(Minghui.org) It was recently confirmed that a 64-year-old woman in Anda City, Heilongjiang Province had been sentenced to five years in prison for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. Her husband was also sentenced, to four and a half years for seeking her release.
Ms. Yu Yanhua (also known as Yu Xiaohua) was arrested on July 30, 2022 for raising awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong. Her husband was arrested days later while visiting his 94-year-old father in Suiling County, for his efforts to seek her release. It is unclear whether he also practices Falun Gong.
While held at the Anda City Detention Center, Ms. Yu’s huband was tortured and saw his health quickly deteriorate. The authorities released him to house arrest 35 days later after his legs became very swollen.
His conditions continued to worsen and he went to various hospitals in Daqing City and Harbin City for treatment. He was diagnosed with numerous diseases, including chronic kidney disease, type II diabetes, heart problems, hyperuricemia (elevated uric acid level in the blood), hypoalbuminemia (low levels of albumin, a protein in the blood), hyperlipidemia (an elevated level of lipids, such as cholesterol and triglycerides, in the blood), hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid glands), and diabetic nodular glomerulosclerosis (progressive kidney disease caused by angiopathy of capillaries in the kidney glomeruli).
Despite his poor health, he was taken back into custody after his sentencing. His wife was released on bail at one point, but was also ordered back into custody.
Ms. Yu’s latest sentencing was preceded by numerous prior arrests and three two-year forced labor terms.
Past Persecution
Ms. Yu ran a spice store at the local farmers’ market before her retirement. After she took up Falun Gong in July 1998, she strove to live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. As her character improved, she realized that she should take better care of her parents-in-law, so she invited them to live with her family.
Ms. Yu went to the provincial appeals office in the capital city of Harbin to appeal for Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, the day when the communist regime formally announced a nationwide campaign against the practice. She was arrested and bused to an elementary school in Shuangcheng City. Agents from the Anda City Police Department then picked her up and held her at the local Xinxing Police Station for one night.
Officer Zhao Peizhu of the Xinxing Police Station deceived Ms. Yu into going to his office in August 1999. She thought she was in for a brief talk, only to be given 15 days of administrative detention for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, by then chief Wang Jun of the Anda City Police Department.
Ms. Yu went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in mid-October 1999. She was arrested by officers from Tongzhou District in Beijing. After she was escorted back to Anda, police chief Wang Jun gave her two years of forced labor at the Shuanghe Labor Camp in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province. She was forced to pack highly toxic pesticide without being given any protective gear. She witnessed another Falun Gong practitioner tortured to the point of having a mental breakdown.
On January 5, 2000, the Xinxing Police Station officers arrested Ms. Yu after spotting her spray painting “Falun Dafa is good” on the wall of the police station.
Ms. Yu went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong again in 2001 and was arrested on Tiananmen Square. She was held at the Anda City Detention Center before being given two years of forced labor, again at the Shuanghe Labor Camp.
Ms. Yu’s next arrest was around late February 2004, when she was seized together with practitioners Ms. Guo Zhiyun and Mr. Jin Zhongbo. The trio was then taken to the Anda City Detention Center.
Five officers arrested Ms. Yu on November 12, 2007 after receiving a tip that she was talking to people about Falun Gong. They beat her and detained her for an unknown amount of time.
Ms. Yu was arrested on June 7, 2009 by officers from the Wanbaoshan Town Police Station. They gave her two years of forced labor on June 18 that year. While serving time at the Harbin City Rehabilitation Center, Ms. Yu and eleven other practitioners were subjected to various forms of torture, including being hung up and shocked with electric batons. Ms. Liu Shuling was tortured to death on July 3, 2010. Ms. Yu’s systolic blood pressure shot up to 240 mmHg (when a healthy range is 120 mmHg), and was released on November 3, 2010.
Her mother-in-law passed away during her third forced labor term. Her husband was unable to care for his father while working full time, so he sent the elderly man back to his hometown in Suiling County to be taken care of by relatives.
Ms. Yu and another practitioner, Ms. Gao Fenglin, were arrested on March 25, 2016 after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. They were held at the Anda City Lockup for ten days.
Related Report:
Ms. Yu Xiaohua from Anda City, Heilongjiang Province Subjected to Forced Labor
All content published on this website is copyrighted by Minghui.org. Non-commercial reproduction must include attribution (e.g. "As reported by Minghui.org, ...") and a link to the original article. For commercial use, contact our editorial department for permission.
