Shandong Man Suddenly Dies in Detention, Family Suspects Foul Play

Mr. Wang Yijun was still very healthy and in good spirits when his lawyer visited him at the detention centre on August 13 of this year. Six weeks later, the 65-year-old man from Qingzhou City suddenly died, and his family suspects foul play.

Mr. Wang was arrested on September 6, 2015 after filing a criminal complaint against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for initiating the persecution of Falun Gong that resulted in his two-time labour camp detention and confiscation of his personal belongings.

Supporters from his hometown signed petitions calling for his release, but he remained held at Qingzhou City Detention Centre after three court hearings produced no verdict.

The detention centre called his family on September 25 of this year, saying that Mr. Wang was being resuscitated at Zhongxin Hospital. He, however, was nowhere to be found when his family rushed there. A doctor revealed that he had already stopped breathing when he was brought to the hospital earlier that day.

Mr. Wang’s family couldn’t believe what they heard, but they couldn’t get hold of any detention centre officials to verify the news. They called 110 (emergency services), which led to the discovery that Mr. Wang’s body had been moved to a local morgue.

Police officers were guarding the morgue when Mr. Wang’s family and lawyer arrived there. Only a few family members were allowed inside, but they were prohibited from taking pictures of his body.

Mr. Wang’s family is working to find out the cause of his death.

Background
In 1999, Jiang Zemin, as head of the Chinese Communist Party, overrode other Politburo standing committee members and launched the violent suppression of Falun Gong.

The persecution has led to the deaths of many Falun Gong practitioners over the past 17 years. More have been tortured for their belief and even killed for their organs. Jiang Zemin is directly responsible for the inception and continuation of the brutal persecution.

Under his personal direction, the Chinese Communist Party established an extralegal security organ, the “610 Office,” on June 10, 1999. The organization overrides police forces and the judicial system in carrying out Jiang's directive regarding Falun Gong: to ruin their reputations, cut off their financial resources, and destroy them physically.

Chinese law allows for citizens to be plaintiffs in criminal cases, and many practitioners are now exercising that right to file criminal complaints against the former dictator.