Petition Letter from the Mother of Yang Xiaojie, Who Died as a Result of Torture (Photos)

My name is Cui Fugui. I am the mother of Yang Xiaojie and the mother-in-law of Liu Runling. At 11:15 a.m. on January 26th, 2006, my beloved son Yang Xiaojie passed away. His face, seen by his family, was kind. He didn't want to leave his parents, both in their 70s, his dear wife, and especially his 16-year-old daughter, the apple of his eye.

Yang Xiaojie, picture taken after death	Yang Xiaojie

I was with my son when he died. I screamed until my throat was dry and all the strength had left my body. I held my son's hand and shouted continuously, "Xiaojie, come back! You can't leave. You are a tough boy. Mum can't live without you, and you can't leave mum. You are a good boy. You are a good person. You deserve a good life! Xiaojie, mom knows there are many things you wanted to say but didn't, and so do I. Xiaojie, come back, listen to me, I know that you are very weak, and I want you to rest and recover before you speak. Xiaojie, come back! Mum knows your heart: you tried not to describe the tortures you suffered at the prison because you didn't want me to worry about you."

Yang Xiaojie and his daughter Yang Wenjing

I lost my mind and screamed and screamed for my son to come back. Around 5:00 p.m., blood gushed from my nose, but I didn't care. I truly hoped that my pleas could move the heavens. I thought, "I have such a wonderful son. You can't leave me. You are only 40 years old, yet the abusers at the No 4 Prison killed you. Mum will seek justice for you.

My son Yang Xiaojie was a simple, strong and goal-oriented person. Those who knew him say that he was intelligent and loved to help others. I used to have a happy family. My son and his wife loved each other and took care of their parents. I have a lovely granddaughter. Now nothing will ever be the same.

Yang Xiaojie worked at the North China Division of China Youth Daily. He started practising Falun Gong in 1996 and underwent tremendous physical and mental changes. He received important awards from his workplace. After the persecution started on July 20th, 1999, he persisted in believing in Truth-Compassion-Forbearance and being a good person. The police took him to the Xiumen Police Station in Shijiazhuang City, where he was held for 51 days. From then on, the police often harassed his work unit. On October 10th, 1999, because they were under pressure, his superiors fired him.

On the evening of April 12th, 2000, officer Fang Liang from the Penghou Street Police Station in Shijiazhuang City made up a reason to have him go to the Penghou Street Administration Office. People there illegally detained him for half a day before he was allowed to go home. His residence was under long-term close monitoring.

On September 29th, 2000, Yang Xiaojie and his wife Liu Runling left home to avoid further persecution. The police issued a warrant for their arrest. On the evening of September 28th, 2001, Yang Xiaojie and Liu Runling were both arrested in Shijiazhuang City and were savagely beaten. Liu Runling was later transferred to the Penghou Street Police Station and later to the No. 1 Detention Centre. Yang Xiaojie was locked in a metal chair for seven days and seven nights at the Penghou Street Police Station.

On February 10th, 2002, the Qiaoxi District People's Procuratorate approved the arrest of Yang Xiaojie and his wife. The couple was tried in the Qiaoxi District Court on September 9th, 2002. They were both sentenced to 11 years in prison for speaking the truth and practising Falun Gong.

After July 15th, 2003, Yang Xiaojie was held at Beijiao Prison, Hebei Province. His wife Liu Runling is being held at Hebei Province Women's Prison.

Yang Xiaojie was very healthy on entering the prison. The prison authorities placed him under "strict control" all year long because he refused to renounce his belief. They often locked him in solitary confinement, physically and verbally assaulted him, tortured him and didn't allow him to sleep. They constantly pressured him to "reform¹," which put him in a continuous intense and depressed state. The guards also encouraged the inmates to beat and torture him. All of these contributed to the illnesses that my son later developed. Because he persisted in his belief, the prison authorities refused family visits. When he suffered severe spinal pain for over a year and was paralysed for more than three months, they concealed his condition. He was emaciated and extremely weak. The perpetrators purposely let him die.

