Three Elderly Falun Gong Practitioners from Liaoning Province Died from Persecution

Mr. Cai Zhenxiang, 65 years old, was a resident of Huludao City, Liaoning Province. In the spring of 1997, he was diagnosed with late-stage liver cirrhosis. His whole body was swollen. After practising Falun Gong, however, Mr. Cai's health recovered miraculously. The people around him, upon witnessing his miraculous recovery, all started to practise Falun Gong. Thereafter, his house became the local practice site. Later, more and more people joined them. The neighbouring village also set up a practice site for studying the Falun Gong teachings and doing the exercises. After the persecution of Falun Gong began on July 20, 1999, Mr. Cai was identified as a principal target for persecution. The local police and village officials went to Cai Zhenxiang's residence many times to harass, threaten, track, monitor and try to force him to give up his practice of Falun Gong. As a result, he suffered a relapse of his old illness. On December 29, 1999, Cai Zhenxiang passed away.

Ms. Zhang Guiqin was a resident of a village near Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province. She started to practise Falun Gong in 1997. Many illnesses that had tormented her for a long time all disappeared. On July 20, 1999 she went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. She was detained by police. She was also fined 200 yuan (1). On October 1 of that year, Ms. Zhang went a second time to appeal for Falun Gong. She was sent for forced labour without any legal grounds. She suffered much persecution at Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. On May 1, 2001, Ms. Zhang was released and she came back home. The local police station and village officials frequently came to her residence to harass and monitor her, and forbade her from practising the exercises. Thus she suffered a relapse of her old illnesses and passed away on March 7, 2002.

Ms. Wang Fuqin, 69 years old, was a resident of Yingkou City, Liaoning Province. After she started to practise Falun Gong in 1997, she recovered from the illnesses that she had for many years, without treatment. In August 21, 2003, her youngest daughter Li Fengmei, who had become homeless to avoid the persecution, was arrested and sentenced to four years in jail. This was a great blow to the elderly woman. She thought of her daughter and missed her every day. Then she learned that her daughter was persecuted so badly in Boyuquan Forced Labour Camp that she was in critical condition (before this, her eldest and second daughter were also sent to brainwashing classes). She could not take the huge blow of the series of events of her family members being persecuted, and on March 21, 2004, Wang Fuqin passed away.

Note:

(1) "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/4/4/98848.html