Fourth Shanghai Dafa Practitioner to Die as a Result of Inhuman Torture

Falun Dafa Information Centre September 1 report: In late 2000, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Li Weihong from Shanghai sustained severe injuries to her oesophagus, liver, stomach, intestines and other internal organs. These injuries were the result of brutal force-feeding of hot pepper liquid by police officers in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province. Later, she was under torture for a long time at the hands of officials from the Shanghai "610 Office" and police. She died on April 19, 2003, the result of severe injuries from torture.

The following is some background information: In late November 2000, Li Weihong and several other Falun Gong practitioners were arrested by the local police in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province - their temporary residence. They were taken into detention and brutally beaten. Li Weihong went on a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention, and the police force-fed her with a hot pepper solution through a tube. It was so painful that she rolled on the floor. Her stomach, liver, and other internal organs were severely damaged.

In June 2001, Wenzhou City Court held an illegal trial of the four practitioners. Li Weihong had to be carried into the courthouse because she was on the verge of death. She passed out several times during the trial and had to be carried in and out several times. Later, she was illegally sentenced to one year in prison and was given parole to obtain medical treatment..

It was learned that Ms. Li Weihong made use of all favourable situations to distribute Dafa truth clarification materials before she was sent to the hospital. She was arrested several times by Shanghai police, but the police had to let her go due to her poor health. She was sent to Jingan District Central Hospital, Shanghai. While in surgery, the doctor discovered that her intestines and stomach had ulcerated. She died on April 19, 2003.

Before that, in the year 2000, she went to Tiananmen Square with other practitioners, wearing a yellow vest with the red characters for Zhen-Shan-Ren embroidered on it and displayed a banner stating, "Falun Dafa is great". The police detained them in Jingan District Detention Centre, Shanghai for a month and a half. She had to leave her home after her release.

Li Weihong's mother and sister are both Falun Gong practitioners and both have also suffered harsh persecution. Her sister Li Weiling has been illegally sentenced to an eight-year prison term and is detained in Songjiang District Female Prison, Shanghai. Her 68-year-old mother was illegally sentenced to two years of forced labour and fortunately was recently released from the labour camp, not without severe toll to her health.

Sources claim that before this torture death happened to Li Weihong, three other Falun Gong practitioners in Shanghai had also died as a result of severe torture. They are Yang Xueqin, Li Jianbin and Li Baifan. Li Baifan was a lecturer in the East China Normal University. He was in his 40's. In April 2001, policemen from Qingpu District pushed Li Baifan from a building, but claimed he committed suicide.

Chinese version available at http://media.minghui.org/gb/case/liweihong09032003.html