Death Cases

  • Fellow Villagers Sign Petition Seeking Justice for Xu Dawei, Who Died as a Result of Persecution

    Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Xu Dawei suffered severe abuse in prison. Due to the brutal torture, he suffered organ failure, his body was covered with cuts and bruises, and he suffered a mental collapse. He was finally released after eight years of imprisonment. However, he died only 13 days after his release, on February 16th, 2009. Mr. Xu's fellow villagers showed great discontent with the fact that such a good man was persecuted to death. Dozens of people went to Dongling Prison, demanding an explanation for his death. Mr. Xu's family also persisted in petitioning for justice after his death. However, they were all turned away.
  • 57-Year-Old Ms. Cao Guifang Dies as a Result of Persecution in Gansu Province

    Ms. Cao Guifang was arrested multiple times and detained, her home was ransacked, and she was sentenced to a forced labour camp. At the forced labour camp, Ms. Cao was inhumanly tortured. The police forced her to carry huge rocks. In addition, they did not allow her to drink water or use the toilet. They also forced her to stand still for long periods of time. The guards tried to force Ms. Cao to write the so-called "repentance statement" (renouncing Falun Gong) and she was forced to wear handcuffs for eight consecutive days. Ms. Cao's feet became swollen from the torture. Even after she was released, the police went to Ms. Cao's home again to try to force her to write the repentance statement. The relentless persecution took a toll on Ms. Cao, and she passed away on March 3rd, 2010.
  • 63-Year-Old Mr. Mei Chunfu Dies as a Result of Persecution

    Mr. Mei went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in October 1999. The police arrested and detained him in the Qi County Detention Centre. The guards tortured him with tightening the ropes and ankle shackles; they punched and kicked him, locked him up in a small cell, and deprived him of drinking water. Because Mr. Mei persisted in practising his faith and did not accept the brainwashing, the guards locked his shackles together with handcuffs, which meant that he could not stand up or sit down, and he had to stay in a very painful bent position. In 2004, Mr. Mei was sentenced to three years of forced labour in the Kaifeng City Forced Labour Camp. The persecution left him ill and weak. After his release, the police never left him in peace, and kept harassing him at home. Mr. Mei never fully recovered, and died in 2009.
  • Falun Gong Practitioners Ms. Liu Yuxia and Ms. Bai Chunhua Die as Result of Persecution

    On May 21st, 2009, Ms. Liu Yuxia was arrested by officer Li Hu from the Santa Town Police Station when Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution together with other practitioners. They were taken to the Santa Police Station. Ms. Liu's complexion was dark blue as a result of low oxygen in the blood caused by her heart disease. After three days the police were afraid of her dying in custody, so they decided to release her. However, they demanded 1,000 yuan from her family first. The local police never left Ms. Liu alone, and they demanded that she submit the results of her physical check-up, and threatened to take her into custody at any time. Ms. Liu was severely abused both mentally and physically, and her whole body was swollen. She died on November 6th, 2009.
  • Ms. Wang Yan Died As a Result of Persecution in the Yaojia Detention Centre, Dalian City

    On August 8th, 2009, Ms. Wang Yan and another Falun Gong practitioner, Ms. Sun Shurong, were arrested for talking to people about Falun Gong on Ganjingzi Street in the Ganjingzi District. They were taken to the police station and then to Yaojia Detention Centre in Dalian City. While in detention, Ms. Wang developed serious health problems. Police were fully aware of her condition but refused to take her to the hospital for treatment. As a result, her condition worsened. They did not release her until her life was in imminent danger. Despite her poor health, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents still went to Ms. Wang's home to harass her. In particular, Zhao Xinzhao never stopped harassing her. Ms. Wang died on February 24th, 2010.
  • Force Feeding Is Being Used by the Communist Party to Torture and Kill

    Force feeding is being used in Chinese prisons to persecute and torture Falun Gong practitioners. The torture severely damages the body and often leads to death. For direct force feeding through the mouth, the guards pry open the mouth with a sharp metal tool. During the process, the mouths of some practitioners are torn up. The guard pours substances into the mouth of the practitioner. For force feeding using a nasogastric tube, the tube is forced through the nasal cavity and oesophagus. If the tube goes into the trachea it can cause death or severely damage the lungs. The substances forced through the feeding are often poisonous or caustic. On October 9th, 2001, Sun Guilan, 46, was killed by force feeding at the Baoji City No. 60 Military Hospital when a tube was inserted into her trachea.
  • Older Falun Gong Practitioner Cited in Gao Zhisheng Letter Dies from Torture in Custody

    An elderly Falun Gong practitioner, who was cited as a torture victim by prominent attorney Gao Zhisheng in an open letter to China's leaders, died on January 28th due to injuries incurred in custody. Ms. Liu Lihua, 61, is the second of Gao's interviewees known to have subsequently died from abuse in custody. Gao himself has been "disappeared" by Chinese security forces since February 2009. Police detained Ms. Liu on March 24th, 2009 as she was talking about the persecution against Falun Gong in public. "During the time I was in prison, the guards employed absolutely inhumane means to torture me," Liu told Gao Zhisheng in 2005.
  • Gross Abuse and Mistreatment Suffered by Falun Gong Practitioners in Suining City, Sichuan Province in 2009

