Older Ms. Xue Guiqing Has Died As a Result of Torture in Tianjin Female Prison

Ms. Xue Guiqing, 54, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Niuzhen Village, Gaocun Township, Wuqing District, Tianjin City, died on March 16th, 2007, as a result of being tortured at Tianjin Female Prison. Since July 20th 1999, Ms. Xue had been detained at police stations, detention centres, forced labour camps and prisons.

Ms. Xue Guiqing went to Beijing on October 1st, 2000 to appeal for Falun Gong. She was taken back by Gaoxiang Village police and detained at Wuqing Township Detention Centre. She was sentenced to three years of forced labour and taken to the Tianjin City Banqiao Female Forced Labour Camp. After being on hunger strike for more than 300 days to protest the persecution, her body weight dropped from 70kg to 30kg. She was released on bail for medical treatment when she was in critical condition.

After Ms. Xue returned home, she studied the Falun Dafa books and did the exercises. It did not take long for her to recover. In 2002, she went again to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and was arrested and taken back to the Tianjin Banqiao Female Forced Labour Camp. The labour camp refused to take her. The local authorities and police brought her back and pressured her husband. Her husband had been under pressure for years and could no longer bear it. One night he tried to strangle Ms. Xue when she was asleep, but did not succeed.

They were afraid that she would go again to Beijing. They goaded her husband into breaking her legs. Her husband tied her up and beat her legs hard until they were all bloody and smashed. Her children sent her to the hospital and doctors said that the treatment would cost at least 300,000 yuan¹, and even then she might not recover. Ms. Xue did not wish to be treated. She returned home and cultivated in Falun Dafa. Her legs healed within six months and only a scar could be seen.

During this time, staff from the Tianjin Banqiao Female Forced Labour Camp harassed Ms. Xue at her home many times. Ms. Xue did not cooperate. They took her to the forced labour camp. Ms. Xue went on a hunger strike again. Two months later her sentence expired and her family members took her back home.

In February 2004, Ms. Xue Guiqing went to Beijing to appeal one more time. She was arrested and taken back to Tianjin by Gaocun Township police and detained at the Wuqing District Detention Centre. During the illegal detention she was secretly monitored. The first trial ended with her telling about her own experience of how good Dafa is. At the second trial, the authorities asked her to stop going to Beijing to appeal. Ms. Xue insisted that she would not give up cultivating Truth, Compassion and Forbearance. The Wuqing District court sentenced her to four years at Tianjin Female Prison.

In the prison, Ms. Xue protested her treatment, refused to write repentance statements² and went on a hunger strike for 10 months. Vice Director Li Hong arranged four prisoners to watch Ms. Xue. They handcuffed her day and night, fed her through a tube and did not remove it. They did not allow her to go to the restroom. In the cold winter they did not put any covers on her and her face became purple from the freezing temperature. Sometimes they even took her clothes off and turned fans toward her.

In July 2005, Ms. Xue Guiqing was very weak because of the torture she suffered. Prison staff did not want to take responsibility and informed Ms. Xue's family to take her home on bail for medical treatment.

After returning home, Ms. Xue practised Dafa and she soon recovered. During that time, prison guards came to her home many times, but she did not cooperate with them. In February 2006 she was taken back to the prison.

On March 14th, 2007, Tianjin Female Prison informed Ms. Xue's family to take her home. By this time she was nearly dead and weighed less than 30kg. Two days later Ms. Xue passed away.

Gaocun Township Police Station, Wuqing District, Tianjin City: 86-22-2222 1710

Tianjin City Wuqing Court: 86-22-2934-1071

Criminal Court: 86-22-2933 4970

Tianjin City Wuqing District Police Station: 86-22-2934 1010

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

2. Repentance Statement: In this statement the practitioner is forced to admit remorse for practising Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/4/16/152869.html