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Woman who spent 7 years in Chinese prison describes torture, surveillance and loss of her husband
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EXCLUSIVE: Wang Chunyan held a photograph toward the camera, her hands trembling slightly as she pointed to each of the 21 smiling faces: a husband and wife, a university lecturer, a young engineer, friends she met in prison.
Some died in detention, she said. Others after years of abuse. Others disappeared into China’s vast security system and never returned the same. «More than 25 of my friends have died in this persecution. I only have photos of 21 of them,» Chunyan said, her voice breaking.
For more than two decades, the 70-year-old Falun Gong practitioner said, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) systematically dismantled her life, stripping away the business she had built, the home she once shared with her family and, eventually, seven years of her life in prison.
But the hardest thing for her, is that she believes it took her husband too. «My beloved husband died due to the persecution,» Chunyan claimed during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
REPORT DETAILS RISING PRESSURE ON UNDERGROUND CATHOLICS AS CHINA DENIES CRACKDOWN
Falun Gong practitioner Wang Chunyan holds photographs of friends she says died during the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on the spiritual movement during an interview with Fox News Digital. (Fox News)
Her account comes as President Donald Trump prepares to travel to China next week for meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with trade, security and regional tensions expected to dominate the agenda. Yet behind the geopolitical rivalry lies another conflict: Beijing’s decades-long campaign against religious and spiritual groups the Communist Party views as threats to its authority.
Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback believes Wang’s story reflects a much broader struggle unfolding inside China. «Either the world changes China or China will change the world,» Brownback told Fox News Digital.
Brownback recently chronicled Chunyan’s story and the experiences of other survivors in his book China’s War on Faith, arguing that personal testimony can often reveal the reality of persecution more powerfully than statistics alone. «Stories are more powerful than data,» he said.
Photograph shown by Falun Gong practitioner Wang Chunyan during a Zoom interview with Fox News Digital depict friends and fellow practitioners she says were persecuted during the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on the spiritual movement. (Fox News Digital)
The book examines what Brownback describes as an increasingly sophisticated system of surveillance and repression targeting Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners. He argues the Chinese Communist Party views independent faith communities as a direct threat to its authority.
«They fear religious freedom more than anything else. More than our aircraft carriers, more than our nuclear weapons, more than anything else because they think it is the biggest threat to the regime.»
CRUZ LEADS SENATE PUSH TO HOLD CHINA ACCOUNTABLE FOR BEIJING CHURCH CRACKDOWN
Protesters chant slogans and hold posters of victims during a demonstration against China’s crackdown on Uyghurs in front of the Chinese consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 30, 2022. (Khalil Hamra/AP)
Chunyan story started in the late 1990s, when she suffered from severe insomnia, sometimes sleeping only two or three hours a night. Then her older sister introduced her to Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice ,she says, is centered on meditation exercises and teachings rooted in «truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.»
The movement spread rapidly across China during the 1990s, attracting tens of millions of followers before Beijing banned it in 1999, portraying it as a threat to Communist Party control.
Chunyan says Falun Gong helped improve her «physical condition.» She said, «My business was booming. My family was happy. My life was perfect.»
Chunyan became convinced the practice had saved her life. She owned a successful company selling chemical production equipment and had become wealthy by Chinese standards, but after the crackdown began she felt compelled to publicly defend Falun Gong against what she believed were government lies.
She bought a printing press and began distributing leaflets. Soon afterward, she said, surveillance followed everywhere.
«The buildings where I worked were under constant surveillance,» Chunyan recalled. «I left to escape and was afraid to come home.»
GRAHAM FAMILY RESPONDS TO GLOBAL CRACKDOWN ON CHRISTIANS WITH $1.3M DEFENSE FUND AND URGENT CALL TO ACTION
A pro-democracy activist holds placards with a picture of Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan outside the Chinese central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong on Dec. 28, 2020. Zhang was released from prison after serving four years for charges related to reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, according to a video statement she released Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Kin Cheung/AP)
For years, she lived in hiding, using prepaid calling cards and public telephones to secretly arrange meetings with her husband, Yu Yefu, in restaurants, coffee shops and hotels across the city. The two tried, briefly, to maintain some sense of normalcy.
Yu himself never practiced Falun Gong, but police repeatedly pressured him to reveal where his wife was hiding. He never did. Then, in 2002, Wang stopped hearing from him.
When she finally returned home, she found him unconscious. Doctors could not save him. «He protected me,» she said in tears.
He was 49 years old when he died. Their daughter was still in college.
The devastation spread through the family afterward, Chunyan said. Her mother-in-law stopped eating and later became paralyzed. Her father-in-law died from grief. Her sisters were also imprisoned and tortured.
