(Minghui.org) After having served six years in prison and one year of forced labor for practicing Falun Gong, a 58-year-old Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province, resident was recently targeted for her faith again.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.
Ms. Tan Haiyan was arrested on March 17, 2020. Her Falun Gong books and materials were confiscated. She was put in criminal detention and transferred to Wanyaoshu Detention Center the next day.
When Ms. Tan’s daughter went to the local police station to seek her release, the deputy chief told her that they were just following legal procedure.
“Do you know what Falun Gong is? It teaches people to be good...” Ms. Tan’s daughter said.
Before she could finish, the deputy chief stopped her and shouted, “Don’t promote Falun Gong here!”
“I’m not promoting it. I’m just talking about the facts.”
“I’ve made myself clear. I don’t need you to tell me what Falun Gong is.”
Ms. Tan’s daughter said she would file a complaint about the arbitrary arrest of her mother. The deputy chief replied, “Go ahead!” before driving her out of his office.
From Irritable to Amiable
Ms. Tan worked in an ore lab as a technician. She used to have a very bad temper and often fought with her husband. Her relationship with her neighbors was also very tense.
After learning Falun Gong in 1997, she lived by its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and became more considerate and calm. Peace reigned in her family, and she became good friends with her neighbors.
Ms. Tan outside of her lab
After Ms. Tan’s mother-in-law fell ill, none of the elderly woman's four children wanted to take care of her. Every day after work, Ms. Tan took a one-hour bus ride to the hospital to take care of her mother-in-law.
Her father-in-law was incontinent and often relieved himself in the pants or on his balcony. Ms. Tan also cleaned up for him and did his laundry.
Two years ago, one of Ms. Tan’s relatives was diagnosed with leukemia. Even though she only gets a 1,400-yuan retirement pension each month, she donated 3,000 yuan to the relative.
One Year of Forced Labor
Because she distributed information about Falun Gong, Ms. Tan was arrested on August 25, 2000. She was interrogated overnight. The police hung her up by her wrists, beat her, and didn’t let her sleep.
She was held in Wanshuyao Detention Center for 45 days and then transferred to Nanmusi Women’s Forced Labor Camp to serve a one-year term.
The guards shocked her with electric batons all over her body and forced her to stand for long hours. They also denied her many basic rights, including drinking water, use of the restroom, and showers. In the winter, they didn’t let her wear warm clothes, while in the summer, they forced her to stand under the sun. One time they tied her up and injected her with unknown drugs.
After returning home from the labor camp, Ms. Tan’s employer transferred her to the railroad maintenance department, where she often had to do hard labor, such as carrying beams.
Six Years in Prison
Ms. Tan was arrested again on April 4, 2006, and sentenced to six years in Chengdu Women’s Prison, also known as the Longquanyi Women’s Prison.
To try to force her to renounce Falun Gong, the guards shocked her face and neck with electric batons. When she still remained firm in her faith, they beat her, didn’t let her sleep for days, and force-fed her.
Ms. Tan suffered acute back pain one day and was unable to stand up. Instead of providing medical care, the guards ordered the inmates to carry her to the prison factory to do unpaid labor. With strong faith, she recovered in a month.
While Ms. Tan was serving time, the authorities kept harassing her husband. Unable to stand the pressure, he divorced her in 2010. This hit Ms. Tan hard, and she couldn’t sleep for several days.
Related report:
Tan Haiyan from Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province Suffers Brutal Abuse
