(Minghui.org)

Summary of Key Persecution Facts:

Name: Guo Boqin (郭波琴)
Gender: Female
Age: 47
Address: Chenzhou City, Hunan Province
Occupation: Former employee of the Chenzhou Chemical Industrial Group
Date of Death: April 18, 2013
Date of Most Recent Arrest: October 27, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Xiameiqiao Police Station (下楣桥派出所)
City: Chenzhou
Province: Hunan
Persecution Suffered: Forced labor, illegal sentencing, beatings, imprisonment, solitary confinement, torture, force-feedings, extortion, fired from workplace, physical restraint, home ransacked, interrogation, detention

Ms. Guo Boqin from Chenzhou City, Hunan Province developed leukemia in 1998, when she was only 32 years old. While seeking treatment, a well-known professor from the Guangzhou No. 1 Military Medical University suggested that she practice Falun Gong. As that was her only hope to live, Ms. Guo started practicing Falun Gong and before long, she regained her mental and physical health.

Ms. Guo Boqin

Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under the leadership of Jiang Zemin launched the large-scale persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, to the time Ms. Guo passed away in 2013, she was arrested by authorities and officials of the CCP and detained more than 10 times. She was illegally sentenced twice and spent a total of almost six years in prison. She was fired from her workplace and her wages were dramatically deducted. Her home was ransacked and she was fined and extorted money. While in prison and detention, she was subjected to cruel torture methods such as being handcuffed, confinement to a small cell, force-feedings, beatings, intense slave labor, intense sun exposure, and long-term starvation. After she was released from the Changsha Women's Prison, Ms. Guo was extremely emaciated and was not able to walk. Her hair turned gray and she suffered from recurring illnesses such as uterus and rectal prolapse and fluid in the peritoneal cavity.

More than 10 police officers from the Chenzhou City Ministry of State Security broke into and ransacked Ms. Guo's home on October 27, 2012 and arrested her. Her health declined rapidly, and illnesses such as uterus prolapse and fluid in the peritoneal cavity recurred. Her weight dropped to 95 lbs by the time she passed away on April 18, 2013, at the age of 47.

During the arrest, Ms. Guo's 71-year-old mother witnessed the violent acts of the police officers. Her mother was so traumatized that she went into convulsions. She had symptoms of thrombosis, and as a result, became bedridden. Her weight dropped from 115 lbs to 65 lbs. Her daughter's death was a heavy blow to the mother who was already ill, and she passed away on June 5, 2013, a month after her daughter's death.

Practicing Falun Dafa Had Saved Her Life

Ms. Guo was born on October 7, 1966. She was a former employee of the Chenzhou Chemical Industrial Group (Chenzhou Fangzhou Corporation Luzhou Factory) in Hunan Province, and lived in the residential community of the Chenzhou City Xiameiqiao General Machinery Factory. Her mother, Ms. Peng Yuying was from Changning City, Hunan Province. Ms. Peng was once illegally detained because she refused to renounce her belief in Falun Dafa. Ms. Guo's son is still going through school and her husband, Mr. Zhou Sheng, is 49 years old. Mr. Zhou holds a bachelor's degree and is a former employee of the Chenzhou City Xiameiqiao General Machinery Factory which has closed down. Ms. Guo's father is 78 years old and is a retired employee of the Chenzhou City Qiaokou Mine of Lead and Zinc. Mr. Guo and his wife during the Cultural Revolution, were sent to live in a rural area and receive re-education through hard labor for 14 years, because his ancestors were landowners.

Ms. Guo often commented that every time she listened to the song Thanks to Master's Grace and remembered how Master had saved her life, she couldn't help but cry.

After giving birth to her son in 1994, Ms. Guo followed the many restrictions set forth by her mother and did not eat anything sour, salty, or spicy, or to touch any cold water etc. in order to better recover. Yet on the day when her son turned 100 days old, she suddenly started vomiting and having diarrhea. Her body temperature was over 104 degrees and she was rushed to the hospital for emergency care. She was hospitalized and diagnosed with an overactive thyroid. Her illness later developed into a serious heart disease which became chronic.

