Sichuan Woman Dies Nine Months After Being Admitted to Prison for Not Renouncing Her Faith

Ms. Ding Guoqin's family was kept in the dark of her situation for ten months following her arrest for practising Falun Gong in October 2017. When they finally obtained updates about her, she had already been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for not renouncing her faith, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Ding was paralyzed and unable to move three months after she was admitted to Longquan Women's Prison in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province in August 2018. She passed away on May 21, 2019, at the age of 69.

Incommunicado Detention and Secret Sentencing
Ms. Ding, a farmer in Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, was arrested on October 16, 2017, when the police ordered vegetables from her and asked her to deliver the produce to the police station.

The authorities kept her in incommunicado detention. Her family was given the run-around between different agencies when looking for her. They finally learned in August 2018 that she had been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. Shortly after that, she was sent to Longquan Women's Prison on August 22, 2018.
Tortured in Prison

At Longquan Women's Prison, many felons were instigated by the guards to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in order to gain term reduction.

Most Falun Gong practitioners were savagely beaten, hung up, and forced to stand for long hours as the prison authorities attempted to force them to give up their faith. Many of their basic livings rights were deprived, such as eating, sleeping, or even using the restroom or toilet paper. They were also verbally abused and subjected to intensive brainwashing.

According to an insider, Ms. Ding was seen having difficulty going upstairs. She made frequent stops to gain strength to go up one stair. Yet the inmates who tortured her said to others that she became like that because of practising Falun Gong.

Life-Threatening Condition
When the prison finally allowed Ms. Ding's family to visit her three months after her imprisonment, she was carried by the inmates into the visitation room. She had already become paralyzed and unable to move.

Only a few days after the visit, her family was informed by the prison that she was in critical condition and had been sent to the prison hospital.

Her family rushed to the hospital the next day. The doctor said she had a stroke, heart problems and uraemia, all of which were developed during her three months detention in the prison.

Ms. Ding's son visited her again after the 2019 New Year. Her condition didn't have any improvement after more than one month of treatment. But her mind was still clear and she asked her son to take good care of his father.

Her son applied for medical parole for her, but was told that it was hard to be approved. “We all felt that she still had the hope to recover if we could get her home,” her family said.

But before they were able to secure the medical parole, her condition suddenly deteriorated. She fell into a coma and passed away soon in the prison hospital on May 21, 2019.

The authorities cremated her body without her family's consent and didn't allow them to take pictures of her body.

An Unpublished Cultivation Experience Sharing Paper
To commemorate Ms. Ding, her family provided some of her unpublished experience in practising Falun Gong.

Below are excerpts from her sharing:

“A fellow practitioner introduced Falun Gong to me in June 1999. I couldn't read so I just listened to Master's lecture audios. Only a few days after I learned Falun Gong, Master purified my body. My deafness in the left ear since my childhood was cured. I even grew taller and became much more energetic than I was used to be.

“Only twenty days after I learned Falun Gong, the persecution began. Many people around me were poisoned by the slanderous propaganda against Falun Gong and shunned me, despite the fact that they all saw what happened to me after I learned the practice. My siblings never stopped their attempts to persuade me to give up my faith. At family gatherings, my relatives rolled their eyes at me and avoided talking to me. I was under a lot of pressure.

“I thought to myself, Dafa teaches us to be a good person. No matter what happens and wherever I go, I will be a good person.

“I opened a diner in town in 2000. I used the best flour and ingredients to make steamed buns and cakes. My business was very good and people all loved my food.

“One day, a thug showed up, and he became mad when I refused his unwanted advances. He began to make trouble for me. He found a woman to sell the same breakfast in front of my restaurant. Every day, she cursed me with very dirty language in front of the crowd. But with Falun Gong's teachings in my heart, I endured. I didn't fight with her, and just let her be. Six months later, she disappeared and never came back. Many of my neighbours were very impressed with my calmness and peace in handling the situation.

“After my grandson was born, I closed the diner, went back home to do farm work and help to take care of my grandson. I took good care of our family and had a good relationship with my daughter-in-law.

“My heart was filled with light and hope. I was always very happy. I didn't care what people were saying about me. I know that I didn't do anything wrong. On the other hand, I used every opportunity I had to talk to people, hoping to clarify their misunderstandings about Falun Gong.

“With my persistent efforts, people began to change. Many villagers came to me and asked for my advice when they encountered difficulties in life or had conflicts with their family members. I always persuaded them to take a step back and be more considerate of others. The village officials gave me several awards for my positive role in the village.

“Some people secretly protected me when the police came to find me. Some people learned Falun Gong as well and experienced dramatic health improvement themselves, including heart problems, cerebral palsy or epilepsy. I believe that this was the power of my faith and the rewards for being truthful and compassionate.”