(Minghui.org)

Name: Gao JuyaChinese Name: 郜聚亚Gender: FemaleAge: 53City: ShijiazhuangProvince: HebeiOccupation: N/ADate of Death: November 9, 2016Date of Most Recent Arrest: April 29, 2001Most Recent Place of Detention: Gaoyi County Lockup

Name: Niu ZhiquanChinese Name: 牛志权Gender: MaleAge: 63City: ShijiazhuangProvince: HebeiOccupation: N/ADate of Death: February 8, 2025Date of Most Recent Arrest: October 14, 2000Most Recent Place of Detention: Shijiazhuang Forced Labor Camp

After the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, a married couple in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, were repeatedly targeted.

The wife, Ms. Gao Juya, was detained three times. She was humiliated, interrogated, and beaten. The local newspaper also published an article that slandered Falun Gong and used her name. She succumbed to the mental pressure and fear from constant police harassment and died on November 9, 2016. She was 53.

Ms. Gao’s husband, Mr. Niu Zhiquan, was also detained three times and served a two-year forced labor camp term. He survived the brutal torture, only to die on February 8, 2025 due to non-stop harassment. He was 63.

In addition to the couple’s suffering, their two sons and other family members also lived in fear and mental distress from worrying about their safety.

Husband’s Arrests and Forced Labor Term

Mr. Niu went to Beijing on October 14, 2000 to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong and was arrested on Tiananmen Square. At the Tiananmen Police Station, he was locked in a metal cage. The police beat him with a club when he refused to reveal his address.

The police later took Mr. Niu to the Hebei Province Liaison Office in Beijing. He was cuffed to the stairs overnight and taken back to Hebei the next day. Li Qingzhang, the head of Gaoyi County Police Department, and other officers beat and verbally abused him, threatening to beat him to death. Geng Jinshu, the political protection department head, took 200 yuan from him. The police kept him handcuffed for two hours; the cuffs cut into his wrists and his hands became severely swollen.

Later that day, the police took Mr. Niu to the Fucun Village Police Station and cuffed him to a utility pole for two days. The remaining 100 yuan he had was pocketed by the police chief. Five days later, he was taken to the Gaoyi County Detention Center and later transferred to the Shijiazhuang Forced Labor Camp to serve a two-year term.

Torture illustration: “Flying an airplane”

After he arrived at the labor camp, Mr. Niu was forced to stand against the wall, while bending over. The guards dubbed the torture “flying an airplane.” Mr. Niu eventually collapsed. The guards hit his buttocks with a wood plank.

The inmates continued to force Mr. Niu to stand in the “flying an airplane” position all night. They also hit his lower back and knocked him down. The pain in his lower back persisted for over two weeks.

To achieve a high transformation rate, the guards arranged two inmates to monitor each practitioner. If they successfully forced a practitioner to renounce Falun Gong, each guard received 1,000 yuan and the inmates had three months taken off their prison term.

Inmate Wang Yuqing once hit Mr. Niu on his chest more than 50 times, until he was exhausted. Mr. Niu was in pain for over a month when he tried to eat. Wang also forced Mr. Niu to clean the cells, restrooms, laundry rooms, and stairs, every day from 5:30 a.m. to 11: 30 p.m. non-stop. Sometimes he forced him to watch videos defaming Falun Gong.

Because Mr. Niu refused to renounce Falun Gong, guard Li Yumin and others took turns talking to him at night and tried to persuade him to renounce his faith. They did not allow him to sleep. He almost had a mental breakdown after two weeks of these night talks and sleep deprivation.

Guard Zhao Chao once beat Mr. Niu so hard that his screams could be heard on the entire floor. Zhao also held Mr. Niu in solitary confinement and didn’t allow him to talk to anyone.

As a result of the torture, Mr. Niu kept coughing after he was released. He often had trouble falling asleep at night—afraid that he’d be arrested again. The police never stopped harassing him or monitoring his daily life.

Mr. Liu’s health kept declining due to the mental distress. He was unable to eat and became emaciated. He died on February 8, 2025.

Wife’s Persecution

When Ms. Gao went to visit Mr. Niu in the labor camp on April 29, 2001, she was arrested for bringing in a new article written by the founder of Falun Gong. The guards hit her hard on the chest. She backed off to the corner and became incontinent. Two guards searched her, handcuffed her behind her back, and slapped her face.

Ms. Gao was taken to the Gaoyi County Lockup that afternoon. They beat her so badly she was unable to move. The police verbally abused her and forcibly took her photo. She held a hunger strike to protest, even though she was still very weak and unable to stand on her own. She was later released on bail after they extorted 700 yuan from her.

While Ms. Gao’s was detained, her two sons, who were 11 and 13, were humiliated and ridiculed at school because their parents practiced Falun Gong and were incarcerated.

While enduring the mental distress, Ms. Gao also had to care for her bedridden mother-in-law and work in the field to support the family. She was on the verge of a mental breakdown due to the pressure and hardship.

Geng Jinshu of the political protection department and Wu Junke of the 610 Office approached Ms. Gao on March 26, 2001. They attempted to force her to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong. She refused to comply. In retaliation, the officials published an article in the local newspaper, slandering Falun Gong under her name.

The article left Ms. Gao deeply traumatized. She later developed a tumor in the left side of her chest and also had severe vaginal bleeding. She died on November 9, 2016, at the age of 53.