Ms. Guo's developed a low grade septicemia with a fever that did not subside in 1998. She was always groggy, weak, and was constantly out of breath. She lived on the third floor and like an elderly person in her 80's or 90's, she had to tightly hold on to the handrail of the staircase and slowly move up the stairs. Her left foot often went numb after just a few steps which caused her to fall easily. Her health had worsened to a point where she had to muster all of her might to even speak one sentence. It was a living death. While still in her 30's, Ms. Guo was already waiting for death. The four other leukemia patients who shared a sick room with her at the hospital passed away one by one. Among them, the youngest was only 14 who did not survive after spending 170,000 yuan on treatments and medical expenses.

“I am still young, and my son is only three years old. I have to stay alive.” Her strong desire to live sustained her on the long journey of seeking medical treatments. In order to cure her illnesses, her husband took her to the Guangzhou No. 1 Military Medical University on November 8 of 1998. After a well-known professor examined her, he said earnestly, “You suffer from many tough diseases and some of the medication have offsetting effects. It's hard to predict the result of the treatments and how effective they would be. It would also be hard for your family to cover the expenses.” Hearing this, Ms. Guo and her husband were in despair. Just when it all seemed hopeless, professor Chen told her to try a type of qigong.

Having a desire to live, she asked curiously what type of qigong it was. Professor Chen told her it was Falun Gong. Ms. Guo was startled and felt a stream of magical power that overtook her body. “Sure! Great!” She agreed immediately to practice Falun Gong.”

Three days after she got a copy of Zhuan Falun, without having finished reading the entire book and having learned all five exercises, her symptoms disappeared. Ms. Guo was overjoyed. In the 40 days she stayed in Guangzhou, her weight increased from 65 lbs to 125 lbs. She looked healthy with a rosy complexion, and she was very energetic and high spirited.

When she returned to her workplace, all her colleagues and officials of the company were surprised. A dying person came back to life and her outlook on life was better than when she got married. At home, her entire family was enveloped in great joy and happiness. All members of the family were so grateful that the mighty Master Li Hongzhi had saved her life. Her mother, Ms. Peng, also started practicing Falun Gong.

The Red Evil Gone Mad—The Communist Party Launches the Brutal Persecution

Less than a year after Ms. Guo started practicing Falun Gong, the Communist regime in China launched the persecution on July 20, 1999. The CCP's media slandered Dafa and Falun Gong practitioners who were severely persecuted. Ms. Guo remained committed to the practice and firmly adhered to her belief. Being resolute, she went on a trip to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. Ever since then, CCP officials continuously persecuted her during these past 13 years. The crimes that they have committed toward Falun Gong and to the many millions of practitioners, are real and too numerous to mention.

Subjected to Long-term and Systematic Persecution

Ms. Guo went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa in October 1999 and was illegally detained. She refused to reveal her name and address and went on a hunger strike to protest, until she was released 11 days later. Since then, the Chenzhou Chemical Industrial Group deducted her salary to only 200 yuan each month without any official documents or paperwork.

While distributing the “Uncover Tiananmen Square Self-Immolation Incident” fliers, Ms. Guo was arrested on February 24, 2001 by police officers from the local 610 office and the Public Security Department, and detained at the former Chenzhou City No. 2 Detention Center. Her home was also ransacked. She was released on a 3,000-yuan bail two months later.

Mr. Guo was arrested again three weeks later because officials from the Chenzhou City 610 Office were worried that the local Falun Gong practitioners would organize an appeal on May 13 (World Falun Dafa Day). Huang Yonglan, general manager of the Chenzhou Chemical Industrial Group, actively cooperated with the 610 Office officials and instigated the company security section chief Yang to trick Ms. Guo into going to a branch of the company which was located 25 miles outside of Chenzhou City. Ms. Guo was trapped and placed under house arrest. The six people who were assigned to monitor her threatened, coerced, and tried all their tricks in an attempt to make her renounce her belief in Falun Dafa. She was illegally detained for nearly three months.

Ms. Guo was arrested for the third time in the same year on July 19, 2001, and was taken to the Beihu Police Station. The reason for this arrest was that she distributed truth-clarification materials among practitioners. An official from the Chenzhou 610 office named Yao led eight police officers from the Beihu District Police Department including Chen Gang, and booked two hotel rooms at the Suxian Hotel, where they exhausted all their tricks trying to force her to disclose the source of the truth-clarification materials. They lashed her with a belt, kicked her with their shoes on, forced her to kneel on the ground, and put bricks on her calves. The officials shouted, “You can stand up whenever you change your mind.” She was forced to kneel for 16 hours straight and all she said was “Falun Dafa is good!” She was severely beaten that night and was covered with painful injures and bruises. In the end, she was forced to pay more than 800 yuan to cover the hotel rooms.

