(Minghui.org) Ms. Wu Youqing’s family was notified in late November 2023 that she was rushed to a hospital after falling into serious condition as a result of a weeks-long hunger strike. The caller said she requested to see her family. It is unclear whether Ms. Wu was still hospitalized at the time of this report or if her family was allowed to see her.
Ms. Wu, 56, from Gaozhou City, Guangdong Province, went on a hunger strike on November 13, 2023 in protest her wrongful conviction for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. She was arrested on September 26, 2022 and was sentenced to six years with a 20,000-yuan fine on September 22, 2023. Her appeal is pending.
Ms. Wu was still held at the Maoming City First Detention Center at the time of her sentencing. It is unclear whether she was admitted to prison. No one knows who called her family to notify them that she was hospitalized.
A Quick Recap of Ms. Wu’s Arrest and Sentencing
Ms. Wu was arrested on September 26, 2022, and indicted on November 25 that year. Presiding judge Tan Wei of the Maonan District Court in Maoning City ruled on January 30, 2023, to put her case on hold due to an unforeseen situation, but he took up her case a few months later. He held a hearing in the Maoming City First Detention Center on June 29, 2023. Prosecutor Dai Jianlan, judges Ke Xuejun and Pan Chuanghua, and clerk Tu Yuan were also present at the trial.
Ms. Wu’s two lawyers entered a not-guilty plea for her and Ms. Wu also demanded an acquittal.
Judge Tan held a sentencing hearing on September 22, 2023. Ms. Wu’s two lawyers were unable to attend due to time conflicts. Her family noted that the court bailiffs intentionally dragged her handcuffs and shackles back and forth to inflict pain. Ms. Wu’s family was upset but dared not confront the bailiffs for fear they would retaliate against Ms. Wu.
She was sentenced to six years and fined 20,000-yuan at the sentencing hearing.
Appeal Pending
Ms. Wu’s family hired a new lawyer to represent her in her appeal case. The Maoming City Intermediate Court notified her lawyer by phone in late November 2023 to review her case file and submit his defense statement in writing.
The lawyer requested that the court promise him in writing that he be allowed to review the case file without surveillance and also make copies of the case file. He made these requests because the same intermediate court earlier on insisted that another Falun Gong practitioner’s appeals lawyer review the case file under a surveillance camera and not make copies of the contents.
Ms. Wu’s lawyer said that he would not review her case file until the intermediate court honored his requests. He added that he would not submit his defense statement in writing until an open hearing was held.
It’s unclear whether the intermediate court approved the lawyer’s requests.
On Hunger Strike Again
Ms. Wu went on a months-long hunger strike shortly after her arrest. After her wrongful conviction, she went on a hunger strike again on November 13, 2023. After about two weeks, she became so weak that she required hospitalization. She was taken to the Maonan District People’s Hospital. It is unclear whether her family was able to visit her after the authorities notified them of her condition.
7-year Prior Incarceration and Family Broken
Ms. Wu’s latest sentencing was preceded by multiple prior arrests for upholding her faith. She was given three years of forced labor (2005-2008) and four years in prison (2013-2017). She was brutally tortured during her incarceration. A prison guard once forced her to strip naked to humiliate her.
She survived years of abuse in detention and returned home, only to face constant harassment from the local authorities as they attempted to force her to renounce her faith.
Before the persecution began, Ms. Wu’s husband was very supportive of her practice of Falun Gong and theirs was a happy family. But Ms. Wu’s repeated arrests after the persecution began proved to be too much for her husband to bear both mentally and financially (she was fired from her job at a Rural Credit Cooperative while she was held in a labor camp). He lashed out at her and often beat her savagely. He eventually filed for divorce while she was imprisoned.
By the time she was released from prison, her ex-husband remarried, but she did not resent him or his family. She still regularly visited her ex-parents-in-law with her son.
Related reports:
Case Against Guangdong Woman for Practicing Falun Gong Put on Hold
Guangdong Woman in Serious Condition After Being Denied Medical Bail During Month-long Hunger Strike
Six Falun Gong Practitioners Harassed Prior to Mid-Autumn Festival in Guangdong Province
Inhuman Persecution at Guangdong Women's Prison
Four Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Guangdong Province
Family Member Warns Presiding Judge, “You Will Be Held Responsible”
Falun Gong Practitioners in Guangdong Province Convicted on Falsified Evidence
Three Falun Gong Practitioners Illegally Tried in Guangdong Province
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