Retired Farm Worker Dies after Being Tortured in Heilongjiang Women's Prison

Name: Zhao Bixu
Gender: Female
Age: 66
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Retired from the Yingchun 854 Farm
Date of Death: January 14th, 2012
Date of Most Recent Arrest: August 4th, 2008
Most Recent Place of Detention: Heilongjiang Province Women's Prison
City: Hulin
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Imprisonment, home ransacked, detention

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhao Bixu was retired from the Yingchun 854 Farm in Hulin City. On the afternoon of August 4th, 2008, she was arrested for explaining the facts about Falun Gong. She was later sentenced to three and half years in prison and was incarcerated in the Heilongjiang Province Women's Prison. In 2011, she was hospitalised for about seven months in the Heilongjiang Province Women's Prison Hospital. The prison authorities refused to release her. In January 2011, Ms. Zhao was again hospitalised for some time. She died on January 14th, 2012.

On the afternoon of August 4th, 2008, while Ms. Zhao was waiting for a friend in front of the State Tax Building, she gave a man a talisman¹ and told him that he would be rewarded if he repeated the words, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good." He took the talisman from her and asked her, "Anything else?" Ms. Zhao replied, "Nothing else." He immediately called the No. 854 Police Sub-Bureau. When police officers Wang Guifu, Chen Lei, and Qi Dayong arrived, they dragged Ms. Zhao to their police vehicle and took her to the station. The officers later broke into her home without showing any identification or legal documents. They ransacked the place and confiscated two Falun Gong books and two MP3 players. The next morning, Ms. Zhao was beaten until she was unconsciousness and taken to the detention centre of Mudanjiang Reclamation Farm Administration Bureau.

On the morning of November 20th, 2008, Ms. Zhao was tried at the Farm Corporation Court. Approximately 75 people attended the trial, including her relatives and good friends. The state prosecutor fabricated several stories and claimed that Ms. Zhao's actions "sabotaged the implementation of the law."

Ms. Zhao said, "I am a housewife. I talked to someone and suggested that they remember that 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' is good, and gave him a talisman. It is nonsense to suggest that what I did was 'sabotaging the implementation of the law.'" When Ms. Zhao started to describe how she and her family had benefited from practising Falun Gong, the judge refused to listen and stopped her from talking.

The defence attorney pointed out to the court that the police officers involved in the arrest had done something unethical and illegal, and strongly suggested that the judge declare Ms. Zhao "not guilty," and release her immediately and unconditionally. Since the procurator could not refute the defence's argument--and the judge seemed to have fallen asleep--the trial ended abruptly. However, the court still sentenced Ms. Zhao to a three-and-a-half-year prison term. Ms. Zhao was taken to the Heilongjiang Province Women's Prison.

While imprisoned, Ms. Zhao refused to renounce Falun Gong. She refused to wear a prisoner's uniform or do forced labour, because she knew that she was innocent. The guards refused to let her family visit her.

In June and July of 2010, Ms. Zhao developed illnesses as a result of the persecution. The prison authorities refused to release her. Ms. Zhao died at 1:30 a.m. on January 14th, 2012.

Earlier reports:

“Sham Trial for Ms. Zhao Bixu Ends Abruptly” (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/12/18/103079.html)

Note

1. Talisman - In China, practitioners sometimes clarify the truth by giving people something small to wear or cherish, bearing a few words reminding them of the goodness of Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2012/1/21/251887.html