60-year-old Heilongjiang Province Woman Passes Away from the Excessive Harassment and Persecution From Police

News from Heilongjiang Province: Ms. Li Shufen's family in Daqing City suffered long-term persecution at the hands of the police. Her daughter-in-law Cui Xiaojuan was tortured to death on December 30, 1999 for practising Falun Gong; her son Xu Xiangdong was illegally sentenced to twelve years in prison; he was extremely emaciated as a result of torture. The police continued to harass Li Shufen, who was in her 60's, when she was already deeply grieving for her family's suffering. On September 9, 2003, Li Shufen passed away after enduring long-term harassment and persecution.

Li Shufen was in her 60's and prior to her retirement worked as a teacher in Nahe County, Heilongjiang Province. Her whole family practised Falun Gong. Her son Xu Xiangdong was a senior engineer in the Daqing City Development District. As stated above, he had been illegally sentenced to twelve years in prison because he persisted in his belief in Truth-Compassion-Tolerance. Xu Xiangdong's wife, Cui Xiaojuan, 40-years-old, was a teacher at the People's Police School in Daqing City. She went to Beijing to appeal. On December 30, 1999, Cui Xiaojuan was arrested and sent to a detention centre. When she went home to get her clothes, in her attempt to escape from the police she fell from a building and died. Li Shufen's son Xu Xiangdong was in shackles and handcuffs when he saw his wife for the last time in the crematorium.

In order to take care of her grandson, who, because of the persecution, has been forcibly separated from both of his parents, Li Shufen moved to Daqing City and lived there for several years. Because her whole family practised Falun Gong, the local police constantly harassed her. Recently, Li Shufen went to Harbin City to visit her son, who was in solitary confinement at the time. When she saw him he looked completely deformed - he was just skin and bones. Li Shufen was extremely shocked and deeply grieved. After she returned home, the police continued to harass and persecute her, and she eventually passed away on September 9, 2003.

An officer on duty at Daqing City's Development District Police Department (86-459-6043220) said he knew about Xu Xiangdong, but he didn't know his mother died. A male police officer at the Jianguang Police Station (86-459-6286110) in the area where Li Shufen's family lived said, "If Li Shufen didn't have a local residence registration, the police station is not accountable for her death."

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/10/14/58825.html