(Minghui.org) A 60-year-old Siping City, Jilin Province, woman has had her pension suspended since June 2020 for refusing to give up her faith in Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Wang Yuxiang was arrested on November 9, 2016, and later sentenced to two years in prison. In June 2020, about a year and a half after she was released, she was informed by the local social security office that she had to return the pension she had received during her prison term. The authorities claimed that, according to a notice issued in 2003, no Falun Gong practitioners serving time for their faith are entitled to receive any retirement benefits.
Ms. Wang argued that her pension is a personal asset and that there is no law in China that justifies depriving her of it. Her arguments were similar to those of many other practitioners who have sought justice protesting the suspension of their pensions. For a more detailed coverage of the arguments, refer to “Qinghai Woman Defends Herself in Court, Social Security Bureau Drops Case Against Her.”
Because Ms. Wang refused to return the funds, her pension was suspended. As of June 2021, the amount withheld from her totals 45673.02 yuan.
To seek justice, Ms. Wang filed a lawsuit against the social security office with the Tiexi District Court. She demanded that the authorities produce the legal document verifying why her pension was suspended, but the social security office refused to do so.
Four days before her hearing on May 11, 2021, her bicycle’s handlebars and front basket were smashed. At 10:30 p.m. on May 13, two days after the hearing, someone knocked on her door for 20 minutes. She and her family refused to open the door. They suspect these incidents were intended to intimidate them.
The Tiexi District Court later rejected her case. She has filed an appeal with the intermediate court demanding that the social security office return all of her suspended pension, plus interest and expenses for her transportation and telephone calls necessary for filing the lawsuit.
Due to the mental stress, Ms. Wang recently broke her leg, which makes her life even more difficult.
Since the onset of the persecution, Ms. Wang has been subjected to non-stop persecution for upholding her faith.
She was first arrested in 2003 and given three years of forced labor. In the labor camp, she was shocked with electric batons, tied up in a bed in a spread-eagle position, injected with toxic drugs, forced to stand for long hours, and deprived of sleep. Ten months later, on the brink of death, she was released on bail. She’d lost half her weight and was down to less than 70 pounds.
Despite her condition, the police kept harassing her and her family, leaving them living in fear and tremendous mental pressure. Ms. Wang was later forced to live away from home to hide from the police, during which time her mother passed away due to the pressure.
Ms. Wang was arrested again in 2012 and given a year and a half in a forced labor camp. After years of displacement, she was very weak and failed the physical exam. She was then released and allowed to serve the time at home.
Throughout the year, the police monitored her constantly. Sometimes they sneaked into her home when no one was around. They confiscated her personal items, poured oil onto her clothes, or spread dirt on her clothes. Ms. Wang also discovered a mini-camera attached to her TV box. When she reported it to the police, they responded, “The case is so insignificant. There is no way for us to investigate it.”
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