70-Year-Old Harassed by Police While on Medical Parole, Dies on Holiday Honoring Elderly

A woman imprisoned for her faith in Falun Gong was released on medical parole after being diagnosed with cancer. She recovered by doing Falun Gong exercises at home, only to be harassed frequently by police. Her health took a turn for the worse, and she died at age 70 on the Double Ninth Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday to pay reverence to the elderly.

Ms. Xu Yupan, a resident of Jiaozuo City, Henan Province, began practising Falun Gong in 2007. She credited the mind-body practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance for improving her serious medical conditions.

Ms. Xu filed a criminal complaint in 2015 against former communist regime leader Jiang Zemin for ordering the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. She was arrested on December 3, 2015, and sentenced to three years in 2016.

Ms. Xu was subjected to torture, intensive brainwashing, and intimidation as the guards at Xinxiang Women's Prison attempted to force her to renounce Falun Gong.

Ms. Xu was diagnosed with cancer one year later and released on medical parole. Her family had prepared for her funeral, but she recovered in just one month of resuming doing the Falun Gong exercises.

When the police heard about her recovery, they frequently harassed her and forced her to report to them every day at the local police station. The police also followed her whenever she went out to do grocery shopping. She was greatly frightened and had nightmares every night. The devastating mental pressure took a toll on her health. She passed away on October 17, 2018.