(Minghui.org)
Name: Zhang YanjieChinese Name: 张艳杰Gender: FemaleAge: 71City: ChaoyangProvince: LiaoningOccupation: Retired procuratorate employeeDate of Death: March 28, 2024Date of Most Recent Arrest:Most Recent Place of Detention: Liaoning Province Women’s Prison
When Ms. Zhang Yanjie returned home in July 2018 after serving three years for her faith in Falun Gong, the retired employee of the Chaoyang County Procuratorate in Liaoning Province was devastated to learn that her pension had been suspended because of her wrongful imprisonment.
Ms. Zhang, who had more than 30 years of service before her retirement, was only given 810 yuan each month to sustain her life. But even such a minimal payment was stopped in January 2020. She visited multiple government agencies to seek justice, but to no avail. Living in destitution and distress, her health quickly declined. She passed away on March 28, 2024. She was 71.
When the Chinese Supreme People’s Procuratorate and Supreme People’s Court announced in May 2015 that they would accept any case filed with them, Falun Gong practitioners in China started a wave of criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin, the former head of the communist regime who ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. On November 9, 2015, over 100 practitioners in Chaoyang County were arrested, including Ms. Zhang.
Ms. Zhang was later sentenced to three years at the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison. When she was eventually released in July 2018, the persecution against her didn’t stop. Her former employer suspended her pension and only gave her 810 yuan each month to sustain her life, but even that was stopped in January 2020, leaving her in a dire situation with no income.
Ms. Zhang went to seek justice, but the leadership of the procuratorate said the only way for her to get her pension back was to write statements to renounce Falun Gong. She refused to comply. When she visited the procuratorate again, the security personnel stopped her at the door, citing an order not to allow her to come in.
Ms. Zhang’s friends chipped in to provide financial support for her. But she felt tremendous pressure for having to rely on them. In early 2023, the procuratorate had new leadership and she contacted them again, requesting to have her pension reinstated. Although her application was approved, she never received any payment. This dealt her another blow. Her health kept deteriorating due to the poor living condition and mental pressure. She passed away on March 28, 2024, at the age of 71.
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