More Details on the Death of Practitioner Mr. Xin Minduo

Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Xin Minduo was from Liaohe Oil Field. On August 3rd, 2005, police officers Xu Hao and Huang Haiou arrested Mr. Xin while he was walking down the road. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison and was in Nanshan Prison, Jinzhou City, on February 21st, 2006. He was confined to a "small cell" and force-fed heavily-salted water because he resisted efforts to make him give up the practice of Falun Gong. The prison staff refused to let his family visit him because he had been on a hunger strike for three months and was physically very weak. The warden said to his family: "We won't release him even if he is dead, it doesn't matter who you talk to. You can even go to the State Council." On September 1st, 2006, Mr. Xin Minduo died in Nanshan Prison, and his body was cremated on the morning of September 3rd without his family's approval.

The prison did not provide his family with a death certificate until after Mr. Xin's body had been cremated. The Xin family noticed that the date of Mr. Xin's death had been erroneously recorded as "September 2nd, 2006," and the official cause of death was "coma." After waiting for over two hours, Nanshan Prison officials provided another death certificate on which the cause of death had been changed to "dehydration, coma, kidney failure, anaemia, metabolic acidosis, and respiratory failure." The certificate was signed by a doctor named Zhu Huiwei.

Mr. Xin passed away mysteriously and his parents cried until they had no more tears. They were allowed to visit him only once after he and his wife, Ms. Bao Juncen, were arrested on August 3rd, 2005. Although Mr. Xin asked to meet with his wife many times before he died, his requests were never granted.

Mr. Xin Minduo was born on May 27th, 1973. He worked as chief technician at the Resource Exploration Company of Liaohe Oil Field. Because he had been firmly cultivating Falun Dafa, in 2001 he was sentenced to a three-year forced labour term by Liaohe Public Security Bureau and was detained at Panjin Forced Labour Centre. On August 3rd, 2006 police officers Xu Hao and Huang Haiou from Panjin Public Security Substation arrested Mr. Xin and his wife. The Xinglongtai District Court of Panjin City sentenced him to 13 years in prison. On February 21st, 2006, he was sent to Nanshan Prison, where he was tortured brutally.

The Panjin City Court never stated a ruling in Ms. Bao Juncen's case. Her family was told: "There is none" when they requested a verdict. The Court finally returned the case to the national security team of Panjin City Public Security Substation, where police officers Xu Hao and Huang Haiou, arbitrarily sentenced her to a one-year labour term. After torturing her in Panjin Detention Centre for almost eight months and extorting 8,000 yuan¹ from her family, the prison officials released her to "complete her term outside." The couple met only once after they were arrested. Nanshan Prison did not allow Ms. Bao to visit her husband on the grounds that she was a Dafa practitioner.

On March 8th, 2006, Mr. Xin was transferred to the first sub team of the tenth section in Nanshan Prison. He was stripped to be photographed by a camcorder and was beaten when he refused to cooperate. The clothes he brought with him were stamped with "convict." He strongly decried such treatment since he had not committed any crime. Two inmates "sandwiched" him 24 hours a day, even when he went to the restroom or when he slept. Every day he was forced to listen to Dafa-defaming propaganda and to write his thoughts. He did not yield to these tactics. He could not bend his legs while sitting and thus could not exercise. He faced insults and coercion every day for trivial things. Even the prison guards agreed that it was not only a matter of Falun Gong practitioners losing their freedom—it was more severe than that. Mr. Xin was not allowed to be near the windows for almost two months and did not even know what the weather was like. Furthermore, he suffered from psychological mistreatment and was not allowed to talk with other inmates. Other inmates dared not interact with him and so he was very isolated.

His family wanted to get some facts from him in order to appeal the illegality of his arrest. The prison did not allow him to read the letter of appeal on the grounds that it would disturb his mood and make him hard to manage.

In the middle of June 2006, four people from Nanshan Prison suddenly went to see Mr. Xin's father and told the family that Mr. Xin "was on a hunger strike and that if it continued he would be transferred to Shenyang or his term would be extended."

During July and August 2006, the Xin family contacted Nanshan Prison many times and were even granted family visits. However, when the family arrived at the prison, they were told that the visit had been denied. His elderly parents did not know anyone in the area and so lingered outside the prison gates. They stared at the prison gates but could not see their son. The old man was so anxious that his eyesight weakened and he lost half of his teeth. Furthermore, the prison authorities pressured and agitated his parents. Warden Zhang Fanyu said to them: "You have written letters persuading people to be good and exposing the facts. The head warden has been upset by this. Looks like you have a lot of pull, so go ahead. I'm telling you he won't be released even if he dies. There is no use even if you go to the State Council."

The Xin family called the prison numerous times to request a visit or to negotiate the transfer of Mr. Xin to a hospital. Zhang Fanyu told them "He won't die! We have a lot of ways in prison. Be assured that he won't starve. It's impossible to try to get out by hunger striking."

On September 1st, 2006, prison warden Liu Zhiguo ridiculed Mr. Xin's mother and sister and created all manner of difficulties for them. They waited until after 4 p.m. and had to return home without seeing Mr. Xin. Around 8 p.m. that same night, his mother and sister got a phone call from his father, who was in Jinzhou Hospital by permission of Jinzhou Prison They hurried to the clinic on the seventh floor of Jinzhou Central Hospital. Police were all over the hallway outside the ward and some were taking pictures with camcorders.

The Xin family had to peer through a glass window. They saw three nurses inside. Mr. Xin's mother and sister were eager to meet with the doctor in charge. Police told them that "the doctor had to take care of something at home and left."

