pregnant with her third child and her two daughters were 12 and 2, she was widowed. She worked hard to raise her children with hard work, but it was very stressful.

Her eyesight declined through the years to the point that she could barely see. She also had a severe shoulder ailment, which sometimes left her unable to stand up straight or even walk.

However, after she practised Falun Gong, all of her illnesses went away, and she was happy. She started her own business and her finances improved. All of her children support her practising Falun Gong.

Summary of Key Persecution Facts:

Name: Huang Qiaoqin (黄巧琴)
Gender: Female
Age: 60s
Address: Xuhui District, Shanghai
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 25th, 2013
Most Recent Place of Detention: Xuhui District Detention Centre (徐汇区看守所)
City: Shanghai
Persecution Suffered: Forced labour, home ransacked, detention

Note

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