Five Practitioners Die as a Result of Persecution

Ms. Shi Xiulan, 76, was a resident of Baoguantun Village, Nanpi County, in Hebei Province. She had extremely poor health before practising Falun Gong. Since practising Falun Gong in 1998, she saw great improvement in her health. On July 20th, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong, and Ms. Shi was very distraught. She did not understand how this could happen. On crutches, she went to Beijing with her daughter to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong. Her daughter was arrested and sentenced to four years of imprisonment. Her daughter used to take care of her, so Ms. Shi lived each day in anxiety after her daughter was taken away. As a result of the tremendous stress, she relapsed into a state of poor health and died on October 9th, 2000. She cried out her daughter's name before dying, but she was unable to see her daughter one last time.

Ms. Zhang Tianlian, 64, was a Falun Gong practitioner in Guabang Town, Miyi County, Sichuan Province. After the persecution started, her son and daughter-in-law, afraid of being implicated, forbade her to practise. If she tried to leave to visit fellow practitioners, the couple would curse at her and throw rice bowls at her. Under these circumstances, Ms. Zhang could only practise secretly in the middle of the night. Her son would frequently check to see if she was practising the Falun Gong exercises, and threatened to punish her if she was ever caught. In anxiety and stress, Zhang Tianlian died on June 21st, 2005.

Ms. Sui Fenglian, 61, was a Dafa practitioner in the Daxinganling area of Heilongjiang Province. Before she began practising Falun Dafa, she suffered from severe diabetes that could not be cured. In 1996, Ms. Sui found Falun Gong and recovered from her diseases through the practice. After July 20th, 1999, local CCP officials forbade her to study the teachings of Falun Gong or practise the exercises. The CCP officials also frequently harassed the local practitioners. The officials threatened to take her son's job away if Ms. Sui continued to practise Falun Gong. Due to the tremendous mental pressure, Sui Fenglian died on January 24th, 2001.

Ms. Yang Shuying, 45, was a practitioner in the Daxinganling area of Heilongjiang Province. After practising Falun Dafa, her health greatly improved. Local CCP officials dispatched police to eradicate the local practice sites in her area. Unable to bear the pressure, Ms. Yang died in April of 2003.

Ms. Li Xiuqin, 68, was a resident in Kuandian County, Liaoning Province. After she began practising Falun Gong in 1996, she recovered from severe chronic pneumonia. After July 1999, local police and government officials ransacked her home under false charges. During the Chinese New Year of 2001, they came to harass the family when Ms. Li's daughter, who is also a practitioner, returned home. Ms. Li was traumatised by the persecution and died on April 24th, 2001. After her death, the police returned again to harass the other family members.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/10/27/113230.html