Ms. Yang Shumei Suffering from Memory Loss Due to Forced Drug Injections at Jilin Women’s Prison

Name: Yang Shumei
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Address: Yangshulin Township, Nong'an County, Jilin Province
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 2nd, 2011
Most Recent Place of Detention: Jilin Women's Prison
City: Jilin
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Detention, home ransacked, physical constraint, forced injections, extortion, forced labour reform, denied visitation

On March 2nd, 2011, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Yang Shumei from Yangshulin Township, Nong'an County, Jilin Province was arrested and then held at the Nong'an County Detention Centre. She was tortured into critical condition; Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officers didn't conduct a trial, nor notify her family of her condition or situation, yet sentenced her to four years of imprisonment. She was then transferred from the Jilin Forced Labour Camp Centre Hospital to Jilin Province Women's Prison. Ms. Yang is currently being detained at the brainwashing centre located within the educational “transformation” [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] area of the prison. Due to the extent of torture suffered by Ms. Yang, she is now physically weak and requires help to walk. Currently, guards are still forcing her to take unknown drug injections, and as a result, she's suffering from memory loss.

Ms. Yang endured numerous illnesses prior to practising Falun Gong. She also had a tense relationship with her mother-in-law, and refused to see her. After she began practising Falun Gong, she regained her mental and physical health, and aligned herself to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. As a result, her family relationships harmonised. She also took the initiative to re-establish communications with her mother-in-law, and helped her with household chores. When the CCP began persecuting Falun Gong in 1999, Ms. Yang went to Beijing to explain the truth about Falun Gong, but was held in detention centres and forced labour camps.

On March 2nd, 2011, the Nong'an County, Jilin Province Domestic Security Division anti-terrorism team along with Yangshulin Township Police Station staff raided and ransacked Ms. Yang's home. They handcuffed Ms. Yang, dragged her into a vehicle, then took her to the Nong'an County Detention Centre.

On March 15th, Ms. Yang was tortured nearly to death by Nong'an County Detention Centre guards. The guards then took her to the Jilin Prison Management Centre Hospital, aka the Jilin Province Forced Labour Camp Hospital. On March 16th, Ms. Yang's son, daughter, cousin and mother-in-law went to the police bureau to demand her release. Nong'an County Police Bureau officials not only refused, but arrested all four of them. On March 31st, Ms. Yang was returned to the Nong'an County Detention Centre.

On April 11th, her family demanded to see her, however, Nong'an County Detention Centre director Liu Kai and guards told them that they would be allowed to see Ms. Yang only if they defamed Falun Gong. When they were finally allowed to see her, she was emaciated, her hands were purple, and she was bound in 12-pound foot shackles. She had difficulty breathing whenever she tried to talk, but was able to inform them that she had been tied to a bed and given forced injections six times a day; an armed military police officer monitored her around the clock, she wasn't allowed to move in her cell – the moment that she turned her body, the officer threatened her by pointing a gun directly at her.

On May 2nd, practitioner Ms. Yu Changli, who was also held at the Nong'an County Detention Centre, was persecuted to death. Ms. Yang was also persecuted severely, resulting in her falling into a coma.

In May 2011, Nong'an County Police Bureau staff in Jilin Province took Ms. Yang to the emergency room at Jilin University No. 2 Hospital in Changchun due to her critical condition. She was then transferred to the Jilin Forced Labour Camp hospital. Without a trial, nor notification to her family, Ms. Yang was given a four-year prison sentence, then taken from the forced labour camp hospital to the Jilin Women's Prison. She was subsequently transferred from Jilin Province Women's Prison to the affiliated prison hospital.

At the end of 1999, Ms. Yang Shumei, Ms. Che Guizhen, Mr. Zhang Hongxian and Mr. Wang Qibo were discovered watching Falun Gong lecture videos at home; police station officers extorted 2,000 yuan¹ from each of them. Ms. Yang, Mr. Wang Qibo and Mr. Wang Shuqing were taken to forced labour camps to serve one-year detentions.

In 2001, Ms. Yang and Ms. Liu Jiqin were explaining the facts about Falun Gong, but were arrested by officer Zhao Xichao and detained in a forced labour camp.

