Name: Meng Yuhua (孟玉华)
Gender: Female
Age: 39
Address: Kangping County, Shenyang City
Occupation: Physician
Date of Most Recent Arrest: 2002
Most Recent Place of Detention: Liaoning Province Women's Prison (辽宁省女子监狱)
City: Shenyang
Province: Liaoning
Persecution Suffered: Forced labor, illegal sentencing, imprisonment, solitary confinement, torture, forced-feedings

(Clearwisdom.net)

Ms. Meng Yuhua

Officials from Kangping County's 610 Office and Shenyang City's 610 Office arrested Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Meng Yuhua in 2002. They conspired with the Dadong District Court in Shenyang City to bring charges against her. They sentenced her to a 13-year prison term for producing Falun Gong materials. Ms. Meng is now detained in Subgroup 6, Group 9 of Liaoning Province Women's Prison.

In 2004, Ms. Meng Yuhua was found to have written a message on a slip of paper and passed it to another practitioner, and she was detained in a small isolated cell. During the three months from June 1 to September 1, she was given a total of only four egg-sized corn buns every day for food. Ms. Meng was tormented so badly that she could no longer sit up. Her heart was very weak, and she was later sent to the hospital. She was diagnosed with anemia. As soon as Ms. Meng was released from the isolation cell, she was immediately forced to do hard labor again.

In 2005, Ms. Meng Yuhua couldn't turn over in bed, couldn't get up and her cervical vertebra was seriously injured. Every morning she had to rely on others' help to sit up. Though she couldn't lower her head and her arms were very weak, she was still forced to do the hard labor. As Ms. Meng gradually recovered, she could get herself up from bed, but she was still very feeble.

In 2006, because Ms. Meng refused to wear the prison name tag, she was detained again in an isolation cell for one and a half months from August 24 to October 17. During that period, she was taken out of the cell every two weeks. After three to four days, she was taken back again to the cell. It's very cold during the autumn season in northeast China, but Ms. Meng Yuhua was only allowed to wear a short-sleeve shirt and pants. She was cold, hungry and extremely weak. With the continuous torment, she became emaciated with sagging skin.

When Ms. Meng was released from the isolation cell this time, she showed more serious symptoms of weakness. Her neck was in severe pain at all times.

In December 2006, Ms. Meng Yuhua was ordered to fold bags and work in a small group. She had to lean against the table and alternate supporting herself with one arm at a time. Again her neck was extremely painful.

In July 2009, Ms. Meng Yuhua's condition worsened. She often had to miss meals because she had to finish her work quota. She eventually became bedridden. Her heart stopped beating from time to time, and she suffered from shortness of breath. Later she was taken to the hospital, and the examination result showed that her blood potassium index was only 2.8 (normal range should be 3.5 - 7.6).

As Ms. Meng recovered a little, section chief Li Heqiao again put her into the small isolated cell. This time she was detained for two weeks from October 26 to November 9, 2009. She was very weak, suffered from shortness of breath, and suffered from insomnia.

When Ms. Meng was released from the isolation cell, section chief Li Heqiao said to her, "Meng Yuhua, we can still send you back to the isolation cell. If three months doesn't work, we will extend it to five months. We don't believe you will never surrender!" They stopped allowing her to buy daily items because she could not complete her work. Ms. Meng Yuhua went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution. Three days later, she was force-fed. They tied her arms and legs to a bed and inserted a tube into her stomach. Every two hours they poured some water and corn cereal into her stomach. One day and one night later, Ms. Meng gave up the hunger strike and returned to the workshop. She was later taken to a newly established strictly-monitored group.

Ms. Meng's Family's Suffering

While Ms. Meng was detained, her husband suffered from severe depression and eventually died in a car accident. At that time, Zhang Yuxin, Ms. Meng's son, was still an elementary school student. After Ms. Meng Yuhua was arrested the second time, Ms. Meng's father-in-law suffered a stroke and died a few years later.

On August 24 and 25, 2009, an official from the Liaoning Province Women's Prison called Ms. Meng Yuhua's parents and asked them to meet her because she was seriously ill. Ms. Meng's parents asked if she could be released for medical attention. The official told them that it wasn't possible, even if she died, because she refused to admit wrongdoing. Meanwhile, they still forced her to do hard labor.

Prior to the 2010 Chinese New Year, Ms. Meng Yuhua's son, mother, mother-in-law and other relatives took a taxi and traveled more than 150 miles to the Liaoning Province Women's Prison, hoping to have a visit with Ms. Meng. However, section chief Wu in Group 9 told them, "Meng Yuhua is not performing well, so according to the rules of the prison, she is not allowed to meet with her family." Ms. Meng Yuhua's mother wanted to meet with the warden, but the guards refused to let her in. Then Ms. Meng's family went to the Prison Administration office. The official who met them said, "We are not authorized to handle a case concerning Falun Gong. That's all the 610 Office's business. We have no authority there."

Liaoning Province Women's Prison:

Mailing Address:
Baixintai Village, Pingluo town, Yuhong District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province
Postal Code: 110145

Liaoning Province Women's Prison (tel): (area code: 024)

Yang Li, Prison Warden:
(office) 011-86-24-89296666
(home) 011-86-24-86914173
(cell) 011-86-13390118299

Wu Li, Head Official of Group 9:
(office) 011-86-24-89296896

Li Heqiao, section chief of Group 9

Written on April 20, 2010