Former Civil Engineer Passes Away After Years of Incarceration and Harassment

A former civil engineer from the Nickel and Cobalt Research Institute in Jinchang City, Gansu Province died on October 19, 2020, after suffering two decades of persecution for his faith in Falun Gong. Mr. Mao Wei was 53.

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

Mr. Mao took up Falun Gong in October 1996. He lived by Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance and stopped taking gifts from his business partners.

On July 22, 1999, two days after the communist regime ordered the persecution of Falun Gong, Mr. Mao was arrested and his home was ransacked. He was interrogated by several police officers.

Mr. Mao was sent to a brainwashing session set up by his workplace on March 3, 2000. He was subjected to intensive brainwashing and ordered to do heavy labor. He was given a meager 300 yuan for living expenses for the month he was detained there.

On April 10, 2000, the police formally arrested Mr. Mao and sent him to the Jinchang City Detention Center. It’s reported that the authorities targeted Mr. Mao, who was a young and well educated professional, in order to intimidate other practitioners. He was detained for nine months and twenty-seven days.

Mr. Mao was arrested again on March 13, 2007, after the police suspected him and other practitioners of putting up banners around town that urged people to quit the Chinese Communist Party.

The police ransacked his home and interrogated him for six days while subjecting him to sleep deprivation. His hands were severely bruised from handcuffs and his face was deformed from being beaten.

The authorities established a special task force to handle Mr. Mao’s case. He was sent to a secret detention location on March 29 and subjected to further interrogation. His computer was also sent to an intelligence specialist for examination.

Mr. Mao and five other practitioners appeared in the Yongchang County Court on October 19, 2007. They all pleaded not guilty for spreading information about their faith. On November 27, 2007, Mr. Mao was sentenced to six years in prison.

While serving time at the Jiuquan Prison, Mr. Mao was monitored around the clock by four inmates, who were assigned by Wang Dongfeng, head of the Second Ward. For four months, Mr. Mao was held in solitary confinement. He was ordered to get up at 6 a.m. and forced to read books slandering Falun Gong. During the day, ten “helpers” took turns verbally attacking him and slandering Falun Gong. He wasn’t allowed to sleep until 12 a.m. The persecution caused Mr. Mao tremendous mental distress and he was constantly on the verge of a breakdown.

While he was in prison, his workplace fired him. His wife’s job was also affected. Their child faced discrimination at school.

The police and residential committee staff continued to harass Mr. Mao after he was released. He became delirious and incapacitated in 2018. Yet the police didn’t stop harassing him. Mr. Mao passed away around 9 a.m. on October 19, 2020. Three days later, two officers searched his home and confiscated two laptops.