68-Year-Old Chongqing Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Imprisoned for Seven Years

Name: Du Wanrong
Gender: Female
Age: 68
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Doctor of Chinese Medicine in Qijiang County People's Hospital
Date of Most Recent Arrest: January 2nd, 2002
Most Recent Place of Detention: Chongqing Yongchuan Women's Prison
City: Chongqing
Persecution Suffered: Sleep deprivation, forced labour, torture, drug administration, imprisonment, physical restraint, home ransacked, detention, denial of toilet use, salary withheld

Ms. Du Wanrong from Chongqing is a retired doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. Because of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong, she was forced to become exiled twice to avoid persecution, and was imprisoned for seven years.

Practice of Falun Gong

Ms. Du Wanrong is 68 years old. She is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine in the Qijiang County People's Hospital. Having poor health since a young age, she had gallstone disease that recurred after two surgeries. She later suffered from Hepatitis B, which cost her over 10,000 yuan¹ every year. Decades of illnesses caused her to be in misery her entire life.

She started practising Falun Gong in 1996, and through studying the Falun Gong teachings and practising the exercises, she became more and more peaceful, her illnesses all disappeared and her entire body felt light.

Twice in Exile

The communist regime launched the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999. Ms. Du went to Beijing to appeal, but was detained for 15 days. Local officials have been constantly harassing her since.

One morning, she woke up surrounded by personnel from the neighbourhood committee and local police station by her bed, who were ready to take her to a brainwashing centre. Bearing only the thought that she would never give up practising Falun Gong or go to the brainwashing centre, she ran outside in her pyjamas and quickly got away in a vehicle, becoming exiled for a period of time.

In November 2011, the police ransacked her home while the nanny was the only person at home. The police waited for Ms. Du for a few hours and had left right before she returned. This was the second time she had to go into exile.

Seven years of imprisonment

Local police agents in disguise immersed themselves among practitioners and created false news that a Fa conference would be held in a spring resort in Chongqing on January 2nd, 2002. The agents were motivated by the Police Department's incentive of a 2,500-yuan bonus per arrest and worked very hard to spread the news. Practitioners including Ms. Du Wangrong fell into the trap and dozens of them were arrested that day. Chongqing Court, inspired by the Chongqing City 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong), sentenced her to seven years of prison in September 2003, after over a year's detention.

During the six years of imprisonment in the Yongchuan Women's Prison, Ms. Du endured all kinds of torture including sleep deprivation, shower deprivation, denial of clean clothing, being forced to sit on a small stool for more than ten hours a day, and restriction of toilet use.

The summer of 2006 had near-record hot weather. The prison guards forbade her to sleep at night and instead ordered her to sweep all the hallways and staircases, despite her advanced age. It was midnight when she finished working and she was soaked in sweat for hours. The guards forbade her to shower or change before she finally went to bed at 1 a.m. This kind of abuse lasted nine months. At the same time, the authorities deducted the cost of cleaning tools such as brooms and mops from Ms. Du's personal account.

In addition, guards led by Chen Mei instigated accomplices to put unknown drugs in Ms. Du's food. As a result, Ms. Du suffered a sharp rise in blood pressure.

Over a decade of financial persecution

Ms. Du returned home on January 2nd, 2009 after seven years of imprisonment. The former hospital director, Yang Daohua, had suspended her retirement pension prior to her arrest in January 2002 to conspire with the 610 Office. Consequently, Ms. Du had no source of income for more than ten years. Her family had to live on her husband's retirement pension alone.

After her release from prison, Ms. Du approached the incumbent hospital director Wang Peiwen and requested normal payment of her retirement pension. However, Wang replied, “Falun Gong practitioners are to be suspended without pay.”

Ms. Du reported her situation to the Qijiang County Health Department. The officers not only refused to solve her problem, but confiscated her Certificate of Retirement – the document that proves decades of her work.

Without a choice, Ms. Du reported her situation to the office of the National People's Congress in Qijiang County. Upon learning she practised Falun Gong, the office personnel became outraged and told her, “Do not bother to report your problems here. We will not solve any problem for you.” She told him how her illnesses had disappeared after practising Falun Gong. The personnel refused to listen, and called in two police officers, who threw her into a police car and took her to the police station. She managed to escape and returned home.

Concerned individuals and their phone numbers:
Director of Jiulongpo District Police Department: Zhong Qingxuan, +86-23-68159588, +86-23-63750070
Xiejiawan Police Station in Jiulongpo District: +86-23-68480825
Qijiang County Hospital: +86-23-48621117, +86-23-48655206
Head of Personnel Section: Yang Hong, +86-13983488573 (Mobile)

Note

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

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/7/19/244108.html