Five Female Dafa Practitioners Die as a Result of Persecution

Mrs. Hao Zhimei, 61, was a retired teacher from Yitian Elementary School in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province. Police arrested her in mid-March of 2005 and informed her family later that month that Mrs. Hao died. Mrs. Hao's relatives were not allowed to see her body or request an autopsy.

Mrs. Wang Junxiao, 68, lived in Xizhaozhuang Village, Dingzhou City, Hebei Province. She started practising Falun Dafa in 1997. Since the nationwide crackdown began on July 20th, 1999, Mrs. Wang had been harassed numerous times. Police frequently searched and ransacked her home. Mrs. Wang's daughter had also been persecuted for her belief in Falun Dafa. Mrs. Wang endured tremendous physical and mental pressure for too long and suffered a mental breakdown. She passed away on June 20th, 2005.

Mrs. Zhou Yafan, 45, lived in Jilin City, Jilin Province. She worked as a kindergarten assistant. She began practising Falun Gong in 1996. Police often searched her home. On August 25th, 1999, police broke into her home and confiscated her Dafa materials. Mrs. Zhou was sent to a brainwashing session in September. Later that month, she went to appeal in Beijing and was sentenced to one year in forced labour. When she was released a year later, police kept her under constant surveillance. Police would question her whenever she left home. Unable to bear any longer such long-term mental pressure, Mrs. Zhou died of a heart attack on May 24th, 2005.

Ms. Lin Xiuqin, 68, lived in Changchun City, Jilin Province. Between 1999 and 2000, she went twice to appeal for justice for Falun Gong and clarify the facts in Beijing. She was detained for half a month there. Police frequently threatened and harassed her. The intense mental pressure overwhelmed Ms. Lin, and she died on June 14th, 2005.

Ms. Pang Fengying, 86, lived by herself in Xiajin County, Shandong Province. Before practising Falun Gong in 1997, she had had poor health and needed much medicine. The practice greatly improved her health. She could even fetch by hand over 20 buckets of water from a deep well to water her vegetable garden every day. She could rise at 4 each morning to do the exercises. Her ill temper disappeared as well. During the persecution, policemen Wang Shuhai and others came to harass her at her home many times. Police often threatened her to try to get her to stop practising Falun Gong and confiscated her Dafa material. Ms. Pang could not withstand the pressure and stopped practising. Her former illnesses recurred, and she died on February 9th, 2005.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/10/23/112981.html