Xiong Xiaolian (pseudonym, Li Li), female, was born on June 11, 1951 and lived in the city of Chongqing. She joined The Church of Almighty God in 2007. On June 1, 2018, she was arrested by CCP police because of her belief in Almighty God. After her release she was subpoenaed by police a number of times, and they attempted to force her to confess. Unable to withstand the CCP’s torment, she hanged herself at the age of 67.
Xiong Xiaolian and her husband became known as believers in Almighty God and were reported to the authorities by a malicious person. At 10 a.m. on June 1, 2018, plainclothes police officers were dispatched by the Public Security Bureau of the Fuling District, the Public Security Bureau of Zhong County, and the Guanba Town Police Station of Zhong County. They joined with local government officials, and a total of 40 or 50 people drove to Xiong Xiaolian’s home in a convoy of two minibuses. The day of her arrest, the police cordoned off an area within 1,000 meters of her home, with plainclothes officers stationed all along the streets to prevent anyone from approaching.
The police performed an arrest on Xiong Xiaolian and her husband while they were working in their fields, and then made a thorough search of their home. By 6 p.m. they had found two photocopiers, RMB 18,400 (about USD 2,640) in cash, a computer, faith-related books, and a receipt for a transaction of church funds. Xiong Xiaolian were taken to the local Public Security Bureau along with those items.
It is understood that at the time of their arrest, Xiong Xiaolian and her husband were responsible for safeguarding the Church’s property. Two days prior to their arrest plainclothes officers had been near their home closely monitoring them.
After her arrest, the police attempted to force Xiong Xiaolian to give up information on other church members, but she categorically refused. They provisionally released her that same day. In an attempt to get her husband released, she paid RMB 80,000 in bail with borrowed funds, but the police still refused to let him go.
Xiong Xiaolian was summoned four more times to the police station. The police continued to pressure her to sell out ten other Christians, and said that if she wanted her husband to be released, she’d have to give up information on 50 other Christians. Otherwise, they said, they’d arrest her again and send her to prison. She did not comply.
On June 25, 2018, Xiong Xioalian found herself completely unable to bear being stifled by the CCP any longer; she hanged herself and died.
Two days after her death, the police finally released her husband, Chen Xingming, but continued to monitor his cellphone activity. He is still under strict police surveillance to this day and is unable to have any contact with other Christians in the Church.
