Qiu Xiuzhen Sentenced to Eight Years in Jail and Her Husband Died as a Result of Being Forced into Homelessness

Ms. Qiu Xiuzhen, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, was arrested and detained by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) police on August 15th, 2003. She was sentenced to eight years in jail. Her husband, Gan Maoyong, was forced to become homeless to avoid persecution and he died in 2004. Sixty-year-old Ms. Qiu is currently being detained and persecuted in the Yangmahe Women's Prison in Jianyang City.

On the morning of August 15th, 2003, policemen from the Dongzikou Police Station and from the Public Security Sub-Bureau, Chengdu City knocked on the door of Ms. Qiu's house. Since the door did not open, they asked her neighbour to knock on the door for them. They told her neighbour that they came to inspect fire prevention devices in the house. When Ms. Qiu opened the door, they broke in. Ms. Qiu asked them what they wanted. They said they came to arrest her. Ms. Qiu then asked them to show her their arrest warrant. They pushed her down to the ground and gagged her mouth with dirty gloves.

Ms. Qiu struggled while the perpetrators viciously beat her. Her eyes and mouth became swollen. They damaged the bedroom door and pried open the closet. They took away her TV, computer, photocopier, disc-rewriting machine, cash and bank deposit slips. They then arrested Ms. Qiu and took her to the police station.

Ms. Qiu's family members went to the police station. Upon seeing Ms. Qiu's face disfigured, they questioned the director of the station as to why they beat her, but the director denied that she was beaten. Her family members then asked why her face was like this. The director then said, "Of course we should beat her." The same night, Ms. Qiu was sent to the custodial station in Chengdu City and was detained there.

Because Ms. Qiu was arrested and persecuted, her husband, Gan Maoyong, had to abandon their home to avoid arrest. In order to find him, the police harassed his relatives and friends. The police intimidated them and threatened them by telling them that "they will be reported on" unless they gave them information. It was not until after the Chinese New Year of 2004, when Mr. Gan was on the brink of death in the hospital, that his family members found out about his situation and went to see him. Several days later he passed away.

After Mr. Gan's death, his family members went to the court to ask about Ms. Qiu's case. The official in the court told them that Ms. Qiu was sentenced to eight years in jail. They questioned him about why the court did not notify Ms. Qiu's family that she was sentenced. The court claimed that Ms. Qiu was an adult and had her own thoughts and that she herself was not willing to let her family know.

The CCP officials sent Ms. Qiu to the Jianyan City, Yangmahe Women's Prison. Currently, she is being detained and persecuted there.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/4/13/125088.html