Ms. Ren Jianying, 71, Beijing

Name: Ren Jianying (???)
Gender: Female
Age: 72
Occupation: Welder, Beijing Aluminum Foil Plant
Date of Most Recent Arrest: June 2006
Date of Most Recent Release: June 2008
Date of Death: December 4, 2009
Province: Beijing
Most Recent Place of Detention: Beijing Women’s Prison

Case Details:

Prior to practicing Falun Gong, Ms. Ren suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis due to working long hours outside, causing bone deformations in her joints. After she began practicing Falun Gong in 1995, her symptoms disappeared and her health improved dramatically. In the spring of 2001, she was detained and beaten.

In 2006, Ms. Ren was detained again and “sentenced” to two years in a prison camp following a sham trial. At the camp, she was frequently deprived of sleep, forced to squat for long periods of time, and beaten by guards as they tried to force her to renounce her faith. As a result of the torture, her illnesses recurred. Though she was released in mid-2008, she never recovered her health and died on Dec 4, 2009.