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Seventy Seven Year-Old Near
Death After Torture in Jail
Luo Ya
Epoch
Times
Thursday Aug 30, 2007
Shuang Shuying, a 77-year-old Beijing resident, was
sentenced to two years in prison this February for defending human
rights and insisting on practicing her religion. Already in poor
health, Shuang endured severe torture whilst incarcerated, causing
her weight to plummet from roughly 110 pounds down to just 73
pounds. Shuang has also lost her vision while serving her sentence,
leaving her unable to recognize her visiting son. She was left
to rely on her limited hearing to communicate.
Shuang's father, Shuang Deli was executed for being an anti-revolutionary
in 1949 when the Chinese communist regime took power and confiscated
the family's property. The family was made to witness his death.
Before the family was able to claim the body, they had to pay
for the bullet. History seemed to repeat itself following Shuang's
first marriage, as her husband was sentenced to 20 years in a
labor camp for being an anti-revolutionary.
To extricate her from the poverty brought about by having her
assets taken and family members imprisoned, Shuang married a man
named Hua Zaichen. The couple had two boys and one girl. In 1957,
Hua was also sent to a labor camp and imprisoned for 20 years.
Shuang was forced to raise the children without a father. During
the Cultural Revolution, officials demanded that she divorce her
imprisoned husband, but Shuang refused. For her disobedience,
Shuang was beaten while hanging naked from a pillar by local authorities
and made to kneel on a triangular frame.
(Article continues below)
Shuang's son, Hua Huiqi, became a Christian in 1990. Because
of his involvement with the church, he was often followed and
beaten by police. Shuang worried about her son's safety, so she
accompanied him to his church. Shuang began to learn about Christianity
and was later baptized in 1992. Since then, Shuang turned her
dwelling into a boarding house for fellow Christians who came
to Beijing appealing for their rights. Her service attracted police
surveillance and continued harassment.
Because Shuang's house was very close to Tiananmen Square, officials
viewed at as a politically defiant dwelling. When Beijing authorities
won their bid to hoste the 2008 Olympic Games, they dismantled Shuang's
home claiming that it hurt the "new Beijing, new Olympics"—the
slogan chosen for the Games. The family was transferred to another
suburb and detained in a facility known as "Guanjiakeng."
The police supervised the family 24 hours a day, and frequently
beat them.
Stain on reputation of Olympics to hold in China
Shuang and her son were beaten by police at the Asian Games Village
when they reported the forced demolition of their home before
the Beijing People's Representatives Conference. The complaint
cost Shuang's son six months secret imprisonment by the Beijing
Security Bureau Chaoyang Branch. Shuang and her husband were also
detained when they demanded their rights and appealed for their
son's release on February 9. The couple was arrested and convicted
for "purposely destroying public and private property."
They were sentenced to two years and fined 5000 yuan (US$662)
on February 26. Shuang was detained at both the Labor Camp of
the Chongwen Branch of Beijing Public Security and the Beijing
Women's Prison. During her stay, she was injured both physically
and mentally as she was not allowed to sleep until 12:00 p.m.
every day even though she suffered from serious hypertension,
diabetes, cataracts and neuralgia. Her family members were not
permitted to see or offer support of any kind, and were not approved
for a visit until five and half months into her sentence. Hua
said that his mother was tortured nearly to death , and was now
emaciated—her hands trembled, her face pale, her vision
growing worse.
Hua revealed that the Beijing authorities held his mother hostage.
Hua said that when he was in prison, Meng Zhuang, the officer
in charge of religious issues at Beijing's Public Security Bureau,
forced him to cooperate with police and forbid contact with his
fellow church goers and boarders who were staying at his house
appealing in Beijing. "You mother will not be set free if
you refused to co-operate with us," threatened police.
On July 25 Hua was released. One week later, Meng Zhuang came to
the house and forced Hua to cooperate with officers by spying, providing
the vital contact information of the individuals staying at his
home. Meng Zhuang enticed Hua by promising him that he could visit
his mother in prison if he cooperated. "Your mother could be
released anytime with just one word from our chief," said Meng.
When Hua refused, Meng threatened him again. "You will never
see you mother again if you refuse to cooperate with authorities,"
he said.
Hua accused police of holding his mother hostage to compel him
to submit. "The police were worse then a gang of terrorists,"
he exclaimed. "Even terrorists will free children and the
elderly. Yet Chinese officers continue to hold an old woman hostage
to coerce me." Hua said that his house was demolished to
make way for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He said that it
smeared the Olympic's reputation to hold the games in a country
without human rights. "It will forever remain a stain in
the history of the Olympics," he said, much like the Olympics
hosted by Hitler in Germany."
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