Then came Chunyan’s own imprisonment.
WATCHDOG HIGHLIGHTS NATIONS WHERE CHRISTIANS FACE PERSECUTION AROUND THE GLOBE
The flag of China is flown behind a pair of surveillance cameras outside the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam defended national security legislation imposed on the city by China last week, hours after her government asserted broad new police powers, including warrant-less searches, online surveillance and property seizures. (Roy Liu/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
She described years of forced labor, sleep deprivation and physical abuse. At one point, she said, the torture became so severe that she fainted three times in a single day.
One memory still haunts her most. Shortly before her release from prison, Wang said authorities conducted unexplained blood tests and medical examinations. At the time, fellow inmates told her the government was simply checking on Falun Gong prisoners before release. Only later, after learning about allegations of forced organ harvesting involving detained Falun Gong practitioners, did she begin to fear why the testing may have happened. «I was horrified,» Chunyan said.
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Falun Gong practitioner Wang Chunyan recounting the death of her husband, whom she says was persecuted by Chinese authorities for refusing to reveal her whereabouts. (Fox News)
Today, Chunyan lives in the United States, having left China in 2013 and eventually making her way through Thailand before arriving in America in 2015.
Yet decades later, the losses remain immediate to her.
«There are millions of families in China like ours,» Chunyan wants the world to know, «Persecuted by the CCP.»
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu rejected the allegations and defended Beijing’s actions against Falun Gong. «The aforementioned remarks are nothing but malicious fabrications and sensational lies,» Liu said. «Falun Gong is a cult organization that is anti-humanity, anti-science and anti-society. It is hostile toward religion, endangers the public, and serves as a malignant tumor within society.» Liu argued that «the Chinese government outlawed the Falun Gong cult in accordance with the law, thereby safeguarding the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the vast majority of the Chinese people.»
china, persecutions, human rights, xi jinping, personal freedoms, donald trump
Un misterio virológico que desconcertó a los científicos durante meses finalmente fue resuelto. Investigadores estadounidenses identificaron el mecanismo biológico que permitió a la gripe aviar H5N1 infectar a vacas lecheras de forma inusual, atacando principalmente las ubres -el órgano glandular que produce y almacena la lech- en lugar de los pulmones.
Este hallazgo no solo permitió comprender por qué el virus se manifestó de manera tan atípica en el ganado, sino que abre nuevas vías para anticipar y prevenir brotes en otras especies, con implicancias directas para la salud animal, la producción y la bioseguridad.
El brote, detectado a principios de 2024 en el Panhandle de Texas, causó confusión entre los veterinarios. Los animales desarrollaron mastitis necrotizante, una inflamación grave de las glándulas mamarias, sin presentar síntomas respiratorios.
“La mastitis es una enfermedad clásica en los animales de producción lechera, y los veterinarios buscaban diligentemente la causa entre los sospechosos habituales, como los patógenos bacterianos”, explicó Suresh Kuchipudi, catedrático de Enfermedades Infecciosas de la Facultad de Salud Pública de la Universidad de Pittsburgh.
“Cuando se descubrió que el verdadero culpable era la gripe aviar, todos los implicados en el sector quedaron completamente sorprendidos. Ni siquiera habíamos considerado que el ganado pudiera ser huésped del virus H5N1”, agregó el experto.
El grupo de Kuchipudi, junto a la investigadora Lauren E. Pepi de la Facultad de Medicina de Harvard, utilizó técnicas de glicómica para mapear los receptores celulares que permiten la entrada del virus. Descubrieron que el H5N1 se une a un subtipo específico de glicanos, los receptores de ácido siálico unidos a N, presentes en todo el tejido mamario pero prácticamente ausentes en el sistema respiratorio de las vacas.
“Esto convertía a las glándulas mamarias en un caldo de cultivo perfecto para el virus”, explicó Kuchipudi. El resultado fue una infección que no causó enfermedad respiratoria pero sí mastitis grave, alterando el paradigma sobre cómo la gripe aviar puede manifestarse en diferentes hospedadores.
La investigación, publicada en Science Advances, no solo resuelve el enigma de la gripe aviar en bovinos, sino que permite anticipar la vulnerabilidad de otras especies y tejidos.
Kuchipudi explicó que es posible analizar de manera preventiva la susceptibilidad de diversas especies y sus tejidos. “Podemos anticipar si desarrollarían síntomas respiratorios, si solo presentarían mastitis, como ocurre en las vacas, o si podrían manifestar una enfermedad neurológica, tal como identificó nuestro equipo en los gatos. Lo aprendido permitirá prepararnos mejor y evitar sorpresas en el futuro”.
