Two Brothers Die in Police Custody Three Years Apart

While a mother and father were still mourning the beating death of their older son, they were dealt another blow as their younger son died in police custody this April.

Mr. Yang Zhonggeng was beaten to death in police custody on June 28th, 2013, just four days after his arrest for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime. His body was covered with bruises. He was 38.

Fast forward three years later – his younger brother Mr. Yang Zhongsheng died in custody within 11 days of his arrest for his faith in Falun Gong. He was also 38.

Originally from Ruian City, Zhejiang Province, the Yang brothers worked in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, where they both lost their life for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of belief.

Zhengzhou police claimed that the younger brother died as a result of a hunger strike, but his parents were positive that he was also beaten to death just like his older brother.

Body Shows Signs of Trauma

The younger Mr. Yang’s parents had been worrying about him ever since his latest arrest on April 10th of this year. Their worst fear materialized when Zhengzhou police called them on April 27th notifying them of his death on April 21st.

They flew to Zhengzhou on May 4th and were heartbroken to see a badly bruised body. Mr. Yang’s crown was swollen and there was blood oozing out of the openings on his face. His nose and ears was stuffed with cotton balls. Four of his teeth were gone and replaced with false teeth. There were dark marks on his abdomen, and the tip of his penis appeared burnt. All his nails were dark, and one finger even dripped blood when Mr. Yang’s father touched it.

The father was so devastated that he fell ill and stayed hospitalized for one week, during which time the police forcibly carried him out to the police department to sign the paperwork required to cremate his son’s body.

Parents Under Surveillance

Zhengzhou authorities pressured Mr. Yang’s parents to waive their right to pursue legal actions by promising them a total of 600,000 yuan (£64,000) as compensation for their two sons’ deaths.

The elderly couple was met with Ruian 610 Office agents (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) shortly after their plane touched down at the local airport on May 17th. They were driven straight to a cemetery to have their younger son’s ashes buried. They are now under 24/7 surveillance.