(Minghui.org) Ms. Bai Liyan, 63, from Bin County, Heilongjiang Province survived five years of abuse in prison, only to be diagnosed with cataracts and other severe diseases the day she was released.
Ms. Bai was arrested during a police sweep on November 9, 2018 for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. She was sentenced to five years and sent to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison on January 7, 2020.
Ms. Bai was forced to do hard labor without pay in the prison. One task involved making fake eyelashes. Due to the abuse, her eyesight declined and she had trouble finishing her daily work quota. At the end of August 2023, her right eye suddenly went blind. The prison doctor recommended she seek care outside of prison, but she refused because the guards insisted she wear handcuffs and shackles in the hospital.
As soon as she was released on November 8, 2023, Ms. Bai went to a hospital for a physical examination. She was found to have cataracts and the doctor recommended surgery. She was also diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, and hyperlipidemia (an abnormally high concentration of fats or lipids in the blood).
Prior to her arrest in 2018, Ms. Bai enjoyed good health after she began practicing Falun Gong in 1995. She said her medical conditions were a result of the abuse she suffered in prison.
Teenage Son Indirect Victim of the Persecution
Ms. Bai began to practice Falun Gong in 1995 and soon experienced significant health improvement. Her skin no longer itched after being exposed to sunlight, and her headaches and insomnia also disappeared.
She also credits the practice for helping improve her character. As an accountant at the Bin County Branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, she was very competitive and often demanded things go her way. She became much more tolerant and broadminded after living by Falun Gong’s principles. She got along well with her colleagues, friends and family members.
After the communist regime ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, Ms. Bai traveled to Beijing in May 2000 to appeal for her faith. She was arrested, sent home and detained at the Bin County Detention Center for more than 30 days. Her family was forced to pay more than 2,000 yuan to cover the travel expenses of the people who arrested her.
Ms. Bai was arrested again at her home in June 2002 and given two years of forced labor. She was sent to Wanjia Forced Labor Camp.
When the persecution escalated, she was forced to take a buyout offer from her employer as her manager feared being implicated because she practiced Falun Gong.
The constant harassment and labor camp detention was too much for her teenage son to handle. He became depressed. In November 2002, five months after his mother’s arrest, he was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer, a rare type of cancer behind the nose.
Ms. Bai was released early, in January 2003, so she could take care of her son. Yet he still succumbed to his condition and passed away in September 2005. He was only 18 years old.
Related reports:
Still Mourning Loss of Only Child, Mother Faces Prosecution for Her Faith in Falun Gong
119 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Two Heilongjiang Province Cities in One Day
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