Ms. Guo continued to do the exercises once she arrived at the detention center. The guards and the police officers beat and cursed her and another practitioner at will. During visits, her family often saw cuts and scars on her body and sometimes blood on her nose and mouth. She was treated like a criminal on death row and was handcuffed and shackled. All inmates at the detention center were forced to do hard labor for more than 12 hours a day without pay. They mainly assembled decorative lights and were beaten whenever they didn't meet the quota. Loud screams were often heard in their ward. The decorative lights they made were said to be exported to foreign countries for Christmas decorations. Behind such beautiful lights intended for joyful occasions, there was so much suffering of Falun Gong practitioners.

Ms. Guo was arrested again on October 26, 2001 under the trumped-up charge “utilizing a cult organization to undermine law enforcement.” The public prosecution was held on November 30 at the Beihu District Procuratorate. Inspector Ni Qichang slandered Falun Dafa and framed practitioners. An unlawful trial was held on January 8, 2002 at the Beihu District Court. Among those who participated in this trial were presiding judge Zeng Dehua, judge Huang Xuqi, Hou Deguang, and clerk Long Jianwu. They fabricated stories and came up with groundless charges against Ms. Guo. When Zeng Dehua asked Ms. Guo, “Are you still going to practice?” She resolutely confirmed, “I would still practice even if you shoot me right now.”

Ms. Guo was illegally sentenced to four years in prison. She served her term from February 24, 2001 until February 23, 2005.

Torture at the Changsha Women's Prison

Ms. Guo was taken to the Changsha Women's Prison on September 12, 2002. She was denied admission because she failed the physical examination. Huang Yonglan, general manager of the Chenzhou Chemical Industrial Group instigated workshop director Chen Jian, along with guards of the detention center and police from the Beihu District Police Station, bribed the prison official with a red envelop filled with cash, and eventually put Ms. Guo in prison. Huang said on many occasions, “I am determined to put her in prison. Let's see how capable she is.” Huang also fired Ms. Guo on August 7, 2001 and completely cut off her source of income.

While at the Changsha Women's Prison, Ms. Guo was subjected to brutal torture such as confinement to a small cell, being handcuffed, intense slave labor, intense sun exposure, and long term starvation.

Slave labor: Each inmate was forced to peel more than 70 lbs of broad beans and make nine bamboo mats each day. They worked from the early mornings until late at night and many developed blisters filled with blood.

Intense sun exposure: The inmates were forced to stay on a cement surface and were exposed to intense sunlight with a temperature as high as 104 degrees for long periods of time.

Force-feeding: Ms. Guo was forced to write a report every night while in the Strict Control Division. She went on a hunger strike in order to resist the persecution. However, it only lasted for three days and she was force-fed. She was once dragged by five inmates and guard Li Ling to the hospital and her head was hit. A huge lump formed on her head and she vomited blood.

Torture re-enactment: Force-feeding (Painting)

Confinement to a small cell and long term starvation: Ms. Guo refused to “transform” and was confined to a small cell for a month. The cell was only one square meter with no source of sunlight or running water. There was no bed in the cell but only a worn blanket. Ms. Guo had to relieve herself in the cell and there was no way to get rid of the waste. She was only given one or two small buns each day and was in a state of constant starvation. She was thirsty on hot days and cold during the winter.

“Carrying a sword on the back”: While she was confined to a small cell, Ms. Guo was also subjected to the “carrying a sword on the back” torture method and she was forced to stay in this position for eight hours. Her hands were cuffed behind her, with one arm pulled over the shoulder, and her feet were shackled. The cuffs cut into her flesh and her bones were exposed. She was forced to sit on a small stool that had only one leg. She couldn't actually sit down or do the exercises.

Torture re-enactment: Cuffed to the back

Ms. Guo once thought it would be great if she could do the exercises. While she was half asleep, she saw a tall figure standing in front of her and she all of a sudden broke free of the chains. She looked again and found that the chains were unlocked. She was able to cross her legs and do the exercises. She believed it was her Master who unlocked the chains and helped her during this difficult time. The kind person also warned her, “The guards are coming.” She then put the chains back in position so the guards wouldn't lock them again.

