Wei Xiuxiang, female, was born on September 26, 1965 in Nanfen District, Benxi City, Liaoning Province. She joined The Church of Almighty God (CAG) in 2004. In October 2012, Wei Xiuxiang was diagnosed with micronodular cirrhosis of the liver. After being treated in hospital, her condition stabilized, and she had ever since been hosting Christians in the church. On June 22, 2013, Wei was arrested by the authorities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) because of her belief in Almighty God. Following her arrest—and despite being well aware of her serious illness—the police refused her food and forced her to sit on a tiger bench as they tortured her for three days and two nights. By the end of it, Wei’s face was bruised, she had two black eyes, her whole body was swollen, and her legs were so swollen that she couldn’t walk. Fearing they would be held responsible for her death, the police released Wei in the middle of the night on June 24. But after letting her go, they continued to follow her and keep her under surveillance. As a result, she lived in perennial fear, which stunted her recovery and ultimately caused her illness to deteriorate. In 2015, she died at the age of 50. Below are the details of the process that led to Wei Xiuxiang’s death.
After Being Arrested, Cirrhosis Sufferer Wei Xiuxiang Was Interrogated for Three Days and Two Nights
At 8 o’clock on the morning of June 22, 2013, there was an urgent knocking on Wei Xiuxiang’s door by someone claiming to be collecting public hygiene fees. Suspicious, she did not open the door. Half an hour later, the peephole in Wei’s door was smashed, leaving a 3 cm hole there—the shock of which caused her to suffer a heart attack on the spot. Immediately afterward, six or seven police officials shouldered their way in and arrested Wei and two other female Christians that were also present. Without producing any documents, they searched Wei’s home and took anything of value.
Wei Xiuxiang was taken to the Hexi police station in Benxi City’s Xihu District, where she was handcuffed to a tiger bench and brutally interrogated. During questioning, Wei learned from the police that they had already been following her for more than four months. That was when she recognized them: They had been masquerading as the owners of a BBQ stall at the foot of her building. The police interrogated Wei, who was suffering from cirrhosis, for three days and two nights, during which they denied her any food. She was left with her face bruised, two black eyes, and her whole body swollen. Her legs were so swollen that she couldn’t walk. Fearing they’d be held responsible for Wei’s death, the police released her in the middle of the night on June 24, 2013. Wei left the police station disoriented and only managed to get a taxi home with great difficulty.
Wei Was Then Constantly Followed, Monitored, and Harassed by the Police for Years, Causing a Long-time Fleeing and Deterioration of Her Illness, and Ultimately Leading to Her Death
In July 2013, as Wei was doing her exercises on the balcony, she suddenly noticed someone in the opposite building watching her with binoculars. Only then did she realize she was still being monitored by the police.
In August 2013, Wei Xiuxiang returned to her mother’s family in Nanfen District, Benxi City for more than two weeks. During this period, officers from Nanfen community and the Nanfen District Police Station came to her mother’s house to check their residence cards.
At the end of September 2013, Wei moved to Guojiapu in the hope of avoiding any more surveillance or arrests by the police. The police soon discovered her whereabouts and installed a camera opposite the window of the apartment she was renting. They also stationed personnel in the building opposite to keep watch on her. Discovering she was still under surveillance placed great physical and mental stress on Wei, and she subsequently fled to Anhui Province and other places.
On the afternoon of July 23, 2014, Wei Xiuxiang began vomiting blood and was taken to hospital. She was in a coma for five days before being rescued. While she was seriously ill in hospital, officers from the police station and the community found a locksmith and tried to force entry into the apartment she rented in Guojiapu. When the locksmith refused to open the door, the police made the landlord ring Wei’s elder sister, requiring to enter Wei Xiuxiang’s apartment, and also ask her about Wei Xiuxiang.
On January 22, 2015, Wei was taken to hospital again after vomiting blood. When she was discharged in the beginning of March 2015, she returned home to discover that the lock of the door had been pried and the electric power switch was turned off. It was clear someone had forced their way in.
For two years, Wei was constantly followed, monitored, and investigated by the police. Despite her fragile state, she’d had no choice but to move house seven times during this period, each time causing a decline in her physical condition. She was sullen all day long, spending her days in fear. The constant fear, persecution, and attempts to avoid the police caused a drastic deterioration in Wei’s condition, which ultimately turned into late-stage liver cirrhosis.
On November 29, 2015, Wei Xiuxiang died in hospital at the age of 50.
