Paralysed from Torture in Prison, Older Jiamusi Woman Dies

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Qiu Yuxia, 59. was paralysed by the time she was released from Heilongjiang Province Women's Prison in July 2011. For the next two and a half years, she was bedridden and experienced agonising pain. She passed away on December 9th, 2013.

Arrested multiple times for her belief in Falun Gong, Ms. Qiu's most recent arrest happened on December 13th, 2007. Her home was ransacked. She was held at the Jiamusi Detention Centre. Besides having to perform hard labour, she also was tortured. She was handcuffed to rings on the ground. She was also given injections and force fed medication.

She was sentenced to three years in prison in 2008 and taken to the Heilongjiang Women's Prison. She was once tied to bed for more than two weeks, after which she developed high blood pressure, her body felt numb, and she had difficulty walking. She was forced to watch videos slandering Falun Gong.

Having suffered three years of physical and mental torture, Ms. Qiu was paralysed by the time she was released from the prison on July 1st, 2011.

Ms. Qiu's husband divorced her in fear of the persecution and left her. Her daughter took care of her until her death.

Previous Arrests and Detention

The Chinese government started the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999. Ms. Qiu spoke openly about how she had benefited from practising Falun Gong and was thus arrested numerous times.

Ms. Qiu and her daughter went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practise Falun Gong on November 10th, 2000. She was arrested and sentenced to three years of forced labour. She was transferred to the Xigemu Forced Labour Camp in Jiamusi on January 3rd, 2001.

In the camp, she was handcuffed behind the back and shackled to the ground, tied to a bed for days, and forced to sit on a small bench for long periods of time. She was also forced to stand outside in freezing temperatures.

She was on the verge of death and was hospitalized. She was finally released in November 2003.

Summary of Key Persecution Facts:
Name: Qiu Yuxia (邱玉霞)
Gender: Female
Age: 59
Address: Jiamusi City (佳木斯市)
Occupation: Jiamusi Plastic Factory No. 2 Employee (佳木斯市第二塑料厂职工)
Date of Death: December 9th, 2013
Date of Most Recent Arrest: December 13th, 2007
Most Recent Place of Detention: Heilongjiang Province Women's Prison (黑龙江省女子监狱)
City: Jiamusi
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Forced labour, brainwashing, forced injections/drug administration, beatings, imprisonment, physical restraint, detention