By the time she was taken out of the small cell, all her hair had turned gray and she hardly looked like herself. During the more than two years in prison, she became extremely emaciated, couldn't walk, and many serious illnesses such as uterus and rectal prolapse and fluid in the peritoneal cavity that she used to suffer from had recurred. She was mentally and physically exhausted.

After being released, Ms. Guo continued to practice Falun Gong and recovered quickly. Her weight went back to 135 lbs. However, the years of torture she had suffered undermined her health and as a result, the deadly diseases recurred later on as she lost her practice environment.

Repeatedly Arrested and Illegally Detained—Ms. Guo and Her Mother Passed Away

After being released in January 2005, Ms. Guo was monitored by officials from security sections of the Chenzhou Chemical Industrial Group, her husband's work (Chenzhou City Xiameiqiao General Machinery Factory), and their local residential community committee. She was fired from her workplace which caused her family to face financial difficulties. She asked officials from her workplace to return the 2,000 yuan worth of stock she had invested, however, it was unreasonably refused. Ms. Guo was again arrested and sent to the Chenzhou Brainwashing Center in October, 2005, not even a year after she was released.

Because truth-clarification materials were found the night before in the residential community of the Chenzhou City General Machinery Factory where Ms. Guo lived, she was reported to the police on July 25, 2007 by Peng Dongdong of the Chenzhou City Xiameiqiao Residential Community Committee and Zeng Guilin of the General Machinery Factory. More than 10 officers from the Beihu District Police Department Domestic Security Division, Xiameiqiao Police Station, and Xiameiqiao Residential Community Committee, directed by the Chenzhou City 610 Office and Beihu District 610 Office officials, broke into Ms. Guo's home. When they didn't find her at her home, the police immediately went to where she worked and arrested her. Her keys were confiscated and her home ransacked. All of her clothes, bedding, and household items were dumped on the floor, her bed was turned upside down, and her home was left in disarray. Her Dafa books and truth-clarification materials were taken and personal belongings such as a TV, VCR, radio, video recorder, and a MP3 player were confiscated.

Ms. Guo was taken to the police vehicle by a few strong officers. She was interrogated at the Xiameiqiao Police Station for nine hours before she was taken to the Chenzhou City Detention Center. The Beihu District Domestic Security Division officials and the detention center official assigned armed police on duty to physically torture her. She was illegally sentenced to seven months in prison by the Beihu District Court for so-called “utilizing a cult organization to undermine law enforcement.” Among those who participated are inspector Liu Jihong of the Beihu District Procuratorate, presiding judge Hou Xun of the Beihu District Court, judge Yang Zongwen and Li Guojun of the Beihu District Court, and clerk Wu Haomin.

On November 30, 2009, police officers from the Chenzhou Xiameiqiao Police Station ransacked Ms. Guo's home and found truth-clarification materials. She was arrested and illegally detained for three months. Also one time, while Ms. Guo was clarifying the truth about Falun Gong at Xinpanjiawan and helping people to quit the Communist party and its affiliated organizations, she was arrested by the police and illegally detained for two weeks.

Plainclothes police officers from the Chenzhou City Domestic Security Division called the warehouse receiving department where Ms. Guo worked on the morning of October 27, 2012. They told her that they were businessmen and were dropping off some goods. Ms. Guo was about to go to the market with her mother and told her mother to wait. She went downstairs by herself and saw several police officers who came out of a few cars with handcuffs in their hands. They yelled at her, “Are you Guo Boqin?” While some handcuffed her, the other ones took her purse.

Ms. Guo shouted, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” “Robbery!” She asked the police officers, “Which department are you from?” “We are from the city Domestic Security Division.” “Where are your identifications?” “We will show you later.” She said, “You don't even have identification. How dare you arrest me in broad daylight and illegally break into my home? You did all this to persecute a good person who follows the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” Ms. Guo continued by telling them how Dafa saved her life multiple times and implored them to stop commiting such crimes.

However, these thugs of the CCP who had been brainwashed totally ignored her. They handcuffed and dragged her to her home on the third floor. Since the keys in her purse couldn't unlock the door, about a dozen officers half carried and half dragged her downstairs, threw her into a car, and took her to the Xiameiqiao Police Station.

