Ninety-One Falun Gong Practitioners Died in 2014 as Result of Persecution

The year 2014 saw 123 newly confirmed cases of Falun Gong practitioner deaths that resulted because of the Chinese Communist regime's persecution campaign. Among these cases, 91 deaths occurred in 2014, 17 in 2013, and 15 prior to 2013.

This report provides brief statistics and a representative sample of death cases. The information was gathered from published reports on the Minghui website. Due to the tight control of such information in China, there are likely more cases of persecution not yet reported.

Gender, Age, and Region

Among the 91 deaths in 2014, 53 (58%) were female, and 38 (42%) were male. Among the newly confirmed deaths that occurred before 2014, 18 (56%) were female, and 14 (44%) were male.

The practitioners' ages at death are available for 80 cases among those in 2014. The youngest was 28, and the oldest was 80. Most (25 cases, or 31%) were between 46-60. There were 13 cases (16%) between the ages of 28-45, 16 (20%) between 61-65, 14 (16%) between 66-70, and 12 (15%) above age 70.

Nearly half of the deaths in 2014 occurred in China's three northeastern provinces: 21 (23%) in Liaoning, 15 (16%) in Jilin, and 9 (10%) in Heilongjiang.

Causes of Death

In 2014, 28 (31%) practitioners were tortured to death in prison; 17 (19%) died in police stations or detention centres due to physical torture; 10 (11%) died after they had been forced to leave home for extended periods; 8 (9%) and 7 (8%) deaths were caused by torture in labor camps and brainwashing centres, respectively. The remaining deaths (21 cases, or 23%) were caused by other extreme physical and mental stresses, including being harassed, threatened, extorted, jailed, monitored, and having homes ransacked.

In the following sections, we briefly review a few typical cases.

1. Zhang Shuxian tortured to death in police station one day after arrest

On August 7th, 2014, officers from the Tumen City Domestic Security Division arrested practitioner Ms. Zhang Shuxian. The next day, Ms. Zhang’s family was informed of her death. The police took Ms. Zhang's husband to the city hospital and told him that Ms. Zhang had suffered a heart attack and was in emergency care. According to her husband, Ms. Zhang had no previous heart conditions.

When Ms. Zhang's husband saw her at the hospital, she showed no signs of life, and had dark bruises and wounds all over her chest, abdomen, and legs. There was a footprint on her back, which appeared to be the result of a heavy kick. Ms. Zhang died at the age of 53.

2. Wang Haijin Died After 90 Days of Torture in Detention Centre

Mr. Wang Haijin from Funing County, Qinhuangdao was arrested on April 22nd, 2014 at his bakery, and taken to Funing County Detention Centre. During the 90 days he was held there, he was force-fed, savagely beaten, sexually abused, and made to do forced labour.

This 5'10'' tall man lost 60 pounds in the detention centre, weighing only 140 pounds by the time he was released. He often vomited after eating, even if he drank only water. Even a month after he returned home, Mr. Wang couldn't sleep at night due to flashbacks of being tortured during his detention. While lying in bed, his limbs would involuntarily stretch out to the sides, as if he were being force-fed. Unable to eat or sleep well, he remained very weak.

Mr. Wang Haijin passed away on October 9th, 2014 at the age of 46.

3. Xiang Xiaobo Poisoned in Labour Camp

Ms. Xiang Xiaobo passed away on February 20th, 2014, at the age of 55. She was emaciated and suffered a mental collapse before being released on medical parole from Heilongjiang Province Rehabilitation Forced Labour Camp on June 5th, 2013. It is believed that she was given poisonous drugs during the eight months she was held there.

Ms. Xiang was dull-eyed and unresponsive on her return home. She ate very little and mumbled to herself. She tried to run out of her home or stood or sat in one spot for hours without moving. During the last two months of her life, Mr. Xiang was bedridden, curled up in a ball, and consumed barely any food or water.

According to an eyewitness, a guard at the labour camp ordered the inmate assigned to monitor Ms. Xiang to mix a light-yellow powder into her soya milk drink. She was also injected with a large amount of fluids daily, which the guards said was glucose. Her hands were swollen as a result of the repeated intravenous injections.

Ms. Xiang began to exhibit strange behaviour: she would sometimes mop the floor over and over for hours, suddenly start running, or talk continuously while facing a wall for hours on end. During her last month in the forced labour camp, she was given injections every day. She experienced intermittent disorientation and episodes of uncontrollable shouting and screaming at night.

4. Han Haiming Died from Beatings in Prison

Mr. Han Haiming had been arrested in Qicheng Village of Qi County on April 7th, 2011. He was sentenced to a 3.5-year prison term and taken to Jinzhong Prison, where he was abused to the brink of death.

On April 4th, 2014, Mr. Han was beaten by prison authorities and collapsed. He lay next to the bed and vomited his stomach contents through his nose and mouth. Mr. Han was hospitalized the same night but never regained full consciousness. Pieces of his scalp were missing on the left side of his head, and there were traces of blood and bruises on other parts of his head.

He died of a brain haemorrhage in the early morning of April 8th, at the age of 67. His family received his ashes by noon; local authorities orchestrated the immediate cremation.

5. Wang Haitian Tortured to Death in Brainwashing Centre

Mr. Wang Haitian was arrested on October 18th, 2013, outside of his home in Jilin City. Officers from the Jilin Police Department and Zhihe Police Station took him to the Shahezi Brainwashing Centre, where he was force-fed chilli pepper water and mustard oil through his nose, and had cigarettes inserted into his nostrils.

After his release on December 5th, 2013, his health deteriorated rapidly. He had difficulty breathing, a severely swollen abdomen, and constipation. He died within two months of his release on February 2nd, 2014, at the age of 45.

Three days after his death, his mouth turned black and purple and his face green. Small black particles the size of grains of rice were found in his ashes. Family members suspect that he had been injected with harmful drugs.

6. Zheng Zongye Harassed by Police, Forced to Leave Home

Mr. Zheng Zongye, 61, a resident of Xicheng District, Beijing, died in January 2014, due to constant stress from police harassment for over a decade.

Because of his belief in Falun Gong, Mr. Zheng and his family were evicted from his company-owned apartment on March 28th, 2000. The authorities often showed up at his new residence unannounced to interrogate or arrest him.

On November 25th, 2002, Mr. Zheng and his family left home to escape the relentless harassment. However, the authorities continued to track down his family. Mr. Zheng was forced to move nearly 20 times over the course of 12 years.

On January 7th, 2014, Mr. Zheng collapsed and was hospitalized. A secretary from the local Political and Legal Affairs Committee ordered the hospital to deny Mr. Zheng any medical treatment. The hospital complied with the order, and Mr. Zheng soon died.

7. Liu Yuxian Monitored, Harassed, and Threatened

Ms. Liu Yuxian from Jilin City, Jilin Province was arrested on April 18th, 2014 by officers from the Hadawan Police Station. Ms. Liu was held in Jilin City Detention Centre for two weeks.

After Ms. Liu was released, the local authorities often harassed her and her family. They informed Ms. Liu that her husband's and her son's cellphones had been tapped, plainclothes officers were stationed outside her building, and that she was being closely monitored.

Ms. Liu lived in constant fear. She became anxious and depressed, and developed nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and inability to walk. She also experienced chills and involuntary trembling. Ms. Liu's health deteriorated rapidly, and she passed away on September 20th, 2014, at the age of 56.