Jilin Woman Dies Suddenly While Imprisoned for Her Faith

A resident of Dehui City, Jilin Province died suddenly on January 31, 2020, while serving a seven-year term in the Jilin Province Women's Prison for her faith in Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Xiao Yongfen’s family received a call from the prison at around 4:00 p.m. on January 31, 2020, and were told that she had fallen while taking a shower. The caller said she was being resuscitated at the prison while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

The prison called Ms. Xiao’s family again ten minutes later and said that she had passed away while on the way to the hospital. Her body was cremated on February 1.

Ms. Xiao’s family suspects that she was abused in the prison, where many Falun Gong practitioners have become disabled or died after being subjected to various forms of abuse, including beatings, sleep deprivation, and electric shocks.

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According to Ms. Xiao’s daughter, she suffered a mental breakdown many years ago after being abused at Heizuizi Forced Labour Camp for holding firm to her faith. She developed high blood pressure and diabetes after being released from the labour camp and had been struggling with poor health in the past few years.

Ms. Xiao and her husband, Mr. Sun Guichang, were arrested on September 24, 2017. While Mr. Sun was being held in the Dehui City Detention Center, Ms. Xiao was released the next day, after the detention centre rejected her admission due to her physical condition.

The police brought Ms. Xiao to the hospital for another checkup on February 28, 2018. Her blood pressure remained dangerously high and she had an ulcer around her right ankle due to diabetes. The detention centre refused to admit her again, and the police sent her home in the evening.

Ms. Xiao and Mr. Sun appeared in Dehui City Court on May 11, 2018. She was first released on medical parole after the hearing due to her high blood pressure but was taken back into custody on July 28, 2018.

The judge sentenced both her and her husband to seven-year terms in November 2018. Ms. Xiao was sent to Jilin Province Women’s Prison and Mr. Sun was still serving time at Gongzhuling Prison at the time of her death.