Shaanxi Man Dies from Tuberculosis Developed During Imprisonment for His Faith

A Yanchuan County resident passed away from tuberculosis in April 2018, only six months after he was released from serving an 18-month prison term for not renouncing his faith in Falun Gong. He was in his 50s.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a mind-body discipline persecuted by the communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Gao Shiyuan was diagnosed with tuberculosis soon after he was admitted to the prison. While he was receiving treatment at the prison hospital, guard Zhang Zhongqiu still attempted to force him to renounce Falun Gong through intensive brainwashing and coercion. His conditions never improved during his imprisonment or after he was released.

Mr. Gao was arrested in April 2016 at a bus station in Xi'an City after the police found in his luggage several Falun Gong books and some bank notes with “Falun Dafa is good” written on them.

Since all media is strictly controlled by the communist regime, many Falun Gong practitioners turn to creative ways to spread information about the persecution, including writing messages on paper currency.

One month after Mr. Gao's arrest, a few officers drove to his neighbourhood in Chang'an District, put up photos of him, and asked local residents to provide information about him.

Mr. Gao was later sentenced to 18 months in Weinan Prison by Baqiao District Court.

Three Terms in Forced Labour Camp for His Faith
Mr. Gao began to practice Falun Gong in 1998, and he credited it for improving his health and character.

After the communist regime ordered the nationwide suppression of Falun Gong in 1999, Mr. Gao was given three forced labour camp terms as a result of holding firm to his faith.

Mr. Gao was first arrested in September 1999 when he went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. He was detained at Zaozihe Forced Labour Camp in the next two years and subjected to intensive brainwashing, hard labour and forced feeding.

He was arrested and taken back to the labour camp again when he went to Xianyang City to look for a practitioner who was detained there together with him. He held a hunger strike to protest the arbitrary detention for a few months and was then released.

Mr. Gao was arrested for the third time while having breakfast on January 28, 2009. The police ransacked his home and confiscated his Falun Gong books, exercise music, and more than 3,000 yuan in cash. His blind, 85-year-old mother was traumatized by the police brutality.

The guards at Yanchuan County Detention Center ordered the detainees to beat him when he refused to cooperate with their demand to memorize the detention centre rules. His body was covered with bruises.

When he held a hunger strike to protest the beatings, the guards ordered the inmates to force-feed him.

He was later sent to Zaozihe Forced Labor Camp for the second time and then transferred to Guozhen Forced Labor Camp, where he was subjected to beatings again for refusing to give up Falun Dafa.

Not long after he was released, the police seized him again and kept him at Xuanpingyuan Brainwashing Center for three and a half months in August 2014 before telling his family to take him home. Police confiscated more than 15,000 yuan in cash at his residence.