56-Year-Old Shaanxi Woman Jailed a Third Time for Her Faith in Falun Gong
(Minghui.org) A 56-year-old Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, woman was admitted to the Shaanxi Province Women’s Prison on October 9, 2024, to serve a 3.5-year term for her faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Liu Chunxia was arrested at work on May 6, 2023. Due to her high blood pressure, the local detention center refused to admit her. Instead of releasing her, the police took her to the Chang’an District Ankang Hospital, a psychiatric hospital often used to persecute mentally healthy Falun Gong practitioners.
The Huyi District Procuratorate issued a formal arrest warrant for Ms. Liu on June 13, 2023, and she was transferred to the Lianhu District Detention Center on July 18. Her case was re-assigned to the Lianhu District Procuratorate in mid-August 2023. She appeared in the Lianhu District Court on December 7, 2023 and April 16, 2024, before being convicted on August 30, 2024.
Ms. Liu Chunxia
This isn’t the first time that Ms. Liu, a former engineer at the Huibang Chemical Company of the Huian Group, has been persecuted for her faith. She was previously sentenced twice for a total of nine years.
Ms. Liu was first arrested in March 2001. She managed to escape from the Huian Police Station and went into hiding. Six months later on September 29, 2001, while attending a gathering of Falun Gong practitioners in Qishan County of the same province, she was seized with other attendees and taken to the local police station for interrogation. Officer Cheng Kangmao beat her and restrained her in a chair, with her arms stretched out and cuffed. She was taken to the Lajiatan Detention Center the next morning. A task force led by officer Wang Yongan was established to work on her case.
Ms. Liu was sentenced to five years by the Qishan County Court on June 28, 2002, and taken to the Shaanxi Province Women’s Prison. Because she refused to renounce Falun Gong, the guards subjected her to all kinds of torture, including sleep deprivation, denial of restroom use, electric shocks, beatings, and force feeding. Once when she refused to wear the inmate’s uniform, they stripped off her winter jacket and made to stand outdoors for hours.
Ms. Liu was released on December 9, 2006, after serving 70 extra days beyond her original term. Upon returning home, she was devastated to learn that her employer had fired her. She had to do odd jobs to make a living.
Ms. Liu was arrested again on March 21, 2017, with her mother Ms. Li Yuhua. Ms. Liu was admitted to the Xincheng District Detention Center the next day, while Ms. Li was taken to the Baqiao Brainwashing Center and held there until June 14.
Ms. Liu appeared in the Xincheng District Court on December 26, 2017, and sentenced to four years in prison on January 4, 2018. She developed high blood pressure in custody and was taken to the Xi’an City Ankang Hospital, where she was forced to take unknown drugs four times a day. She was admitted to the Shaanxi Province Women’s Prison on September 6, 2018, after her appeal was denied.
Ms. Liu’s husband divorced her during her second prison term, and she moved in with her son after she was released in March 2021. She landed a job at a property management company and her hard work earned her the respect of her boss and coworkers.
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