Ms. Yang's Family Demands Visitation, Subjected to Cruel Beating

After Ms. Yang was arrested, her family went to the police bureau on March 4th and 7th, to determine her condition and demand her release. They were given excuses about her condition, and then threatened by officers. Her mother-in-law (over eighty years old) along with a few children (total of six) went to the police bureau, and paced back and forth inside the police bureau courtyard. They couldn't locate the Domestic Security Division office which was responsible for Ms. Yang's arrest. Later, they ran into one of the officers who'd raided Ms. Yang's home and arrested her, so they followed him. Her mother-in-law asked him: “Where is she being held? She practises Falun Gong and is a good person—there's nothing wrong with that. Her father-in-law is in his 80's, lying in bed, and is dependent on an oxygen tank, so he needs lots of help. My younger son, Mr. Wang Qibo was sentenced in Qianguo County and taken to Jilin Prison, where he was tortured to death. Now you've taken my youngest son's wife—what kind of cruel torture has she been subjected to here, who is responsible for her torture?” The officer responded: “We're only responsible for arresting people; your daughter-in-law is being detained for a criminal offence.”

On May 4th, Ms. Yang's mother-in-law, father-in-law and nephew went to the county police bureau to demand her release again. Her nephew had to carry Ms. Yang's father-in-law on his back since he could hardly walk. They went upstairs to look for Tang Ke, the Domestic Security Division team leader. An officer informed them: “Tang is not here.” They then searched for the head of the police bureau, but were told that he was not available either.

A staff member (surname Yan) from the Appeals Office came out to meet them. Her mother-in-law said: “I heard that another practitioner who was held with my daughter-in-law had been tortured to death; we also heard that my daughter-in-law was taken to the Jilin No. 2 Hospital in Changchun—how is she doing? We want to see her.” He replied: “Your daughter-in-law is at the Nong'an County Detention Centre, she's started to eat again.” She said: “We can only be sure after we see her.” He replied: “This case has been handed over to the Procuratorate.” They went to the Procuratorate and requested information; the staff replied to them: “They've been handed over to the court.” They then traveled to the court, where court officials told them: “We've just received the materials.”

That afternoon, Ms. Yang's nephew (carrying her father-in-law on his back) went to the Nong'an County Detention Centre again, and requested to see her. Security on duty told them: “She is here, but you are not allowed to see her.” Ms. Yang's family then went upstairs to talk to the deputy head of the police bureau to explain the reason why they'd come to see her. The deputy head said: “Liu (the director) is not here, he is on a tour, so we'll have to wait for him to return.” When her father-in-law made a strong demand to see her, the deputy head of the police station said: “She is not here; she's at the forced labour camp hospital.”

On May 5th, Ms. Yang's mother-in-law and nephew (carrying her father-in-law on his back again) went to the police bureau to demand to see her. Her father-in-law said: “We heard you say that she was at the detention centre, but she isn't there.” Her father-in-law made an urgent request to see her, but was refused. Officers then threatened him. Three police officers took her nephew into one room, then four to five officers began beating him. They then interrogated him, and recorded the session by writing false statements, opposed to what he actually said during the interrogation. Her nephew challenged their false statements, but the officers threatened him again. They also threatened Ms. Yang's in-laws, that they'd all be arrested if they returned to the station. Subsequently, no one was allowed to see Ms. Yang, and they were forced to return home.

On July 14th, Tang Kehuo from the Domestic Security Division of Nong'an County, along with Li Junchao, Yangshulin Township Police Station director went to Ms. Yang's home in order to harass her family. When they saw that no one was home, they began searching their rooms. They stayed from 11:00 a.m until midnight, then left, since no one had come home.

On July 6th, Ms. Yang was still on a hunger strike; her family went to Jilin Province Women's Prison and demanded to see her. Officers refused their visitation rights.

Officials responsible for this persecution:
Jia Bingxin, director, Jilin Province Women's Prison
Wu Zexun, prison deputy director; mainly responsible for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners

There is a so-called educational “transformation” section within the prison which was set up specifically for persecuting practitioners. Four teams work in this section; Cao Hong was previously in charge of the section (from 2003 to 2007), and now operates the “education” programme. The educational section director is Zhang.

Note

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