(Minghui.org) A 73-year-old retired accountant in Yueyang City, Hunan Province was sent to a mental hospital following her latest arrest on March 17, 2020 for practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Guo Danxia, who had no prior mental health history before her arrest, was administered psychiatric drugs and developed a mental disorder and other health conditions as a result. She was recently sentenced, and has been sent to the Changsha Women's Prison.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
During Ms. Guo’s latest arrest, the police ransacked her residence and confiscated Falun Gong books, photos of Falun Gong’s founder, a computer, printer, DVD burner, laminator, paper cutter, and other office supplies. The police shoved Ms. Guo and caused her to vomit. She was placed on criminal detention and her arrest was approved on April 21.
In June, the police sent Ms. Guo to the Yueyang Rehabilitation Psychiatric Hospital where she was forced to take psychiatric drugs. Shortly after, she began to experience shortness of breath, insomnia, and was often in a delirious state. She was denied family visits the entire time.
The Pingjiang Procuratorate indicted Ms. Guo on July 7. She was later tried by the Pingjiang Court in the Changsha Second Detention Center, where she was transferred to from the hospital. It was confirmed by Minghui.org that she was recently sentenced to three years and two months with a 5,000-yuan fine. She has been sent to the Changsha Women’s Prison and is scheduled to be released on May 17, 2023.
Ten Arrests
This is the tenth time Ms. Guo has been arrested over the past 21 years for her faith. She was first arrested on December 20, 1999, at Tiananmen Square when she went there to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. The police hit her head against the window of the police car. While interrogating her, the officers handcuffed her, beat her with a stick, kicked her and slammed her head against the wall. She passed out and was later thrown into a metal cage.
Ms. Guo was then sent back to Yueyang and detained for a month. She was forced to pay 500 yuan for her food expenses and was extorted for 6,900 yuan by the police.
Her second arrest was on January 30, 2000, after which she was given an administrative detention.
She was arrested the third time in July 2000 and detained at the Yueyang City Detention Center for more than 40 days. The police forced her to pay a 3,000-yuan bail bond.
Six months later, Ms. Guo was arrested again at home on January 12, 2001. The police didn’t allow her to put on her shoes as they took her away. She was detained at the Yueyang City Detention Center for three months and extorted for an unknown amount of money.
Ms. Guo's fifth arrest was on February 6, 2002, when she was doing household chores. She was detained at the Yueyang City Detention Center for six months this time. She held three hunger strikes to protest the persecution, for 7, 18 and 7 days, respectively. The guards force-fed her and once shackled her on a death bed in a spread-eagle position for two days. She was extorted for 5,000 yuan.
Ms. Guo was arrested the sixth time on August 10, 2003, after being reported for distributing Falun Gong-related materials outside the Yueyang City Government building. She was first held in the Hubin Detention Center and then transferred to the Yueyang City No. 1 Detention Center, before being given one year at Baimalong Forced Labor Camp. While she was incarcerated, her mother, in her 80s, and her bedridden husband, in his 60s, struggled to care for themselves.
Ms. Guo’s repeated arrests and detention left her husband, a government official, under tremendous pressure. He beat and verbally abused her. Ms. Guo didn’t hold a grudge against him and still took good care of him until he passed away. She gave their house and his property to his three children from a previous marriage, while leaving little for herself and their son.
She was arrested the eighth time in July 2005 for distributing Falun Gong materials. She was detained at the Yueyang Detention Center and extorted for 4,500 yuan.
Ms. Guo’s ninth arrest was on October 17, 2019. The police had monitored her cellphone and found she was providing Falun Gong informational materials to other practitioners for distribution. They ransacked her home and interrogated her. After she refused to answer any questions, the police continued to track her cellphone and monitored her computer.
When she was arrested for the tenth time on March 17, 2020, three practitioners who had frequent contact with her were also arrested and pressured to write statements to renounce Falun Gong. Ms. Guo’s phone conversation with one practitioner was later used as prosecution evidence against her.
Related report:
Two Falun Gong Practitioners Sent to Mental Hospital, Family Kept in the Dark of Their Situation
