Mother Detained for Practising Falun Gong; Mentally Ill Daughter Dies in Custody

Name: Zhang Suxiang
Gender: Female
Age: 62
Address: Fuxin City, Liaoning Province
Date of Most Recent Arrest: September 17th, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Xindi Detention Centre, Fuxin
City: Fuxin
Province: Liaoning
Persecution Suffered: Detention, Beating

On September 17th, 2010, police from Zhangwu County Police Department, Fuxin and the Zhangwu County Crime Investigation Team broke into Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Suxiang's home. They arrested Ms. Zhang and took her mentally ill daughter Miss Yu Meiling away and put her in a welfare centre. Sixty-five days later, Miss Yu died in custody.

Ms. Zhang Suxiang has a hard life. She has married three times. Custody of her son from her first marriage was given to her ex-husband by the court when they divorced. But later, her ex-husband gave another family custody of the boy. Her second husband died four months after their marriage. Ms. Zhang was pregnant and had a daughter. The girl was then raised by her husband's parents. Miss Yu Meiling was from her third marriage. She was born with mental retardation, and was deaf and mute. Ms. Zhang started smoking and drinking, due to the hardness of her life. Later, Falun Gong changed her life. After beginning cultivation, she regained her hope in life, gave up smoking and alcohol, and cared for her daughter, Meiling. In 2007, Ms. Zhang's third husband died of a stroke. She then took full responsibility of caring for Meiling.

At age 30, Miss Yu Meiling was still unable to completely care for herself. She used to depend on her mother to feed her each meal. With Ms. Zhang's care and help, Meiling was eventually able to eat by herself. But she still relied on others to help her to the toilet. Under Ms. Zhang's diligent care, Meiling was very strong, weighing about 220 pounds.

However, even a young woman enduring such hardships can't escape from the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) torture. On September 17th, 2010, Meiling's life experienced a tragic change. The police put her mother into a car in front of her. Meiling tried to fight to get her mother back, but her mother was still taken away. Meiling stomped and smashed her hand, as the only reactions that a mentally ill deaf and mute girl could have.

Ms. Zhang Suxiang was taken to the Zhangwu County Crime Investigation Team. She was beaten there.

Meiling was taken to the Fuxin Welfare Centre by the police from the Zhangwu County Police Department later the same day. Her foot was tied to a six-foot-long string, secured to the heating pipe. That limited her movement. On November 17th, Yu Hui, President of the Zhangwu Labour Union, called Meiling's relatives to come and told them that Meiling was sick. Meiling's relatives saw her in that terrible situation. They asked the welfare centre to give Meiling medical treatment. But the centre said that the money Zhangwu County gave them for taking care of Meiling was not enough to pay for her medical treatment. The welfare centre took Meiling to Zhangwu County Police Department. On November 18th, the police took Meiling to Zhangwu County Government. The government then sent someone to take Meiling to Zhangwu People's Hospital. The doctor's diagnosis read, “upper respiratory tract infection, skin trauma, congenital mental retardation, deaf, and mute.” At 3 p.m. on November 19th, Zhangwu government staff signed paperwork to get Meiling released from the hospital. Meiling was taken to Zhangwu Aixin Senior House. Three days later, at 11 a.m. on November 22nd, Yu Hui called Meiling's relatives again, telling them that Meiling had passed away at 4 a.m. that morning.

The doctor's records also showed that Meiling's legs were swelling. A question mark was written next to “upper respiratory tract infection” on her medical record. The medical record, death certificate, and the fact that her relatives were not notified until seven hours after her death, are all questionable circumstances, as far as her family members are concerned. It was not clear who signed all the paperwork. Meiling's body was kept at Zhangwu County Funeral Home. Yu Hui, who had no relationship to Meiling, said that Meiling's relatives had to get her permission to see Meiling's body. Without her permission, nobody was allowed to see Meiling.

Ms. Zhang Suxiang, Meiling's mother, was still detained at Xindi Detention Centre, Fuxin City.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/2/27/236810.html