Falun Gong Practitioner Describes Years of Imprisonment and Family Losses After 1999 Ban

Wang Chunyan held a photograph showing 21 smiling faces of her friends toward the camera, her hands trembling slightly as she pointed to each one during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. The 70-year-old Falun Gong practitioner stated that more than 25 of her friends have died in the persecution. She stated she only has photos of 21 of them.

Wang Chunyan spent seven years in prison. She described forced labor, sleep deprivation and physical abuse during imprisonment, including fainting three times in a single day. Her account comes as President Donald Trump prepares to travel to China next week for meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, recently chronicled Wang Chunyan’s story and the experiences of other survivors in his book China’s War on Faith. " The book examines a system of surveillance and repression targeting Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners.

Brownback stated that the Chinese Communist Party views independent faith communities as a direct threat to its authority. " Wang Chunyan suffered from severe insomnia, sometimes sleeping only two or three hours a night, in the late 1990s. She owned a successful company selling chemical production equipment.

Falun Gong was banned in 1999. Wang Chunyan bought a printing press and began distributing leaflets after the 1999 crackdown. She lived in hiding for years, using prepaid calling cards and public telephones.

She stopped hearing from her husband Yu Yefu in 2002. Yu Yefu was found unconscious when Wang Chunyan returned home in 2002. Wang Chunyan stated her husband Yu Yefu died due to the persecution. He died at age 49.

Wang Chunyan's mother-in-law became paralyzed after stopping eating. Wang Chunyan's father-in-law died from grief. Wang Chunyan's sisters were imprisoned and tortured. Wang Chunyan left China in 2013 and arrived in America in 2015 after traveling through Thailand.

She said her business was booming and her family was happy before the crackdown. She became convinced Falun Gong practice had saved her life.