El mecanismo de infección tiene implicancias directas para la industria lechera y la salud pública. Otro estudio, realizado en 2025 por investigadores de la Universidad de Cornell, analizó el impacto de un brote en un rebaño de Ohio con 3.900 vacas. El brote se originó tras la introducción de animales procedentes de Texas, y las primeras señales clínicas —pérdida de rumia y caída en la producción de leche— se detectaron cinco días antes del diagnóstico.
Aproximadamente el 20% de las vacas mostró síntomas, con una reducción de unos 900 kg de leche por vaca durante 60 días. El costo económico por animal afectado se estimó en 950 dólares, y el costo total del brote en el rebaño ascendió a US$ 737.500 por mortalidad, eliminación y pérdidas productivas.
Los investigadores advirtieron que “aunque se desconoce el mecanismo preciso de transmisión del virus HPAI H5N1 en el ganado lechero, esto coincide con las infecciones por otros virus de la influenza A, que pueden propagarse rápidamente entre poblaciones de mamíferos susceptibles, incluidos humanos, perros y cerdos”. La seroprevalencia positiva en casi el 90% de los 637 animales analizados sugiere una alta eficacia de transmisión. Además, se detectaron anticuerpos en 17 de las 42 vacas no lactantes, lo que indica que incluso los animales en fase seca pueden ser fuente de virus.
La circulación silenciosa del H5N1 en rebaños lecheros de Estados Unidos ha intensificado las inquietudes sobre la vigilancia epidemiológica y las medidas de bioseguridad.
“Cuando una vaca se infecta, libera grandes cantidades del virus en la leche”, señaló Kuchipudi. Esto ha generado alertas por el riesgo al que se exponen los trabajadores agrícolas.
Además, persiste la práctica de alimentar a mascotas, como gatos, con leche cruda, y se han reportado muertes en estos animales, según investigaciones previas del equipo. El investigador enfatiza que la pasteurización elimina el virus y advierte sobre la necesidad de evitar el consumo de leche sin tratar.
El brote de Ohio no fue un caso aislado. Datos del Servicio de Inspección de Sanidad Animal y Vegetal (APHIS) del Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos confirmaron más casos en ganado lechero en Idaho y el avance del virus en otras especies. Idaho notificó tres instalaciones en cuarentena, mientras que APHIS reportó infecciones en gatos domésticos de varios estados, una foca común en Washington y ratones en Misuri. En la avicultura, se detectaron brotes en aves de corral en Iowa, Nebraska, Nueva York, Colorado e Indiana, además de mercados de aves vivas en Nueva York.
La tasa de transmisión y la capacidad del virus para saltar entre especies evidencian la importancia de la detección temprana y el monitoreo sistemático. Las vacas multíparas presentaron mayor riesgo que las primíparas, lo que sugiere una relación entre la exposición acumulada al ordeño y la enfermedad clínica. La investigación financiada por el Departamento de Salud Pública de la Universidad de Pittsburgh y el Instituto Nacional de Alimentación y Agricultura del USDA apunta a que la identificación de los receptores preferidos del virus en diferentes tejidos podría servir como herramienta predictiva para brotes futuros.
El hallazgo de los científicos estadounidenses redefine la vigilancia de la gripe aviar en la producción animal. Los expertos recomiendan analizar proactivamente la presencia y distribución de los receptores virales en especies de interés zootécnico y en animales de compañía, para anticipar brotes y evitar pérdidas económicas y riesgos sanitarios.
“Este trabajo también podría ayudar a los científicos a predecir mejor cómo se comportaría el virus H5N1 si se propaga a nuevas especies animales en el futuro”, concluyeron los autores.
El desafío ahora es trasladar el conocimiento a políticas de prevención, protocolos de bioseguridad y estrategias de comunicación que permitan contener el avance de la gripe aviar y sus consecuencias sobre la salud animal, la economía rural y la salud pública global.
vacas,pastizal,ganadería,producción lechera
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A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to release more unredacted Jeffrey Epstein records or justify keeping them sealed by July 2, with redacted versions of the files including sensitive interview notes documenting a minor’s uncorroborated sexual assault allegations against President Donald Trump.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, a Clinton-appointed judge, issued the order after granting a preliminary injunction sought by independent journalist Katie Phang, who sued Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April. She alleged that the Justice Department failed to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act that was signed last year when she requested several documents. The law requires the government to make Epstein-related investigative records public while allowing limited redactions to protect victims and other legally protected information.
More than half of the six million files have been made publicly available, with the remaining files withheld because of legal privilege protections or because they are duplicates, according to the Justice Department. But the department has faced growing criticism over the scope of its redactions, with critics arguing it has concealed information that should be public under the law.
