Older Falun Dafa Practitioner Mr. Chen Guoxiang Dies as a Result of Persecution

Mr. Chen Guoxiang was an engineer at the Wutonghua Lead-Zinc Mine in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The persecutors detained him twice in Wuyuan Forced Labour Camp in Bameng City. Because of suffering torture in the labour camp, Mr. Chen became emaciated, and developed excessive fluid accumulation around the heart, in the lungs and abdomen. He died on December 19th, 2005.

Mr. Chen Guoxiang was 55 years old. He started to practise Falun Gong in 1998. He was a key technical person at his workplace, worked very hard and got along very well with his colleagues. His supervisor once said that if the workplace could only keep one employee, that person would be Mr. Chen. In November 1999, Mr. Chen went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and was detained by the local police for a month.

On June 24th, 2000, Mr. Chen's entire family was arrested by local police. In August 2000, his wife was sentenced to 2 years of forced labour. After being detained for 14 months, and Mr. Chen and his son were sentenced to 3 years of forced labour in August 2001. Because he refused to renounce Falun Gong, the persecutors tortured Mr. Chen with methods such as sleep deprivation and "Tying the Ropes." Mr. Chen went on hunger strike many times and never signed anything that was against Falun Dafa.

In mid-April 2003, when Mr. Chen and his son were released from the labour camp, the head of the Chifeng City 610 Office¹ Yang and his associates directly sent them to Chifeng City Brainwashing Centre. The brainwashing centre was forced to close because of the SARS breakout, so the father and son were detained there for 4 days before being released. However, staff from Mr. Chen's workplace continued to monitor him.

On June 25th, 2003, Li Jinghai and his associates from the Wengniute State Security Group arrested Mr. Chen at work and took him to a brainwashing centre. He was tortured for 17 days and nights, yet Mr. Chen did not give in. At the time, several collaborators² took turns in trying to brainwash him (through talking to him continuously). They also forced him to squat for long periods of time and deprived him of sleep. Yang Chunyue, head of Chifeng City 610 Office threatened that "we will sentence him to forced labour if he refuses to reform." Persecutors in the 610 Office also extorted 4,000 yuan³ from Chen's work unit.

On July 17th, 2003, Mr. Chen was arrested again and detained in Wengniute Detention Centre. In January 2004, he was secretly transferred to Wuyuan Forced Labour Camp for a 3-year term. During this period, his family members did not know his whereabouts, although they asked around. They finally heard in January 2005 that Mr. Chen was detained in Wuyuan Forced Labour Camp.

During a meeting at the labour camp where much slanderous discussions went on, Mr. Chen and two other practitioners bravely stepped forward to refute the lies. They shouted loudly, "Falun Dafa is good." The three practitioners were forced to kneel until the end of the meeting. After that, they were put into small cells. Guard Zhong Zhiyuan said to Mr. Chen while shocking his sole with an electric baton, "I will torture you for three years if you don't reform⁴!" That time, Mr. Chen was tortured mentally and physically for 10 days.

On February 24th, 2005, Mr. Chen's family members received a call from the head of the local 610 Office, Ba Te, who asked them to immediately come and pick up Mr. Chen at the Wuyuan Forced Labour Camp. The family members were not allowed into Wuyuan Forced Labour Camp until March 6th, 2005. When they finally saw Mr. Chen on March 7th, 2005 in the Wuyuan County Hospital, Mr. Chen was emaciated because of the torture, and very pale. He appeared unsteady on his feet and as if he was going to fall down at any time when walking. Doctors in the hospital did not see the family members, nor were they shown the diagnosis and medical results. According to Mr. Chen, he had been there for over 10 days. There was excessive fluid built up in his chest cavity. The doctors had syphoned out about 2 litres of fluid from an opening in his lower back.

On the discharge papers (released on bail for medical treatment), it said that Mr. Chen suffered from severe heart, lung, and liver illnesses. Before the severe symptoms appeared, Mr. Chen felt fatigued and as if being suffocated. He also coughed day and night. After his diagnosis, doctors in the hospital told the persecutors in the labour camp that Mr. Chen's condition was very serious and he would have to stay in the hospital. Despite his condition, two guards monitored him daily. At night, he was handcuffed to the bed. A guard named Zhao Naidong took a pen and some paper to Mr. Chen's bed and tried to force him to write the Three Statements⁵. When Mr. Chen firmly refused him, the guard left in anger.

The forced labour camp asked Mr. Chen's family members for 1,700 yuan for medical expenses. Yet after several years of persecution, the family members simply could not afford the amount. After two guards signed a guarantee (that the family members will return the money) and the family members submitted 280 yuan, Mr. Chen was finally released.

After Mr. Chen returned home, local police and members of 610 Office still went to his home and harassed him. To avoid harassment, he left home and looked for medical treatment. The local police looked for him everywhere and spread rumours that Mr. Chen had run away. Mr. Chen, who was already in serious condition as a result of the physical and mental torture, was forced to live a destitute homeless life for over 9 months until he passed away on December 19th, 2005.

Wuyuan Forced Labour Camp

Address: Wuyuan County, Bayanzhuoer, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 015112
86- 478-5558241; 5558221
Persecutors: Zhao Naidong, Liu Baohua, and Wei Yuzhi.

Wengniute (Town) Police Department in Chifeng City

Li Hongzhu, secretary of Wengniute Township Political and Judiciary Committee: 86-476-6323936 (O), 86-476-6322152 (H)
Li Jinghai, State Security Group Head: 86-476-6328474, 86-476-6326247 (O), 86-476-6321351 (H)
Ba Teer, head of 610 Office: 86-476-6322484
Yang Chunyue, a head of Qiaoxi Brainwashing Centre (under Chifeng City 610 Office): 86- 13904766288 (mobile), 86-476-8339595, 8689901, 8236710 (O)

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

2. "Collaborators": Former practitioners who have turned against Falun Gong under brainwashing and torture. They are then made to assist in brainwashing and torturing practitioners.

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

4. "Reform or Transform" Implementation of brainwashing and torture in order to force a practitioner to renounce Falun Gong. (Variations: "reform", "transform", "reformed", "reforming", "transformed", "transforming", and "transformation")

5. "Three Statements": Practitioners are coerced under brainwashing and torture to write "Repentance Statement," "Guarantee Statement" or 'Dissociation Statement" as proof that they have given up their belief. In the statement, the practitioner is forced to admit remorse for practising Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/1/25/119407.html