Yu Xiaomei, a native of Yantai, Shandong Province, born in 1980, was a Christian from The Church of Almighty God. Her neighbors all knew her as a filial daughter-in-law who cared devotedly for her parents-in-law, looked after her children, and was a kind-hearted, honest, and upright person. However, solely because of her faith, she was arrested by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During her detention, she fell ill and was denied timely medical treatment. Her condition steadily worsened, eventually developing into lung cancer. She tragically died at the age of 45. Another innocent life has been lost under the CCP’s brutal repression and persecution of Christians.
Around 1:00 p.m. on July 26, 2023, Yu Xiaomei was arrested and unlawfully detained by four CCP police officers while she was delivering a meal to her father-in-law, who was hospitalized following a stroke. The officers then escorted her back to her rented place to conduct a search, seizing her bank cards and approximately 6,000 RMB (about 860 USD) in cash before taking her to the Public Security Bureau for interrogation. During the interrogation, Yu Xiaomei learned that many fellow believers had also been arrested at the same time. She questioned the police, saying, “We have not broken any laws. On what grounds are you arresting us?” A police officer replied, “The state does not allow belief in God.” When their attempts to coerce her into revealing information about the church failed, the police resorted to violence. A large, muscular officer pinned her thighs down while violently bending her fingers backward, causing her to scream in pain. Another officer forcefully pinned her shoulders and snarled viciously, “Do you believe I could dislocate your arms?” The tall, burly officer further threatened, “Do you believe we could also arrest your husband?” At that moment, a short officer stepped forward and slapped Yu Xiaomei hard across the face, leaving her dizzy and seeing stars. The police then grabbed her hands and forcibly pressed her fingerprints onto several papers.
The next morning, around 7:30 a.m., Yu Xiaomei was taken to the interrogation room once again. The police pressured her to disclose information about the church, but she refused to yield. She was subsequently taken to a hospital for a medical examination and, after being confirmed to be in good health, was transferred to the Yantai City Detention Center and detained there. For the first 40 days of her detention, she was held incommunicado, completely cut off from all contact with her family.
On January 23, 2024, a lawyer hired by Yu Xiaomei’s family visited her. The lawyer immediately pressured her to sign the “Three Statements” renouncing her faith—Statement of Guarantee, Statement of Repentance, and Statement of Severance—warning that she would face a prison sentence if she refused. Yu Xiaomei refused to sign them, leaving the lawyer with no further legal options. She remained detained in the detention center, facing the prospect of sentencing. On January 25, 2024, Yu Xiaomei began to fall ill. What started as a cold and fever soon progressed to shortness of breath and coughing up blood. The detention facility’s medical staff dismissed her condition, and the medication they prescribed proved completely ineffective. Yu Xiaomei repeatedly sought medical examinations from the detention center’s infirmary doctors, but they kept shifting responsibility among themselves. Eventually, she reached the chief doctor, who angrily told her, “If you cooperate properly with the public security authorities, you can go home and get treatment.” Because Yu Xiaomei refused to sign the “Three Statements,” she continued to be detained while awaiting trial. The chief doctor ultimately refused to examine or treat her. She then appealed to the supervising official, who simply passed responsibility back to the doctors. As her condition steadily worsened and she became too weak to endure the suffering, it was not until March 13 that doctors finally conducted an examination and informed her that she needed to be hospitalized. She was required to pay 2,000 RMB (about 285 USD) to secure release on bail pending trial. One police officer told her, “You were arrested in the third wave. This time, you’re being granted bail because of your illness—otherwise, you would have been sentenced and sent to a prison in Jinan. All of you believers in God suffer there in Jinan Prison. The officials don’t handle you personally—they have over 200 inmates in there to torment you.”
After Yu Xiaomei was hospitalized, medical examinations confirmed that she had advanced lung cancer. Her family exhausted their life savings on her treatment, yet her condition showed no signs of improvement. Ultimately, unable to afford the mounting medical expenses, she had no choice but to be discharged. Even then, the police did not ease their surveillance of Yu Xiaomei, frequently harassing her family by asking whether she was at home and demanding video calls with her. In reality, Yu Xiaomei’s condition continued to deteriorate. She became extremely weak and was no longer able to care for herself. In January 2025, Yu Xiaomei died at home after treatment failed. She was 45 years old.
Traumatized by his mother’s death following her abuse by the police, Yu Xiaomei’s son suffered a severe mental breakdown. He became withdrawn and was unable to continue his studies. In January 2025, he was admitted to a hospital, but the family could no longer afford his treatment.
Yu Xiaomei was arrested and abused by the CCP solely because of her faith in God, and ultimately fell ill and died as a result. Her death dealt a devastating blow to her mother, her husband, and her 19-year-old son, leaving them with deep and lasting psychological trauma. A once intact family was thus completely destroyed by the CCP.
Yu Xiaomei’s elderly mother said in deep anguish, “Before she went into the detention center, she was perfectly healthy. But after only a few months there, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. How could she possibly have stayed healthy in there? She’s never coming back…”
