Mother and Daughter Persecuted to Death in Xinjiang

Ms. Niu Guifen passed away on November 21st, 2013, at the age of 65, one year after her release from Xinjiang Women's Prison.

She had been repeatedly arrested because she practised Falun Gong and informed others about the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist regime.

Prior to her death, she had suffered a total of 14 years of persecution for her belief in Beijing, Shandong Province, and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, including 4.5 years in Xinjiang Women's Prison.

Her daughter Ms. Zhang Liyuan passed away on February 13th, 2006, four months after being released from Laizhou Detention Centre in Shandong Province. She was only 30 years old.

Local authorities in Shawan County, Xinjiang took away Ms. Niu and her husband's two apartments and denied their pension, simply on account of their belief in Falun Gong. The family suffered a great deal of stress and pain, having had to move around without a stable income or permanent home.

Family of Three Detained, Daughter Dies Shortly After Release

Ms. Niu's family went to their hometown in Laizhou City, Shandong Province in 2004. They were arrested on April 12th, 2005 at their home while making copies of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, a book that exposes the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party during its reign.

More than 20 police officers led by the head of the Laizhou 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) ransacked her home and confiscated 24,000 yuan¹ in cash and all of their equipment.

Ms. Niu's family was taken to Laizhou Detention Centre. Her husband, Mr. Zhang Jizhen, was beaten. The guard knocked his head into a wall until he lost consciousness and required emergency treatment.

Ms. Niu and her daughter were taken to Wangcun Forced Labour Camp after being detained for 50 days. The camp authorities refused to admit them because they were very ill and weak.

The mother and daughter were taken back to Laizhou Detention Centre. Their physical condition continued to deteriorate, so the authorities released them at the end of September to avoid being held responsible for their deaths.

Ms. Niu's daughter was only 30 years old when she passed away on February 13th, 2006, four months after being released from the detention centre.

Mother Imprisoned and Dies One Year After Release

Ms. Niu and her husband moved to Beijing after their daughter's death.

Ms. Niu was arrested in the autumn of 2007 while talking to the public in Changping District about the persecution of Falun Gong. She was held for two months in the Changping District Brainwashing Centre, where authorities tried to coerce her into renouncing her belief in Falun Gong through physical and psychological torture.

Before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, police broke into Ms. Niu's apartment and arrested her. She was sentenced to four years and six months in Xinjing Province Women's Prison.

Ms. Niu was emaciated when she was released in October 2012. A year later, she passed away on November 21st, 2013.

Past Arrests

The Chinese Communist regime started its brutal persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999. Officers from the Shawan County 610 Office and Domestic Security Division frequently harassed and monitored Ms. Niu's family.

Ms. Niu went to Laizhou City to visit her mother in October 1999. Shawan Police notified Laizhou Police to arrest her. Ms. Niu was taken back to Xinjiang Province after being held at Laizhou Detention Centre for a week. She was detained for two more months in Xinjiang. After her release, she and her family had to leave Shawan to avoid being continuously harassed by police.

Ms. Niu was arrested in April 2000 in Jinan City, Shandong Province. She was taken to Xinjiang No. 1 Women's Forced Labour Camp to serve two years and three months. She was subjected to various forms of torture for refusing to renounce Falun Gong.

There, she was deprived of sleep, water, and food for 18 days. She was brutally beaten until she lost consciousness several times.

Note

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