EPSTEIN FALLOUT GROWS AS DOJ WATCHDOG DIGS DEEPER INTO HANDLING OF THE CASE
Jeffrey Epstein walks outdoors in New York City on Feb. 23, 2011. He is the subject of a bipartisan House Oversight Committee investigation. (David McGlynn)
In a 48-page memorandum, Sullivan ordered the Justice Department to either disclose less-redacted versions of several key Epstein records or justify the redactions. The documents covered by the order include eight emails with hidden senders or recipients; a 2007 draft federal indictment — with the names of potential co-conspirators redacted — that was never filed; and a 2019 email referencing alleged co-conspirators whose identities were obscured.
Among the redacted records is an email — with the recipient’s identity concealed — in which Epstein wrote that he «loved» a torture video he watched. During the litigation, Blanche suggested the recipient was wealthy Middle Eastern businessman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.
The order also covers FBI records summarizing 2019 interviews with a woman who made allegations involving President Donald Trump. In the FBI’s interview summary, the woman alleged she met Epstein when she was 14 or 15 years old and that he later introduced her to Trump, whom she accused of sexually assaulting her in explicit detail. Those claims are uncorroborated, and the president has denied the allegations. Trump was friends with the late financier in the 1990s and early 2000s but cut ties after a falling-out in the mid-2000s.
The Justice Department is also required to issue a complete log of every redaction made in records released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
DOJ PUBLISHES TROVE OF EPSTEIN FILES, SAYS MORE TO COME AFTER FRIDAY DEADLINE
The Justice Department had argued the lawsuit should be dismissed because Phang could have sought the records through the Freedom of Information Act. Sullivan rejected that argument, concluding that FOIA did not provide Phang an «adequate remedy.»
Phang’s lawyers said the department’s previous denial of related FOIA requests showed that FOIA was not an adequate way to obtain the records.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«I have standing to be able to get Todd Blanche to comply with Judge Sullivan’s order, which is now telling him that on or before July 2, he either has to put up or shut up,» Phang said during an appearance on the MeidasTouch network. «He either has to bring forth unredacted files or show cause as to why he should not or cannot do so.»
The ruling also noted that the department itself had previously acknowledged the Epstein Files Transparency Act required broader disclosure than would ordinarily occur through FOIA, including limiting certain exemptions typically available under federal public records law.
Jeffrey Epstein’s mugshot was taken in New York in 2019 after federal authorities filed trafficking charges against him. (Kypros/Getty Images)
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Sullivan has become a prominent figure in cases involving Trump and his allies. He oversaw former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s criminal case and challenged the Trump Justice Department’s effort to drop the charges after Flynn pleaded guilty. Sullivan also presided over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot cases.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department and the White House for comment.
jeffrey epstein, attorney general, fbi, federal judges, justice department, politics
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Cops drop murder probe after coroner rules man’s bloody stabbing death was freak accident
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A British man who was believed to have been murdered after he was found slumped over on a blood-soaked bench last year actually passed out drunk on a knife in his own bag, officials said this week.
Authorities initially believed Robert Brown, 57, was stabbed to death after he was found on Aug. 1, 2025, in Northampton, England, according to reports from the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.
FARAGE’S REFORM UK BEATS OUT ESTABLISHMENT PARTIES IN ‘EARTHQUAKE’ ELECTIONS
Robert Brown, 57, died after falling asleep and falling onto a knife in his bag while sitting on a bench, Northamptonshire Police said. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
Three people were eventually arrested in connection with his death and later released. A coroner on Thursday ruled Brown’s death a «tragic accident.»
Investigators believe Brown, who authorities said had alcohol dependence issues, fell into a deep sleep and put his weight on his bag, resulting in the knife piercing his body.
AS EPSTEIN-LINKED APPOINTMENT SPARKS BACKLASH, UK PM STARMER FACES PARTY REVOLT AMID RESIGNATION CALLS
Robert Brown, 57, had alcohol dependency issues, authorities said. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
The blade penetrated the bag and all three layers of Brown’s clothing, slashing his arm and leaving him to bleed out as he slept, authorities said.
Brown’s alcoholism made him vulnerable to blood loss, experts said at a court hearing.
Police on the scene behind Auctioneers Court near Northampton town center during the investigation into the death of Robert Brown, who was found fatally injured on a bench on the towpath on Aug. 1. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
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Northamptonshire Police dropped the murder inquiry in February, saying Brown’s death was likely self-inflicted. Investigators noted that there was no apparent motive to murder Brown.
«We have reviewed the extensive amount of information gathered as part of the investigation, including all forensic submissions, and can confirm the evidence does not support the hypothesis that his death was a homicide,» police said at the time.
united kingdom, odd news, beer, world
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