My son told me about the gross abuse and mistreatment he experienced at the Beijiao Prison:

When he first arrived at the prison he told the division heads about the fabricated charges against him. The division heads pretended to support his appeal but in fact they withheld his appeal statement(s). Once they even tore up his appeal in front of him. This dealt him a heavy blow.
In an effort to make Yang Xiaojie sign a "reform statement" that was filled with lies, the guards at Beijiao Prison once deprived him of sleep for 30 days. They often subjected him to physical abuse and detained him in solitary confinement three times. He went on a hunger strike twice for about a month, because his voice could not be heard and he was not receiving just treatment.
Between September 2003 and December 2003, Wang Guobin, head of the Education Division, encouraged inmate Fan Jiangshan to beat and kick Yang Xiaojie, which caused his stomach to be in pain. Two of his molars were knocked out. Later, the guards handcuffed and shackled him. Inmate Fan Jiangshan received a reduction of his sentence and was released early for participating in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
On the evening of June 2nd, 2004, Yang Xiaojie refused to watch a Dafa-slandering video and was sent to solitary confinement. He held a hunger strike to protest the mistreatment. On the morning of June 6th, Wang Guobin, head of the Education Division, tortured him through force-feeding. After a tube was inserted into his throat, he said the tube was too thin and must be replaced with a thicker one. After a thicker tube was inserted, the doctor suddenly poured highly concentrated salt water down the tube. It instantly filled Yang Xiaojie's mouth, nose and lungs. Because the rapid feeding made an exploding sensation caused by the salt water, he suddenly sat up in bed and pulled out the feeding tube. Three people failed to hold him down. For the following three days Yang Xiaojie coughed, vomited blood and ran a high fever.
On July 24th, 2004, my son refused to acknowledge the false charges against him and refused to do slave labour. He was again held in solitary confinement. He went on a hunger strike. Four days later he met with a factory head Chen (possibly Chen Xinguo), leader from Division 11, who said that the prison administration had made mistakes.
The last visit day in 2004 was November 23rd. In the year that followed, the prison authorities denied family visits because Yang Xiaojie refused to reform. I went to the prison every visiting day although I was 70 years old. Once I even knelt before a guard and begged him to let me meet with my son. I was so worried about him. I asked about his condition each time I went there. The guards always told me that he was doing well and ate a lot. He actually suffered from spinal pain for over a year and was paralysed for more than three months, but the prison authorities concealed his illness. They purposely missed the best time for medical treatment and we, Yang Xiaojie's family, cannot accept it.
On December 16th, 2005, I went to the prison to deliver a quilt to my son. I learned that my son was bedridden and paralysed. In fact, he was on the brink of death. The prison authorities still made up excuses and refused to let me see him. They didn't approve medical parole. My husband and I were very anxious. We went back and forth between the Hebei Province Administration Bureau officials and those from the Beijiao Prison. We begged and pleaded with the officials at both places. Our words fell on deaf ears. The prison authorities didn't allow us to take him home until 8:40 p.m. on December 28th, 2005. The first thing the doctor said was, "It's too late for him!"
In fact, the prison authorities had taken our son to an oncology hospital for a medical exam. They knew my son had a terminal illness and they wrote "mediastinal tumour, tuberculosis of the bone," yet they kept it from us and kept our son from receiving medical treatment on medical parole. They committed first-degree murder.
For a long time, my son lived under great pressure and could not eat. He was exhausted and passed away before he could see justice prevail. As his family, we think that the necrosis of his spinal disc was the result of chronic abuse and beating, because he had never been diagnosed with any similar condition. He had severe fluid accumulation in his lungs and tuberculosis. The most suspicious thing is that if our son's condition has nothing to do with the prison, so why did the prison authorities not allow the family to visit him for over a year? What were they trying to hide? Our son said he had suffered from spinal pain for over a year and really could not take it anymore. He had been paralysed for over three months. His weight dropped from 154 pounds to less than 77 pounds. He was skin and bones and had hardly any flesh on his buttocks. The skin on his thighs clung to the bone. His voice was weak and he had phlegm in his throat and fluid in his lungs. He had laboured breathing and slept most of the time. His spine hurt terribly, even when others helped him turn in bed, or when he occasionally sat up.

At about 2:00 p.m. on November 23rd, 2004, I saw Yang Xiaojie, and at about 10:00 a.m. on December 28th, 2005 I saw him again. I clearly remember that on November 23rd, 2004, we walked into the reception room. He was very happy to see his family. He ran to welcome us. When we saw him again on December 28th, 2005, however, he was semi-conscious and lying in bed. I hurried toward him and said, "Xiaojie, mum is here to see you." He struggled to open his eyes and looked confused. After a while, he tried very hard and said, "mum."

