Falun Gong Adherent Sentenced to 5 Years Prison for Seeking Return of Pension

Falun Gong practitioners take part in a parade marking the 22nd year of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 18, 2021. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

In May, a 63-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Guangdong Province was sentenced to five years in prison after demanding the return of her pension, which authorities had unlawfully suspended, according to Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website documenting the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Su Guiying is a resident of Huguang Farm in Mazhang District. Minghui reports that her pension was suspended in August 2020, days after she completed a four-year prison sentence for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. “There was no report of the reason for suspension, but the Mazhang District Social Security Bureau was likely attempting to recoup the retirement benefits issued to her during her imprisonment,” says the article, noting there have been many similar reports of this happening to others.

Saga Began in 2016

Ms. Su was a successful businesswoman whose health deteriorated due to the stress of her work, according to Minghui. In 2008, she began practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Through this practice, she overcame her health issues and improved her relationships with family and neighbors. Despite these positive changes, she has faced ongoing persecution for her beliefs.

In July 1999, then-Communist leader Jiang Zemin initiated a persecution campaign against Falun Gong out of jealousy over its growing popularity. According to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) own estimates in 1998, there were 70 million to 100 million people in China practicing Falun Gong. Since 1999, the regime has systematically sought to defame and eradicate the practice of Falun Gong.

In August 2016, Ms. Su was arrested for distributing Falun Gong materials to raise awareness about the persecution and was sentenced to four years in prison. While in prison, Ms. Su suffered “relentless torture,” according to Minghui. The torture methods included: “Forced standing for long periods, exposure to the sun, dousing with cold water, freezing, emaciation, squatting, drugging, as well as isolation in a mental hospital. She was also routinely deprived of sleep and restroom use.”

Ms. Su was released in 2021, only to have her pension withheld by the Mazhang District Social Security Bureau. She filed a disclosure request demanding justification from the bureau. She filed objections saying the documents were unlawful with the Labour and Social Security Office No. 44 and Guangdong Labour and Social Security No. 84, to no avail. They rejected her appeals and she was put under surveillance by local authorities.

On May 11, 2023, officials from the Mazhang District Public Security Bureau, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and Zhiman Police Station raided Ms. Su’s home, and arrested her without a warrant or any legal documentation. Following an unlawful trial on Nov. 15,  she was sentenced once again by the Chikan District Court in May 2024—to five years in prison.

Lawyer: Suspending Pension Violates Constitution

Former Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping, now based in the United States, condemned the CCP’s actions in an interview with the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times. He believes the suspension of Ms. Su’s pension is illegal. He stressed that pensions are personal property earned through labor and employer contributions and that no law permits their unlawful confiscation.

Mr. Wu further added that stopping Ms. Su’s pension violated Article 45 of the Chinese Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to material assistance from the state and society in cases of old age, illness, or loss of working capacity. This article mandates that the state develop the necessary social insurance, social relief, and healthcare services for citizens to enjoy these rights.

Mr. Wu condemned the CCP’s routine persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and other targeted groups, noting that such actions have become increasingly aggressive and unlawful. He described Ms. Su’s case as a clear example of the CCP’s extreme measures to suppress dissent and labeled the regime as “very evil.”

“The CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and other sensitive groups is nothing new. It has always been extremely aggressive,” Mr. Wu stated. “Su Guiying’s case shows how the regime retaliates against individuals who lawfully defend their rights, resorting to unlawful imprisonment and harsher sentences to intimidate and oppress.”

Qiao Song contributed to this report.