On December 11, 2012, when Hong Zhaowen, a Christian from The Church of Almighty God (CAG), was spreading the gospel in Tanshang Village, Tianmushan Town in Zhejiang Province’s Lin’an City, she was arrested by policemen from the Yuqian Town Police Station. They forcefully cuffed her hands behind her back causing a serious strain on the wound on her left side from her breast cancer surgery. Her cancer recurred after that and she died on July 2, 2013 at the age of 50.
The victim, Hong Zhaowen, female, born on March 28, 1964, was from Tanshang Village, Tianmushan Town in Zhejiang Province’s Lin’an City. She accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days in 2008 and after that was chosen to be a coworker in the church. She was a kind-hearted, hard-working homemaker and got along harmoniously with her family and neighbors. She was never one to cause trouble and was always praised by those around her.
In late January of 2009, Hong Zhaowen was diagnosed with breast cancer and then underwent a left mastectomy and chemotherapy. Six months later in July of the same year, she had regained her health and was discharged from the hospital. When discharged, her doctor repeatedly warned her not to do any heavy work, that she absolutely could not lift anything over 2.5 kg with her left arm, could not do strenuous exercise, and should not catch a cold. Because after the operation Hong Zhaowen was very frail and her immune system was compromised, any of those things could trigger a recurrence of her cancer, and it would be untreatable. After returning home she recovered quite well. She was able to ride her scooter to the meeting place for gatherings and take people out to spread the gospel. She quickly resumed her normal life, and generally people couldn’t tell that she was a cancer patient who had undergone surgery and many times of chemotherapy.
Wound Seriously Strained When Arrested by the CCP Police for Spreading the Gospel
Around 11:30 a.m. on December 11, 2012, when Hong Zhaowen and two other Christians were sharing the gospel at a local’s home in Tanshang Village, Tianmushan Town in Zhejiang Province’s Lin’an City, they were arrested by two policemen from the Lin’an City Yuqian Town Police Station. The police of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forcefully yanked Hong Zhaowen’s arms back, and cuffed her hands behind her back. She was continually crying out in pain. Those present who were aware of the situation shouted at the policemen: “She just had surgery for cancer! You can’t handcuff her that way! ” “She’s ill, you can’t arrest her!” But the two policemen didn’t listen at all and they forcefully took her away.
After getting to the Yuqian Town Police Station, the policemen forced the three Christians to be strip searched and locked up in a confinement room. There, Hong Zhaowen told another Christian: “After being handcuffed my surgery site started hurting.”
Half an hour later the policemen started interrogating the three in turn. After her interrogation, Hong Zhaowen started experiencing intense pain at her surgery site and her whole body was trembling nonstop. She clutched her hands to her chest and squatted on the floor crying. The two other Christians knew that she was a very tough person and generally would never mention feeling pain, and particularly would not cry. They rushed to inquire. Shaking, she said: “My chest hurts so much, and I feel so cold.” She was wearing very warm clothing, with a down jacket—normally she would not have felt cold.
In the end the police sentenced Hong Zhaowen to 10 days of detention on the charge of “disrupting social order,” and around 6 p.m. that evening she was sent to the Lin’an City Detention Center.
That same evening, Hong Zhaowen’s elder sister got her released on bail with someone else’s help and her family picked her up from the detention center at past 8 p.m.
Wound Damaged and Cancer Recurred —Died After Treatment Proved Ineffective
After Hong Zhaowen was released and taken back home, her surgical wound was in constant pain from the serious strain from being handcuffed. She was unable to lift her arms. Before being arrested, she had been able to take other people on her scooter, but then she couldn’t even sit on it without being supported by someone else. The slightest vibrations were very painful.
In February of 2013, Hong Zhaowen’s condition grew more and more serious. She had a persistent fever and was constantly vomiting. On April 5, 2013, she was sent to the Lin’an City People’s Hospital for treatment.
On June 5, 2013, the doctor told her husband that her cancer was late-stage and she didn’t have much time left to live, and had him take her back home. All he could 76 do was bring her home for hospice care.
After being discharged she was unable to speak, and by June 26 was barely able to make some feeble sounds.
Around 4 a.m. on July 2, Hong Zhaowen passed away at home.
Her remains were cremated on July 4 at the Lin’an City Linglong Crematorium.
Because her family was not powerful they had no way to negotiate with the police, they couldn’t make an appeal, and they certainly received no compensation.