I could hardly recognise him, a once energetic and healthy man. He could not recognise his sister and sister-in-law. We couldn't hold back our tears. He was so emaciated that he looked deformed. I said out loud at the Beijiao Prison infirmary, "Child, be brave, we will certainly bring you home!" The prison authorities finally allowed us this meeting with my son when he was at death's door and could die at any time, after our whole family urgently requested a visit and spoke with the prison authorities and officials at Hebei Province Prison Administration Bureau many times.

The Beijiao Prison authorities, supposedly being administrators of the law, had violated the law by denying family visits for over a year. They tortured and tormented my son to death.

Please, hold the persons involved at the No. 4 Prison legally responsible. These individuals include Chen Ning, head of Division 11, Chen Xinguo, the main official at Division 11, Wang Guobin, head of the Education Division and others. We must also see justice done to officials at the Beijiao Prison involved with the persecution, and officials at the Hebei Province Prison Administration Bureau involved with the persecution.

After my son came home, he always talked about appealing. The prison authorities completely ignored my son after he was taken home in critical condition. Wang Guobin, head of the Education Division, was notified of my son's death the day he passed away. Up until now, no one from the prison has ever made a phone call to send condolences. Are they not responsible for torturing a man to death? I will definitely seek justice for my beloved son, and they will have to take the following legal responsibilities into consideration, according to the law:

(1) According to Article 248 of the Criminal Law of the Peoples Republic of China, "Supervisory and management personnel of prisons, detention centres and other guard houses who beat or physically abuse their inmates, if the case is serious, are to be sentenced to three years or fewer in prison or put under criminal detention. If the case is especially serious, they are to be sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. Those causing injuries, physical disability or death, are to be convicted and severely punished according to article 234 and 232 of this law. Supervisory and management personnel who order inmates to beat or physically abuse other inmates are to be punished according to stipulations in the above paragraph.

(2) Article 232 of the Criminal Law stipulates, "Whoever intentionally kills another is to be sentenced to death, life imprisonment or not less than 10 years of fixed-term imprisonment."

(3) Article 234 of the Criminal Law stipulates, "If he causes a person's death or causes a person's serious deformity by badly injuring him with particularly ruthless methods he is to be sentenced to not less than 10 years of fixed-term imprisonment, life imprisonment, or death."

(4) According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on State Compensation, "If death results, compensation for death and funeral expenses shall be paid; the total amount shall be twenty times the State average yearly pay of staff and workers in the previous year."

As stated earlier, Beijiao Prison officials purposely concealed my son's condition and wasted the precious time when he could have received medical treatment. The result was that we failed to revive my son. Their actions constitute first-degree murder and, correspondingly, they must be held legally responsible in accordance with the Chinese constitution.

My son Yang Xiaojie was providing for his parents and daughter. According to the Compensation Law, the Communist regime agitators should pay us about 300,000 Yuan² in compensation.

We are devastated and deeply grieved by our beloved son's untimely death. We only have one wish: restore my son's good name and give him justice! I believe the ruling regime's officials will heed the tragedy that my family has endured, uphold justice and the law, and bring to justice the individuals responsible for my son's death. We call for the involved officials to solve this case as soon as possible! I sincerely request that the officials at the Hebei Province Prison Administration Bureau consider the difficulties facing our family and release my daughter-in-law Liu Runling from Hebei Province Women's Prison. We need her home, so she can support this broken family, and so our granddaughter will not get into trouble because she lacks the discipline of her parent. Our whole family cannot go on like this! I call on people at my son's former unit and on his friends to help us fulfil his last wish! We express our most sincere gratitude in advance!

Cui Fugui: resident in Shijiazhuang City, mother of Yang Xiaojie, mother-in-law of Liu Runling Yang Gentian: father of Yang Xiaojie, father-in-law of Liu Runling

January 19th, 2006

This letter is to be forwarded to relevant government officials on various levels in the Hebei Province government and functioning organs, relevant officials at various levels of the Shijiazhuang City government and functioning organs, and The North China Division of China Youth Daily, Yang Xiaojie's former employers.

Note

1. "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")

2. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/2/12/120610.html