Researcher Dies after Ongoing Police Harassment Following Imprisonment for His Faith in Falun Gong

Mr. Wang Guanghui was arrested on March 15, 2014 for sending text messages about Falun Gong, a mind-body practice being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since July 1999.

The Hefei City, Anhui Province resident was sentenced to three years in prison and fired from his job as a researcher at Anhui Academy of Social Sciences. Mr. Wang faced frequent harassment from the local police after he was released from prison. He died on January 19, 2019.

Perpetrators Responsible for Mr. Wang's Arrest and Prosecution
Mr. Wang was arrested by agents from the Wuhulu Police Station. The officer in charge of his case was Huang Guangxiang, who was promoted to Deputy Chief of the Baohe Police Station less than two months after Mr. Wang's arrest. According to insiders, Huang was rewarded with the promotion for his role in fabricating evidence against Mr. Wang.

Hao Ming was the prosecutor for the Baohe District Procuratorate, the agency that filed an indictment against Mr. Wang. Judges Li Li and Ling Shengrong of the Baohe District Court were responsible for handing down the three-year sentence against Mr. Wang in 2015.

According to insiders, Sang Xiangqing ordered the judges to convict Mr. Wang. Sang was the political instructor of the “Anti-cult” Division at the Hefei City Police Department. The division has been used by the regime to specifically target Falun Gong since the persecution began, even though no law in China criminalizes or labels Falun Gong a cult.

Sang was promoted to Deputy County Executive of Lujiang County and Chief of the Lujiang Police Department in 2017 for his role in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.

Appeal Rejected, Job Terminated, Abused in Prison
Mr. Wang appealed to the Hefei City Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold his prison sentence without holding a hearing. The appeals court claimed that all appeals related to Falun Gong cases are taken care of as such, without holding hearings.

Mr. Wang then filed motions to reconsider his case with the Hefei City Procuratorate and later with the Anhui Province Superior Court, both of which declined to take up his case citing the same excuse that “Falun Gong cases are political cases and they have no say whatsoever.”

The Anhui Academy of Social Sciences fired Mr. Wang not long after he was sent to Suzhou Prison.

While imprisoned, Mr. Wang was put in solitary confinement and suffered ongoing abuse for refusing to renounce his faith. Though he was later let out upon his family's protest, while incarcerated he was forced to do hard labor without pay and was closely monitored by criminal inmates.

Frequently Harassed after Prison Release
Mr. Wang was released on March 14, 2017. That day, Wang Xia and another local government official showed up outside the prison and attempted to take him away. Mr. Wang's family strongly resisted the attempt and were able to bring him home.

The local police and officials kept close watch on Mr. Wang after his release. At 5:00 a.m. on March 3, 2018, the first day of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, four people, including officer Jing Xiankang, a Party Secretary named Xie Hui, and a staff member named Rao Wandong, descended on Mr. Wang's home.

They warned Mr. Wang “not to cause trouble for the authorities” by distributing Falun Gong information.

Mr. Wang's health had been declining since he was released from prison. The frequent harassment from the authorities intensified the pressure he was facing. He died on January 19, 2019.