Deputy Director of the Education Commission of Hanjiayuan Forest Bureau in Daxinganling Region Dies

Name: Li Yaru
Gender: Female
Age: 48
Address: Daxinganling District, Heilongjiang Province
Occupation: Deputy Director of the Education Commission of Hanjiayuan Forest Bureau

Date of Death: July 20th, 2011
Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 27th, 2008
Most Recent Place of Detention: Harbin Women's Prison
City: Harbin
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Detention, home ransacked, imprisonment, fired from workplace.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Li Yaru, Deputy Director of the Education Commission of Hanjiayuan Forest Bureau in Daxinganling Region, Heilongjiang Province, was persecuted in Heilongjiang Women's Prison. She died of leukaemia on July 20th, 2011 at the age of 48.

Ms. Li started practising Falun Gong in 1996. She acted in accordance with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and was lauded as the best teacher in her school. Later she was promoted to vice principal of the middle school. Results of the public vote for the position of principal gave Ms. Li more votes than any other candidate. However, school authorities gave her position to another because she practised Falun Gong. Later Ms. Li was given the position of Deputy Director of the Education Commission, which had no responsibilities.

Around 11:30 p.m. on July 27th, 2008, Ms. Li was taken into custody by local police. They broke into and ransacked her home, confiscating her computer, an MP4 player, and other personal items. They forced her to sit on a bench with Falun Gong books and photographed her. The police claimed that for one year they had watched as Ms. Li told people the truth about Falun Gong and promoted withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organisations.

Ms. Li was sentenced to three years in prison. She was fired from her job and, under pressure, her husband was forced to divorce her. Six other practitioners were also sentenced along with Ms. Li.

Ms. Li and seven other practitioners were sent to Harbin Women's Prison in Heilongjiang Province.

Ms. Li's family requested her release for medical treatment after she developed leukaemia in the prison. Ms. Li was abused there until she became emaciated and finally passed away.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/7/22/244247.html