Ms. Li Yuxiang Suffered All Kinds of Torture and Died at 49

Ms. Li Yuxiang was a practitioner from Zhucheng City, Weifang Area, Shandong Province. Since July 20th, 1999 the police frequently went to her home to ransack her house, detain and fine her. She was sent to forced labour camps twice. The police also harassed and threatened her and her family day and night, and her health was ruined. She died on January 25th, 2005 at the age of 49.

Ms. Li Yuxiang lived at Wulibao village, which is reserved for the employees of the Zhucheng City Foreign Trade Company and their family members. She was in the latter stages of a terminal pulmonary ailment before she started practising Falun Gong. She often spit up blood, and doctors had made it clear that her illness was incurable. In February 1996 she began to practise Falun Gong, and soon she recovered and her health returned to normal. On December 13, 1999 Ms. Li Yuxiang went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, but she was arrested and sent back on 16th. At the Mizhou Road Police Substation in Zhucheng City, she was badly beaten by officer Cao Jinhui and five others with a leather belt and electric batons. They also punched and kicked her. Then Ms. Li Yuxiang was sent to the Zhucheng Detention Centre, where she was persecuted for a month.

During her detention, her employer, the Zhucheng City Foreign Trade Company, collaborated with the Zhucheng Police Department and conducted an illegal trial in front of a huge crowd. Practitioners Ms. Li Yuxiang, Mr. Zhang Muhua, Ms. Wang Yulan and several others were dragged to the trial. Their hands were tied behind their backs with ropes that looped around their necks. Attending the "trial" were Wang Jinyou, the company's Managing Director and other members of the company's Party Committee, as well as Ming Zhongliang, Head of the Police Department and Zhao Jinguang. The policemen were carrying guns. Two policemen stood behind each practitioner. They twisted the practitioners' hands behind their backs and pushed their heads down with force. The officers also carried snaffles (for animals) and threatened the practitioners, saying, "Anyone who shouts will have to wear this." Each practitioner had a big sign bearing words that defamed Falun Dafa hanging from their necks.

After she was at the detention centre for 30 days, the vicious party members of the Zhucheng Foreign Trade Company took Ms. Li Yuxiang to a deserted building at the company's western courtyard to continue her detention. The persecutors forced her to write a so-called Guarantee Statement. There was nothing in the rundown building. Biting cold wind blowing in from the broken windows made her shiver. Ms. Li Yuxiang was only allowed to go back home for a few days during the Chinese New Year, but her family was subjected to extortion, and had to pay 15,600 yuan in "fines."

On February 8, 2000 Ms. Li Yuxiang and her husband Mr. Zhang Muhua went to Beijing together to validate the Fa and were arrested by plainclothes police officers. They were taken to a police car, where they were searched. One of the policemen stomped on Ms. Li's ear and slapped her face. Afterwards they were taken to the Tiananmen Square Police Substation, where they were interrogated before being sent to the Weifang Office in Beijing. They were searched upon their arrival and their money and IDs were taken, then a dozen practitioners were handcuffed together and forced to sit on the icy cold marble floor.

On February 12, these practitioners were sent back to Zhucheng City and were locked up in the deserted building at the company's western courtyard. Ms. Li Yuxiang and her husband Mr. Zhang Muhua were kept in separated rooms. One day policeman Cao Jinhui had a few drinks at lunch, and when he came back he brutally beat Ms. Li Yuxiang and the other practitioners.

Two days later Ms. Li Yuxiang was sent to Xinghua Road Detention Centre, where she had to wear handcuffs 24 hours a day. She needed help to eat her meals, go to bed and use the toilet. She suffered these tribulations for more than 20 days.

In order to protest the cruel torture, Ms. Li Yuxiang and the other practitioners who were held there began a hunger strike. The persecutors, led by Cao Jinhui, carried out forced feeding. They inserted a small tube into Ms. Li's nose. Instantly she felt as if she would suffocate, and she was force-fed three times.

Twenty-eight days later Ms. Li Yuxiang was returned to her workplace at the Zhucheng Foreign Trade Company. She was held at the western courtyard, where there was a fodder factory. Her husband was also locked up there. Her employer detained her for another two months, and during that time no one was allowed to see her.