    Four practitioners died as a result of persecution in Suining City. Mr. Quan Xueyin developed lung necrosis due to brutal torture and died on March 8th, 2009. Ms. Yan Xuebi's family took her home from the labour camp on May 19th, 2008. She was extremely weak, and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials constantly harassed her following her release. Ms. Yan died the morning of March 9th, 2009. Due to abuse suffered while in custody, Mr. Zheng Fangjun could not eat and had breathing problems. He died on the morning of July 21st, 2009. Ms. Zhang Yuhua from Suining City was detained four times. The guards savagely beat her in 2003, blinding her left eye. She died on August 13th, 2009.
  • Remembering Doctor Shen Yueping

    Ms. Shen Yueping worked at the Maternity and Child Care Centre in Yunsi, Yunnan Province in July 2009. While at the Yunnan Second Women's Prison, her captors subjected her to excruciating torture that led to a perforated lung. She was then sent to the Kunming Third Hospital for treatment and died there. Ms. Shen treated people kindly. She lived a very simple life. She contributed silently to others and never showed off. I admired her wisdom and pure heart that were a result of Falun Gong cultivation. She often said, "We practitioners should be nice and cultivate our character according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance; we should become better people, not merely good people."
  • Suihui City Forced Labour Camp Tortures Mr. Jiang Bingzhi to Death

    In October 2008, Mr. Jiang Bingzhi was imprisoned at Suihua City Forced Labour Camp. On August 22nd, division head Pan Juying and others beat him and shocked him with electric batons. Mr. Jiang was unconscious when they carried him back to his cell. It wasn't until Mr. Jiang had been tortured into a comatose state and sent to Beian Hospital that officials from the forced labour camp notified his family that he was on the verge of death. He passed away only four days later, on August 26th, 2009.
  • Mr. Xu Linshan and Mr. Liang Jinyu Tortured to Death in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province

    In 2002, Mr. Liang Jinyu was arrested by police for sharing Falun Gong articles with other practitioners. Police beat Mr. Liang so brutally that his face was disfigured, his skull was fractured, and his body was covered in blood. Mr. Liang was sentenced to ten years in Tailai Prison. In 2005, Mr. Liang had a stroke and was in critical condition. Prison officials forced his family to pay 6,000 yuan before they released him. Unable to recover from his injuries, Mr. Liang Jinyu passed away at 9:30 a.m. on February 5th, 2010.
  • Falun Gong Practitioner Ms. Liu Lihua Dies as Result of Persecution

    March 14th, 2009, was 61-year-old Ms. Liu Lihua's last arrest as she was distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong. The police detained her for six months in the Yantai City Developing Zone Second Detention Centre. Her husband tried to visit her many times, but was not allowed to see her. Ms. Liu was sentenced to five years in prison in a secret trial, and taken to the Jinan City Women's Prison. However, the prison refused to accept her due to her poor physical condition and she was therefore released on September 30th, 2009. Ms. Liu suffered severe mistreatment in confinement, and her health was damaged. She passed out in the toilet on the evening of January 27th, 2010, and died on the evening of January 28th in the hospital.
  • Four Elderly Falun Gong Practitioners from Shuangcheng City, Heilongjiang Province Passed Away

    Mr. Zhu Yaoming, 78 years old, started practising Falun Gong in 1996 and benefited physically and mentally. After the persecution of Falun Gong started on July 20th, 1999, Mr. Zhu went to Beijing to appeal to stop the persecution. He was detained. His family was made to pay 3,000 yuan, which was deducted from his son's salary. The local officials also threatened his son that he might lose his job because his father practised Falun Gong. His family was under huge pressure and no longer supported him in practising Falun Gong. The local officials also often came to his home to harass him. Due to long term stress and pressure, Mr. Zhu could not continue with the practice and passed away in the autumn of 2008.
  • Mr. Wang Enhui Dies in Gongzhuling City Prison in Jilin Province

    Within less than six months after entering the Gongzhuling City Prison, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Enhui died on February 15th, 2010, the day after the Chinese New Year. His wife and daughter, both mentally disabled, are left behind with a hard life ahead of them. Mr. Wang was arrested multiple times, detained, and sent to forced labour camps, just because he wanted to become a better person through Falun Gong cultivation. In 2001, he was imprisoned in the Jiutai Forced Labour Camp for more than one year and severely tortured. He was once locked in the strictly controlled ward for 50 days and became emaciated. When he had died Mr. Wang's family rushed to the prison and saw that his body had changed colour dramatically, and his wrists had deep marks from handcuffs or ropes.
  • Ms. Zhu Yinfang Beaten to Death in Sichuan Province

    On April 25th, 2003, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhu Yinfang was transferred from the Second Ward to the Seventh Ward in the Nanmusi Women's Forced Labour Camp in Zizhong County, Sichuan Province. In less than 24 hours she was dead. A witness who revealed how she was beaten to death: "The guards first taped her mouth shut to prevent her from shouting "Falun Gong is great!" The prisoners who were assigned to watch her said as they handcuffed her, "If you refuse to accept the brainwashing, the only outcome is to die. Several female prisoners entered the washroom, handcuffed Ms. Zhu's wrists behind her, and punched and kicked her. She screamed the entire time. No one was allowed to enter the washroom, but all heard her cries of misery. By 4:00 p.m., prisoner Zhang Yan came upstairs to ask for Ms. Zhu's clothes since Ms. Zhu had already died."