Elderly Doctor Dies after 20 Years of Police Harassment for His Faith in Falun Gong

A retired doctor in Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner, Inner Mongolia passed away on January 17, 2019, after suffering from twenty years of police harassment for his faith in Falun Gong. He was 84.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since July 1999.

Mr. Wang Lishan began to practise Falun Gong in August 1996. He was president of the People's Hospital in Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner. After he retired, he opened his own clinic and often provided free medicine and medical treatment for patients who couldn't afford to go to the hospital.

Mr. Wang and his wife, Ms. Zhu Guilan, established an exercise site at their own home in winter 1997 for local Falun Gong practitioners to do the exercises together.

Two months before the communist regime launched the national campaign against Falun Gong, the police ransacked Mr. Wang's home twice and confiscated his Falun Gong-related materials. They also harassed the practitioners at the exercise site multiple times and threatened them not to do the practice any more.

The police arrested Mr. Wang on July 23, 1999, and held him captive for one day. They ordered him to disclose information on all the practitioners who frequented the exercise site at his home. The police also threatened him that he wasn't allowed to practise Falun Gong any more or go to Beijing to appeal for his faith. Mr. Wang refused to comply.

After Mr. Wang was released, the police arranged for his neighbour to monitor his daily activities. The police tapped his phone line and harassed him at home almost every month. He and his wife's once normal, peaceful life was ruined.

Zhang Shibin, the head of the local 610 Office knocked on Mr. Wang's door on November 19, 2000, and claimed that someone was looking for him for emergency medical treatment. Mr. Wang opened the door, only to have a group of officers break in and ransack his home. These officers didn't only take his Falun Gong materials, but also many valuable personal items, such as his gold pen, watches, and expensive clothes.

The police returned two days later and attempted to arrest Mr. Wang. When his wife stopped them, the police arrested her instead. Ms. Zhu, then 63, was forced to stand without sleep for the entire evening at the police station and was then taken to the local detention centre the next morning. She was kept there for seven months, and her family had to pay the 610 Office 80,000 yuan before being allowed to take her home.

In a new round of persecution, Mr. Wang was arrested in September 2005. He was held at the detention centre for 15 days and a brainwashing centre for a month. His previous workplace was ordered to pay 2,000 yuan to the police in exchange for his release.

Mr. Wang and his wife were arrested together with three Falun Gong practitioners while they were studying the Falun Gong teachings at his home on July 27, 2017.

The three guests of Mr. Wang were kept in custody for further detention, while he, who was 82 back then, and his wife, 80, were released on bail hours later.

The police returned on the next day and ransacked his home again. His Falun Gong books, a mobile phone and a media player he used to play Falun Gong exercise music were taken away.

Ms. Zhu was taken back into custody on November 24, 2017. Their two sons, Mr. Wang Dongdong and Mr. Wang Fei, were both harassed by the police as well.

During July and August 2018, the police harassed the elderly couple at home in the middle of the night.

The repeated arrests and long term harassment left Mr. Wang in deep fear and distress. His health declined quickly in late 2018 and he passed away five months following the police's latest harassment.