The couple stopped eating and drinking to protest the inhuman torture. They were released three days later. When they returned home they were penniless, and the Zhucheng Foreign Trade Company wouldn't let Mr. Zhang Muhua go back to work, so they had no source of income. They survived on money from Ms. Li Yuxiang's younger sister.

On May 1st, 2000 Ms. Li Yuxiang and fellow practitioner Wang Yulan went to Beijing once again to appeal on behalf of Falun Dafa. They were arrested at the Public Complaint Bureau and taken to the local police sub-station, then they were sent to the Weifang Office in Beijing. The Zhucheng City Foreign Trade Company took them back to the Security Division of the company. Wang Jinshan, the head of the division, incited security guards to force the two practitioners to the ground and pour human excrement and urine down their throats. As a result they were covered with human excrement. Then Ms. Li Yuxiang and Ms. Wang Yulan were tied to trees. The next day they were sent to the detention centre, where they were persecuted for a month. Ms. Li Yuxiang began a hunger strike to protest the persecution. During the hunger strike, which lasted for more than 20 days, she was force-fed six times. The evildoers also called her daughter, who was studying in another part of the country, to the detention centre and asked her to pressure her mother to give up her belief in Falun Dafa. Female guard Wang Wei would beat or verbally abuse Ms. Li Yuxiang whenever she saw her. Even when Ms. Li was extremely weak as a result of her hunger strike and was about to be released, Wang Wei slapped her in her face. Ms. Li had blood all over her mouth.

On October 1st, 2000 Ms. Li Yuxiang went to Beijing again and was locked up at the Zhucheng Detention Centre upon her return. Prison guard Wang Zong pulled her hair and beat her badly. Afterwards Ms. Li Yuxiang was restrained in the iron chair, which was only used to torture convicts sentenced to death. Other practitioners who were forced to sit on the "iron chair" included Ms. Wang Yulan, Ms. Zhuang Rufeng, Ms. Yang Guizhen and Ms. Chen Xiuling.

In order to protest the inhuman torture, Ms. Li Yuxiang and her fellow practitioners went on a hunger strike together. Nine days later fellow practitioner Ms. Yang Xiugui was tortured to death in the "iron chair." Ms. Li Yuxiang was extremely weak as a result of torture. The guards released her from the "iron chair" and sent her to the hospital, for fear that she would die too. During this period her employers called her daughter back again and pressured her to persuade her mother to give up Falun Dafa. Ms. Li Yuxiang's daughter-in-law, who also worked at the Zhucheng City Foreign Trade Company, was suspended from her duties and later fired.

Even then the police were still frequently going to the family's home to harass them, so Ms. Li's family had no choice but to leave and become homeless in order to avoid being arrested and persecuted.

In February 2001 Ms. Li Yuxiang was arrested at her hometown, and she was sent to the Wangcun Forced Labour Camp a few days later. She was extremely weak, so the forced labour camp refused to take her, and she was therefore released.

At around 5 o'clock one afternoon at the end of December 2001 Feng Zhenquan, head of the Security Section of the fodder factory at the foreign trade company, led six police officers from Mizhou Road Police Substation to force their way into Ms. Li Yuxiang's home. They dragged Ms. Li face down from the fifth floor to the ground floor. Her heels were torn open and dripping blood. She was first taken to Mizhou Road Police Substation. At the time it was very cold outside, but the police wouldn't let her put on her overcoat and shoes when they took her to the detention centre. The next day she was sent to the Wangcun Forced Labour Camp. Due to her poor health the forced labour camp refused to admit her then, but they accepted her later after the lawless officials who sent her there bribed the admission officers. Ms. Li began another hunger strike at the forced labour camp. Four days later she was released because she was extremely weak.

In May 2003 Ms. Li Yuxiang and other practitioners were arrested while hanging up Falun Dafa banners and were taken to the Huanghua Police Substation. After a severe beating, her face was bruised and swollen. Her mouth was bleeding, there were two big lumps on her head, her body was covered with cuts and bruises, and her hair had been yanked out. Seeing her condition officials at the Zhucheng Detention Centre dared not take her in when she was sent there.

Ms. Li Yuxiang, who suffered all kinds of physical and psychological tortures for refusing to renounce Falun Dafa, died on January 25, 2005.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/9/17/138004.html