Ms. Lei Jinxiang Dies Suddenly in Prison; Body Cremated the Same Day

Name: Lei Jinxiang
Gender: Female
Age: 60
Address: Room 2-303, Building #5, 88 Xinmin Street, Jiancheng Town, Jianyang City
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Death: February 1st, 2013
Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 17th, 2009
Most Recent Place of Detention: Sichuan Women's Prison
City: Jianyang
Province: Sichuan
Persecution Suffered: Brainwashing, imprisonment, detention

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Lei Jinxiang died at the Sichuan Women's Prison (also called Yangmahe Prison) on February 1st, 2013, at the age of 60. The Jianyang Procuratorate forced her family to give consent to let the medical examiner perform an autopsy and cremate Ms. Lei's body on the same day. It is clear that they are trying to cover up whatever happened at the Sichuan Women's Prison and destroy evidence.

Ms. Lei was regarded as a very good person in her community. However, she was arrested and detained several times for practising Falun Gong. She went to Beijing in January 2000 to appeal for the right to practise Falun Gong, and was detained for 15 days by the Jianyang City Police Department. She was held at a brainwashing centre for more than a month in February 2001.

Ms. Lei was arrested on March 17th, 2009 and taken to the Erehu Brainwashing Centre in Ziyang City. She was later sentenced to nine and a half years in prison on December 8th, 2009, and was sent to the Sichuan Women's Prison.

Ms. Lei's family received a phone call from the prison authorities on February 1st, 2013, saying that Ms. Lei was reading a book at night and had a heart attack (myocardial infarction) at around 3:00 a.m. in the early morning. She was sent to the prison hospital at around 5:00 a.m. and died at 7:00 a.m. despite efforts.

Ms. Lei's family went to the prison, but was told that her body had been sent to the crematorium. When they arrived at the crematorium, the police only allowed Ms. Lei's immediate family to see the body. The family saw that her face was purple and her nose was red.

Ms. Lei's brothers and sisters wanted Ms. Lei's body to be left as it was according to Chinese tradition. However, the Jianyang Procuratorate forced them to give consent to let the medical examiner perform an autopsy. The medical examiner claimed that Ms. Lei had died from myocardial infarction and removed her organs for a further examination. The procuratorate then forced Ms. Lei's family to agree to cremating Ms. Lei's body on the same day. The family signed the documents in the evening under pressure.

The prison authorities are not taking any responsibility because the medical examiner claimed that Ms. Lei died from myocardial infarction. But the following questions are raised: Since when has the prison allowed imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners to read books? And the practitioners were allowed to read until 3:00 a.m.? Why did Ms. Lei's body show symptoms of suffocation? Why did they force Ms. Lei's family to agree to an autopsy? Why did they remove the organs? Why did they cremate her body on the same day? All these questions have people wondering if the authorities did so to destroy evidence and commit perjury.