Mid-Autumn Festival is fast approaching in China. This is one of the most important festivals in Chinese tradition when family members reunite and celebrate together. However, for my family, it will be another heartbroken day of separation. On September 26th, my dad went to the prison to visit my mom before the Mid-Autumn Festival. (Above is a photo taken at the gate of the prison where my mom is.) However, we didn’t receive good news for the coming holiday. The prison guards warned my dad that my mom would be sent to a “strict management section” for refusing to sign a statement of guilt and refusing to perform forced labor. Falun Gong practitioners under “strict management” are subjected to many kinds of torture: solitary confinement, being forced to sit on a small stool for extreme periods of time, being poked with needles and sometimes even worse, being drugged in meals. In addition to the physical torture, the monthly family visits, phone calls, receiving or sending letters would be denied by prison guards during the period of strict management. There would be no way for us to stay informed of my mom’s condition. She would be isolated to a designated area and barred from speaking to anyone. We have to spend another Mid-Autumn Festival without my mom and full of anxieties. I know there are more families facing the same misfortunes in China. Many people, like my mom, are still fighting for their freedom bravely and untiringly. It is a long battle, but we won’t give in. I’m grateful to everyone for your continued support of my mom’s freedom. I really hope this will be the last Mid-Autumn Festival that my family is separated by prison bars. Please keep sharing this change.org petition to continue to raise awareness. Best wishes to you and your family! Thank you, Iris