An Elderly Lady from Suzhou Passed Away as a Result of Persecution

Name: Zhou Yun
Gender: Female
Age: 74
Address: New Yonglin Village, Pingjiang District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province
Occupation: Unknown

Date of Death: August 2008
Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 2004
Most Recent Place of Detention: Shangfangshan Brainwashing Centre
City: Suzhou
Province: Jiangsu
Persecution Suffered: Detention, brainwashing, sleep deprivation

In October 1998, Ms. Zhou Yun, who was 65 years old that year, started to practise Falun Gong. Before she started to practise, she suffered from strokes. After a period of practising Falun Gong, she could walk normally and started to live a normal life. She followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and her health continued to improve.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20th, 1999. In spite of many difficulties, in March 2001, Ms. Zhou went to Beijing. She wanted to appeal for Falun Gong and tell the government that Falun Gong is good. However, she was remanded to Suzhou and detained in the Loumen Police Station in the Pingjiang District in Suzhou for three days.

In June 2002, Gu Liqun, He Xiaodi, and others from the Suzhou 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) started a closed-door brainwashing centre in Shangfangshan, Suzhou City. Liu Shuangxiong from the Politics and Security Section of the Pingjiang Police Department and officers from the Loumen Police Station took Ms. Zhou to the centre. They pressured her to give up practising Falun Gong day and night. Four days later, Ms. Zhou's blood pressure shot up, and her old illness returned. The brainwashing centre then sent her home. At home, Ms. Zhou studied the Falun Gong teachings and practised the exercises and her heath was gradually restored. During that period, personnel from the police station and the community committee continued to harass her and monitor her movements.

In November 2004, Ms. Zhou, who was 70 by then, was taken to the Shangfangshan Brainwashing Centre again. She was not allowed to sleep for a long time. Subjected to high pressure brainwashing, Ms. Zhou broke down physically and mentally. She suffered incontinence and fell into a coma. The authorities then sent her home. When Ms. Zhou was carried to her doorway, many neighbours saw the state she was in. Ms. Zhou's son refused to let his mother be carried into their home in that way. He demanded, “My mother was fine when you took her away. Now she comes back in such a bad condition. Why don't you take her to the hospital?” So the authorities quickly rushed Ms. Zhou to a nearby hospital.

Because of the repeated incidents of persecution, Ms. Zhou Yun was tortured and injured both physically and mentally. She finally passed away in August 2008.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/2/23/236705.html