Jilin Woman Passes Away After Frequent Harassment for Her Faith

A Changchun City, Jilin Province, resident passed away around July 20, 2020, after her health declined as a result of repeated arrests and harassment for practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Bai Yaqing's daughter is still serving time, also for refusing to renounce 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. Bai used to work as a labor camp guard. She was arrested at work on November 17, 2006, and given one year at Heizuizi Forced Labor Camp. Because of holding firm to her faith, she was subjected to the “death bed” torture, whereby her limbs were stretched to the fullest extent possible and tied to the four corners of a bed in a spread-eagle position. She was kept in the position for ten days and suffered excruciating pain.

Her term was later extended as punishment for holding fast to her faith. By the time she was released, she was still suffering pain in her legs from the “death bed” torture.

Ms. Bai’s daughter, Ms. Han Bing, 36, was arrested on July 13, 2017 and later sentenced to 3.5 years in Changchun Women’s Prison. Ms. Bai was under enormous distress as her efforts to rescue her daughter didn’t have any success and the authorities also denied her daughter family visits for more than a year.

Ms. Bai was arrested again and had her home ransacked on April 4, 2020, after being reported for distributing information about Falun Gong. As she was found to have medical problems, the police ordered her to pay a 1,000-yuan bond and released her on bail to seek medical treatment. They still monitored her after her release.

Ms. Bai’s health quickly deteriorated upon returning home. Her feet, which were subjected to the “death bed” torture in the labor camp, turned black and began to have pus oozing out.

Ms. Bai was summoned to the procuratorate in early July to answer questions. The condition of her feet continued to deteriorate and she could no longer walk after she returned home. As she lived by herself, she couldn’t get out of bed and didn’t eat for three days.

Later on, a friend visited her and cooked for her. With her friend’s care, she was able to get out of bed and walk slowly.

The police arrested Ms. Bai again on July 13. She was denied admission by the local detention center due to her precarious condition. The latest harassment dealt a big blow to Ms. Bai and she passed away about seven days later, on July 20, according to her neighbor. She was in her 60's.