(Minghui.org) Ms. Yao Jiaxiu lost all four upper incisors and also developed severe problems in her kidneys, lungs, and liver, only two months after she was admitted to prison to serve a five-year term for her faith in Falun Gong.
Ms. Yao, 58, of Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province, was arrested on September 20, 2024, five years after she was forced into displacement to avoid being persecuted for her faith. She appeared in the Xichang City Court on April 29, 2025, and was sentenced to five years on August 1, 2025. She was admitted to the 4th Division of Chengdu Women’s Prison on September 22, 2025.
When Ms. Yao’s family visited her on December 4, 2025, they were shocked to see how haggard and dispirited she was. Yet she kept dodging the question as to how she lost her teeth.
The guards had threatened the family not to talk about any “sensitive topics” before the meeting, or their visitation rights would be revoked. The family suspected that the guards had also pressured Ms. Yao not to talk about the torture she suffered.
The Chengdu Women’s Prison is notorious for its brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Ms. Zhao Wenxiu, an 83-year-old resident of Lu County, died there around March 2025 while serving a 7.5-year term. At least seven other practitioners have also died as a result of torture since 2013. They include Ms. Chen Shikang, Ms. Hu Xia, Ms. Yan Hongmei, Ms. Hu Yanshun (also known as Hu Tingshun), Ms. Liang Wende, Ms. Ding Guoqin, and Ms. Gao Chunxiu.
Common torture methods guards have used on incarcerated Falun Gong practitioners include: shocking with electric batons, hanging up by handcuffs, exposure to extremely cold or hot weather, forced standing or sitting for long hours in military positions, force-feeding, injections with nerve-damaging drugs, tying up in unnatural positions, forced blood draws, needle jabs, waterboarding, slamming their heads against a wall, limited toilet use, solitary confinement, denial of family visits, and having unknown drugs added to their food. The guards also play videos that slander Falun Gong and Falun Gong’s founder in an attempt to brainwash the practitioners.
Ms. Yao’s family is very worried about her safety in the prison. They are calling on the international community to help rescue her.
Prior to her latest sentence, Ms. Yao has already served two prison terms totaling 12 years for upholding her faith.
Related Reports:
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Japan: Son Calls on Legislators to Help Rescue His Mother
Physical and Verbal Abuse Endured by Ms. Yao Jiaxiu at the Longquanyi Women's Prison in Chengdu City
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