Song Yanmei (female, 66) is a Christian from The Church of Almighty God in Henan Province, China. On July 2, 2025, village officials and officers from the local police station came to Song Yanmei’s home. The police arrested her husband and confiscated a computer and a mobile phone. On July 5, officers from the police station, the municipal public security bureau, and a district branch returned to search the home again but failed to find the materials they were looking for. On July 11, at 5:00 a.m., when Song Yanmei opened her front door, she discovered police officers waiting outside her home. Soon afterward, more than ten additional officers arrived. They then conducted a raid on her home “like bandits,” according to Song. They photographed the books of God’s words they found and seized 80,000 RMB (approximately USD 11,000) in family savings before taking her into custody at the police station.

At the police station, officers conducted a body search and then transferred her to a local hotel for secret “brainwashing.” On July 14, six or seven officers entered the room where she was being held. A female officer ordered her to stand as punishment. Song was forced to stand from shortly after 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., leaving her legs and feet numb, swollen, and in severe pain.

During the brainwashing detention, Song was held alone in a room, where she had to eat, sleep, and relieve herself. Assigned “monitors” guarded her 24 hours a day in three shifts. At each meal she was given only a small steamed bun, a little vegetable, and half a small bowl of thin rice soup, leaving her constantly hungry. During this period, a man identified as Director Qin from the municipal public security bureau’s special task force attempted to pressure Song to renounce her faith. When she remained steadfast in her faith, Qin threatened that the authorities would confiscate her farmland and cancel her pension benefits. She was also deprived of sleep.

In late July, Song was taken to the police station several times for interrogation. Police demanded that she reveal where believers gathered for worship, asked whether her son was also a believer, and pressured her to admit that the money seized from her home was a church offering. She was then forced to sign and fingerprint interrogation records. Later she discovered that in one document the police had reduced both her and her husband’s ages by five years. After being returned to the brainwashing facility, Song asked to review the written records again. A police officer surnamed Li refused to show them to her and only read them aloud. She discovered that the statements did not match what she had actually said and contained defamatory remarks about the church. When she attempted to seize and tear the document, the officer grabbed her by the neck, threatened her, and took photographs of her.

On August 6, Song was again taken to the police station for interrogation. Director Qin listed the names of several believers and demanded that she identify them, but she refused. Qin then began cursing and blaspheming God. Angered, Song responded, “I’ve met you several times now, and every time you curse and blaspheme God. You are disgraceful!” The interrogation ended without results.

During her brainwashing detention, the intense psychological pressure and prolonged sleep deprivation caused Song’s blood pressure to spike to 200 mmHg. Police then forced her to take what they claimed were blood-pressure medications. After several days, her hands and face became severely swollen. When she asked to stop taking the drugs, police refused and insisted she continue, claiming her blood pressure was too high. They then gave her another medication. After taking the new one, she began burping constantly and desperately wanted hot water, but the monitors repeatedly refused her requests. Three days later she threw the pills away. When police demanded an explanation, she replied, “They’re harming my body. I won’t take them.” Police then summoned her son and pressured him to persuade her to continue taking the medication. Song told her son, “They’re not treating illness—they’re trying to control people.” Police responded with a threat: “You have no human rights here!” Officers then pressured and incited her two sons to force her to renounce her faith. One of them told her:

“If you keep believing, they said they will sentence you to seven years in prison and cancel our jobs.” Song replied firmly:

“If they cancel your jobs, then come home and farm. I will keep believing in Almighty God.”

Police later demanded that Song sign the “Three Statements” renouncing her faith and again pressured her to identify other believers. She refused both demands. After 48 days of detention and forced brainwashing, Song had lost more than ten pounds and became severely weakened. Fearing that her deteriorating health might lead to serious consequences, the police eventually released her.

When Song returned home, she discovered that a surveillance camera had been installed outside her house. Neighbors told her the camera had been installed several days after she was arrested.

Her husband had also been detained in a hotel for 84 days and was not released until September 26. Although the couple has been freed, they remain under close government surveillance. Song later said: “The CCP is truly evil. It only allows people to believe in the Party, but not in God. They arbitrarily arrest believers. I am just an ordinary believer, yet they mobilized so many people to watch me day and night. Six security guards rotated in three shifts to watch me, and personnel from the public security bureau also rotated to monitor us every day. To stop people from walking the right path, they spend enormous manpower and money trying to force people to betray God. This shows they are completely neglecting proper responsibilities.”