The Xin family insisted on being allowed into the ward. When his sister said into his ear, "Minduo, your sister is here to see you," he did not react. When she wiped his eye, it did not close. She raised the top sheet and found that he was naked. When she was about to take a closer look, the police dragged her away in a sudden commotion. Meanwhile, the hospital staff began to remove the emergency treatment equipment.

Not long afterwards (around 8 p.m.), the prison people were very anxious to dress Mr. Xin, saying that with further delay, the body is difficult to dress after it becomes stiff. They dressed his body only 30 minutes after it left the ward. However, the Xin family noticed that Mr. Xin's body was already cold and stiff. The prison staffers that were present included Su from the Administration Department, Group Leader Zhang Xiaoping from the tenth section, Deputy Group Leader Zhao Lixin, and some prison guards. After 10 p.m., they surrounded the Xin family and insisted that the body be sent to the Jinahou Funeral Home. Before other relatives arrived, prison guards dragged Mr. Xin's mother and sister off the transport vehicle.

That night the prison made arrangements to board the Xin family at Shunxin Hotel in Jinzhou City. Police cars were parked around the hotel and police officers were everywhere. They monitored the relatives' activities 24 hours a day, even following them when they went downstairs to eat or buy water. Prison police guarded both the entrance and exit staircases and questioned each passersby, even examining some people's ID cards. At night, Zhao Lixin and Zhang Xiaoping stayed in the room right across the hall from the Xin family room.

What's even more puzzling was that, when Mr. Xin's co-workers and classmates arrived to console the parents and say farewell to his body, Zhang Xiaoping stopped them in the hallway to examine their ID and threatened: "Whoever is a cadre here, I'll make a phone call to the employer to get him/her fired. During cremation, if anyone from the Resource Exploration Company arrives, the leader will be punished." A few people were not allowed to go upstairs.

It was later learned that between 3:15 and 4 p.m. on September 1st, Zhao Lixin made three to four phone calls to Mr. Xin's father in Panjin City, asking him to come to the hospital. He told the old man, "Do not tell your wife and daughter or anyone else, otherwise, you won't be permitted to visit him."

Mr. Xin's family and his father, who is in his 70's, were harmed both physically and psychologically during the years that Mr. Xin was persecuted. His father's eyesight is failing, he has high blood pressure, and he has lost half of his teeth. Seeing his youngest son framed and sent to prison, he had to withstand cruel verbal abuse by the prison staff in order to be able to visit him. Police at Jinzhou Prison took advantage of his old age and feebleness as someone who would be easy to fool. On the one hand, they wouldn't allow Mr. Xin's mother and sister to visit him, yet on the other hand, they called his father and asked him to come to the hospital.

When he arrived at Jinzhou Central Hospital and saw his son's condition, the old man's brain went blank and he did not remember what the doctor told him. Then, with the permission of prison officials, he was able to call his wife and son. The two of them had just returned to the daughter's home at Jinzhou Oil Refinery of Liaohe Oil Fields, but they hurried back to the hospital.

When Mr. Xin's mother and sister arrived, they insisted on meeting with the doctor in charge at Jinzhou Central Hospital, but their request was denied. They were also denied access to Mr. Xin's hospital chart. When they asked what time Mr. Xin had arrived at the hospital, they were given contradictory replies, including 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m.

On the night of September 2nd, Zhang Xiaoping and Zhao Lixin, representatives of Nanshan Prison, talked with Mr. Xin's family. Zhang apologised to the family on behalf of the prison and said: "Our management did not act properly, and it led to Xin Minduo's death. They need to be educated since they caused such loss and pain to the Xin family." He said that the prison would pay the hospital costs and reimburse the family 2,000 "yuan" for travelling expenses.

At the hospital, Zhang said he would grant the Xin family's three requests: to read the patient's chart, to see the Nanshan Prison doctor's treatment records, and to read Mr. Xin's last letter to his family.

A day later Zhang did not Honor his word as he dared not keep the promises. He said he was not at the hospital. In the beginning, he had said that the cremation could be done any time within seven days. Half a day later the promise was changed to four days. Several hours later, he said that the body had to be cremated the following day.

On the morning of September 3rd Mr. Xin's body was sent to Nanshan Prison to be cremated.

Mr. Xin wrote four letters to his family. The family still hasn't received the fourth letter. Zhang Fanyu said to wait until the supervisors approved the request, while Zhang Xiaoping denied the existence of the letter itself. The only belongings taken out of the prison were a quilt and bedsheet, no washing utensils, not a piece of clothing, or a pair of socks. Zhang Xiaoping said that Mr. Xin had given such items to other inmates.

It was reported that when Mr. Xin was on his hunger strike in Nanshan Prison, he was force-fed paste and highly-salted water. This continued until he died.

People and organisations responsible for the persecution of Mr. Xin:

Jinzhou Central Hospital, affiliated with the Railway Agency of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province
Address: #28, 2nd section of Chongqing Road, Guta District, Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, Zip 121001
Tel: 86-416-2552487

Doctor Zhu Huiwei

Head Warden of Nanshan Prison Xin Tingquan: 86-416-3496001 (Office) 86-416-2609999 (Home)
86-13941658888(Mobile) 86-13941606658(Mobile)

Wang Liang, Political Commissar: 86-13904163312(Mobile)

Wang Jian, Chief instructor of the prison: 86-13704066857 (Mobile)

Note

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

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/10/6/139500.html