Elderly Couple Whose Son Was Tortured to Death Appeal for Release of Daugher-in-law from Prison

Mr. Yang Xiaojie was a Falun Dafa practitioner from Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. He was detained in the Fourth Prison of Hebei Prison (also known as Shijiazhuang Northern Suburban Prison). On December 28th, 2005, after numerous requests from his family, the prison authorities, along with the Hebei Province Prison Administrative Bureau, finally released him, but by that time he was on the verge of death. When he was rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment, the doctor said: "Why did you bring him here when he is already in such a state? It's too late!" On January 26th, 2006, Yang Xiaojie died as a result of the torture he suffered in the prison.

Since July 20th, 1999, Yang Xiaojie and his wife Liu Runling were held in detention centres, incarcerated, and had their home ransacked many times by the Chinese Communist officials and police just because they persisted in their belief in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." During the evening of September 28th, 2001, they were taken away and held in custody. On September 9th, 2002, they were both sentenced to 11 years in prison. Yang Xiaojie was incarcerated in Shijiazhuang Northern Suburban Prison where he suffered inhuman tortures. Three years later, he passed away one month after being released. His wife continues to endure torture and maltreatment in Hebei Province Women's Prison. During the last four years, their daughter has been deprived of parental care and guidance.

Mr. Yang's elderly parents call on the authorities to unconditionally release their daughter-in-law, Liu Runling, so that she can take care of her daughter who was orphaned when her parents were arrested in September 2001.

The following is their appeal letter.

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My name is Cui Fugui. I am Yang Xiaojie's mother, Liu Runling's mother-in-law. On January 26th, 2005, at 11:15 a.m., my darling son Yang Xiaojie passed away. He left his loved ones after being terribly wronged for over four years. He was tortured to death by jailors in Shijiazhuang Northern Suburban Prison. He could not bear to think about leaving his parents, both of whom are in their seventies; nor could he bear to part from his dear wife. It was even more agonising for him to think that he would be leaving behind his 16-year-old daughter, his only child, whom he loved dearly.

When we saw what Xiaojie looked like upon his release, we could not believe our eyes. A young man who was once lively and healthy with a strong build, weighing 70 kg, or 154 lb., was reduced to a skeletal-looking frame. He weighed less than 40 kg (88 lb.). My whole family, our relatives, and friends cried our hearts out. We, an elderly couple, suddenly lost our darling son; it felt like the sky had fallen. Such grief could literally take our lives. Xiaojie's father wished to die in place of his son. I was like sleepwalking for a period of time, spending every day as if in a dream. Ever since Xiaojie was incarcerated in the Fourth Prison of Hebei Prison, his father missed him so much that he got up at six in the morning every day and walked around the prison--a five mile round trip. Now Xiaojie is gone, and we ask ourselves, "How did he endure such trauma?!"

Xiaojie's daughter Wenjing is 16. She lost her loving father and feels like a helpless orphan. Our daughter-in-law Liu Runling was also sentenced to 11 years in prison for practising Falun Gong. She is now incarcerated in Hebei Province Women's Prison and is deprived of the right to look after her daughter. My husband and I are both in our seventies. We need help with our routine daily lives, yet the sudden loss of our son torments us tremendously. How will we have the strength to continue to look after our granddaughter?

As a matter of fact, it is a tremendous challenge to educate and communicate with a child of 16. Moreover, we have a generation gap with her. The pitiful child has endured so much cruelty and suffered a lot. Her father's sudden death was a huge tragedy after the suffering of living without her parent's care for more than four years. Even before her father died, she didn't like to come home, nor did she want to go to school. Now she really doesn't have the courage to come home and face us, her heartbroken grandparents.

On top of all this is the fact that there are all kinds of temptations in today's society. We are deeply worried about our granddaughter. We are worried that she might become morally corrupted by society and go astray, which would be a calamity for our already devastated family. Liu Runling has lost her dear husband. If her daughter goes astray, how will she have the courage to live? We feel that society has a responsibility to show concern for Liu Runling and her daughter. This is the responsibility of every citizen in China.

Wenjing's parents were arrested when she was only 11 years old and a fourth grade student. She lost the love and care of her parents and lived with us, her grandparents. After she graduated from middle school, her uncle volunteered to pay the expensive tuition and support her so she could go to the No. 40 high school. She was a good child and didn't want her uncle to spend so much money on her. She chose to go to a local high school instead. During the first year at middle school she got very high marks. However, as she grew older, we had more and more difficulty in communicating with her. She was also influenced by the rather chaotic state of society. Gradually, she no longer wanted to come home. Her uncle and aunt spent a lot of effort taking care of her and trying to talk to her, but she became more and more rebellious. She stopped going to school and seldom went home. She claimed she was working as an hourly contractor to support herself. We made a big effort to look for her. But every time we found her whereabouts, she would immediately move to another place. Sometimes, we didn't hear from her and didn't know where she was for a whole month. She would not answer the phone when we called her. After her father's funeral, she completely separated from us. She is only 16 years old and is a young girl. If she continues to live this way she will be ruined!

My son passed away. The Shijiazhuang Northern Suburban Prison murdered him. The jailors intentionally concealed my son's injuries and medical condition for more than a year, which was the best time to get him help through medical care. During that year, all family members were forbidden to visit him, causing our son tremendous mental trauma. Moreover, the food in prison was so terrible that Xiaojie could not stomach it. He was thus reduced to a skeleton.

My son suffered unjust treatment and has passed away. My daughter-in-law is still incarcerated and cannot come home. We are leading a truly tragic life. We appeal from the bottom of our hearts: "All kind-hearted people please find a way to help us. Bring back my daughter-in-law Liu Runling! Bring her back so that she can rehabilitate her daughter before it is too late!"

We strongly urge the related departments at all levels to give consideration to the unjust suffering of my son, to my 16-year-old granddaughter's education and future, and to allow Liu Runling to come home and assume her role as a mother and help her daughter. Upon her release, she will be able take care of us, her elderly in-laws, educate her young daughter, and mend a family that had been torn apart. It will be beneficial to both society and everyone in our family. This is the true essence of the rule of law; It can restore harmony in society. If every one of us contributes with a loving heart, our society will become more beautiful. We appeal to the related departments at all levels to pay attention to, and support our broken family, which has been torn apart by the unjust treatment of my son and his wife. At the same time, we cry out from our hearts: such family tragedies must not occur again!

Citizens of Shijiazhuang City
Cui Fugui (Yang Xiaojie's mother, Liu Runling's mother-in-law)
Yang Gentian (Yang Xiaojie's father, Liu Runling's father-in-law)

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/2/10/120521.html