Imprisoned for Ten Years, Mr. Xu Huijian Dies at Age 41

Mr. Xu Huijian was released in April 2011, after being imprisoned for ten years. He was skin and bones at the time.

Mr. Xu had contracted a severe case of tuberculosis in prison due to rounds of hard labour and poor nutrition. He coughed all the time, and often churned up blood. His pleura (membranes surrounding the lungs) had become deformed, and he could not lie on his back or right side. He could only lay on his left side and sleep for short periods of time, and was often in great pain.

After a severe episode of coughing up blood, Mr. Xu passed away on December 24th, 2014. He was only 41 years old.

Life's Decisions

Mr. Xu was from Baishan City, Jilin Province. He attended Changchun University of Science and Technology in the 1990s, and he had been selected to become a professor at the university after his graduation. However, the Chinese communist regime initiated its persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, right before Mr. Xu's graduation. Therefore, the university authorities told him that he had to give up the practice if he wanted to stay on as a professor. Mr. Xu refused.

Mr. Xu was arrested on April 12th, 2001, while printing Falun Gong materials. The police broke in and confiscated a copier, cellphones, and other personal belongings. The police did not notify anyone after the arrest.

Two years later, Mr. Xu's family finally discovered his situation, after reading about him in a newspaper. They learned that he had been arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison in October 2002.

Detention

Mr. Xu's family went to the Jilin Prison to visit him. He was already emaciated and weak.

Mr. Xu was later transferred to the Tiebei Prison in Changchun, and the prison required visitors to have reference letters from the local 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) to visit him. After great difficulty, Mr. Xu's parents were finally able to meet with their son. He had become even skinnier, and appeared to be only skin and bones. However, to keep his parents from worrying more, he did not complain at all about his suffering over the years.

Mr. Xu was transferred to the notorious Gongzhuling Prison several months later. There, all newly arrived Falun Gong practitioners were placed under strict management. And if they refused to renounce Falun Gong, they were punished with placement in other prison districts.

All the detainees were forced to do hard labour with no days off. This labour, coupled with poor nutrition, resulted in weakened immune systems, and many detainees contracted tuberculosis, including Mr. Xu.

Mr. Xu was transferred to the patients ward in early 2008. His family tried unsuccessfully to visit him. They were told to obtain a reference letter from the local 610 Office, but the 610 Office refused to provide the letter.

Summary of Key Persecution Facts:
Name: Xu Huijian (徐会建)
Gender: Male
Age: 41
Address: Jiangyuan District, Baishan City, Jilin Province
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Death: December 24th, 2014
Date of Most Recent Arrest: April 12th, 2001
Most Recent Place of Detention: Gongzhuling Prison (公主岭监狱)
City: Gongzhuling
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Forced labour, beatings, imprisonment, home ransacked, detention