Retired Grandmother Becomes Emaciated in Guangdong Women’s Prison (Graphic)

Update: After this article was published, Ms. Yao died on November 20, 2024, before her 85th birthday. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family during this difficult time.

Ms. Yao Jingjiao, an 85-year-old retired grandmother, endured severe mistreatment in Guangdong Province Women’s Prison, leaving her in a near-vegetative state. Despite her deteriorating health, prison officials detained her for over 15 months and denied her urgent medical surgery.

Two weeks ago, Ms. Yao was transported back to her hometown, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, in a prison ambulance.

Religious group study monitored

Ms. Yao Jingjiao, then 81, was first detained on June 14, 2020, by local police while reading Falun Gong books with nine other residents in a private home. According to Minghui, the local police had designated this residence as a primary surveillance target as early as February 24, 2020. They monitored Falun Gong practitioners visiting the residence and placed them on a blacklist. Alongside Ms. Yao, seventeen other practitioners were arrested in the city that same day.

In November 2022, the Jiedong District Court sentenced Ms. Yao to three years in prison and imposed a 30,000-yuan fine. Despite a physical examination revealing high blood pressure, Weiquanwang confirmed she was transferred to Guangdong Province Women’s Prison in Guangzhou in early July 2023.

Prison officials cancel surgery

At Guangdong Province Women’s Prison, the guards forced Ms. Yao to compose a series of false statements renouncing and denouncing Falun Gong, which worsened her pre-existing health issues from mistreatment in custody.

In September 2024, her family was notified that she had suffered a leg fracture requiring immediate surgery. However, when family members arrived at the prison, they were denied access, and officials abruptly canceled the surgery without explanation.

By mid-October, prison authorities contacted Ms. Yao’s family again, instructing them to seek approval from Jieyang City’s extralegal 610 Office for her parole release. After demanding a large sum of money, the prison arranged for her transport back to Jieyang City by ambulance.

On October 25, 2024, her family was devastated to see Ms. Yao upon her arrival—she was unrecognizable, unable to speak, and could only move her eyes.

Torture of women ongoing

Ms. Yao’s case exemplifies the cruelty of CCP authorities and their treatment of women and the elderly in custody, both at Guangdong Women’s Prison and beyond. The systematic abuse and psychological torment by prison officials reflect the regime’s disregard for human dignity, especially toward vulnerable populations like the elderly and retirees.

This aligns with Beijing’s “transformation through re-education” initiative, which subjects Falun Gong practitioners to forced renunciations, denunciations, and surveillance—tactics designed to silence dissent and enforce ideological conformity.

Furthermore, the denial of medical care and rights, as seen with Ms. Yao, is part of a broader pattern that exacerbates practitioners’ suffering while financially burdening their families. The involvement of the 610 Office, an extralegal body created by then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin specifically to target Falun Gong, further underscores the extensive state apparatus mobilized to carry out this persecution, even at local levels.

While Ms. Yao’s case is a stark example of the CCP’s repression, it also underscores the resilience of individuals enduring such persecution. Increased public recognition of these abuses, along with the efforts of human rights organizations, is crucial to challenging such injustices.