A 52-year-old man died mysteriously on the eve of the 2016 Chinese New Year, about one month after he was sentenced to seven years for refusing to renounce his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
Mr. Zhao Yongsheng from Jingchuan County, Gansu Province was arrested in early 2015 and tried in mid-December without his family's knowledge. He was still being held at Jingchuan County Detention Centre when he passed away on February 7th.
Mr. Zhao's only family was three brothers, who weren't notified of his death until February 10th. They doubted the police claim that their brother died of a stroke and demanded autopsy results.
The police threatened to cremate Mr. Zhao's body if the brothers didn't stop inquiring about his cause of death.
As it is customary to bury a deceased person in Jingchuan, the Zhao brothers reluctantly agreed to accept 65,000 yuan1 in compensation and waive their right to seek justice for Mr. Zhao.
Several dozen officers escorted Mr. Zhao's body back to his hometown on February 11th. One officer said, “If Falun Gong comes to protest, we will have guns for them!”
Note
1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.
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