A few elderly ladies from the neighborhood witnessed the arrest. They also heard the police officers calling the Xiameiqiao Police Station saying that they had to break the metal gate in order to ransack Ms. Guo's home. The elderly ladies told the police, “It's impossible that this woman has broken the law or done anything bad. You wouldn't be able to find anything even if you break the gate and search her home. We know this because we see her every day. She has not received any salary in the past 10 years and does handwork and sewing to make a living. Sometimes she's too busy to even eat her meals. Please don't arrest her again. Her child is still going to school. When she was released from prison two years ago, she was nothing but skin and bones. If you put her in jail again, that would be the end for this family.”

Three hours later, Ms. Guo was released. She found the lock to her gate broken and her home in disarray. Every single corner of her home had been searched and the entire place was turned upside down. A photo of Master Li Hongzhi, Dafa books, truth-clarification materials, and 2,800 yuan cash were confiscated. Even the toilet paper had been checked sheet by sheet. When Ms. Guo went to the Chenzhou Ministry of State Security and asked Xie Gongxiang (Cell: +86-13975701021), the person in charge, to return her personal belongings and money, Xie said all items and cash had been submitted to the Xiameiqiao Police Station. When she went to the Xiameiqiao Police Station, the officials told her that they did not participate in the arrest and she should go to the Ministry of State Security. Since officials shirked their responsibility, Ms. Guo lost everything.

Ms. Peng, the 71-year-old mother of Ms. Guo, was severely persecuted during the cultural revolution. She was sent to live in a rural area for 14 years and almost died. When she witnessed the arrest of her daughter and the terrifying scene of the police breaking into and searching her home, she was so traumatized that she went into convulsions. She had symptoms of thrombosis, weakness of her facial muscles, was unable to eat, trembled all over, and was very pale. She later became bedridden and her weight dropped from 115 lbs to 65 lbs.

After this arrest, Ms. Guo's heath also declined rapidly. She could only drink water and couldn't eat anything. She worried not only about her mother's health, but also being followed by spies. She also had to take care of her mother and continue to work. Due to extreme mental and physical exhaustion, symptoms of serious illnesses such as uterus prolapse and fluid in the peritoneal cavity reappeared. Her weight dropped to 75 lbs. Even so, she continued to clarify the truth about Falun Gong to people every day in hopes that more people will learn the truth about Dafa, until the day before she passed away. She was always willing to sacrifice for others.

By 6 a.m. on April 18, 2013, Ms. Guo had become unconscious, couldn't sit up, and was short of breath. She asked for water at 7 a.m. and around 11 a.m. she made heavy breathing sounds. Her sister opened the door and the family went into her room. Three minutes later, she stopped responding to her family calling her name. Her eyes were wide open and staring into space. Her right hand was tightly holding on to her stomach, and she passed away.

Spies have been employed to gather information before all arrests that happened in Chenzhou in recent years. The local 610 office agents had sent spies including, Cao Shuinan (Male, Cell: +86-15197594355) and Gu Kelan (Female, Cell: +86-15173597722) to pretend to be new Falun Gong practitioners. They approached local practitioners claiming to want to learn the exercises and asked for copies of Dafa articles and books to gain their trust first. They then would inquire about more information and try to find the source of the Dafa materials. After learning all the information, the police officers of the Ministry of State Security and the public security system worked in collusion to carry out the arrests. These spies would use different names each time. Cao Shuinan had lied to Ms. Guo and said that he was from her hometown so she would trust him. Two days after Ms. Guo saw through his lies, she was arrested. After ransacking her home, the police also walked to and ransacked practitioner Wang's home.

Ms. Guo was arrested and detained more than 10 times from October 1999 to 2013. She was illegally sentenced twice and was in prison for an accumulative total of almost six years. A total of 6,600 yuan was confiscated or extorted from her. Over the past 14 years since she was fired from her workplace, she had not received any salary or pension. While detained or in prison, she was subjected to torture methods such as being handcuffed, confinement to a small cell, force-feeding, beatings, intense slave labor, intense sun exposure, and long-term starvation. “Defaming their reputations, bankrupting them financially, and destroying them physically.” That is the CCP's policy of genocide against Falun Gong practitioners. Ms. Guo and her mother were murdered by the systematic persecution.