Persecution-Related Deaths of 11 Falun Gong Practitioners Verified in August 2007

Clearwisdom correspondent Li Ming reports: Civil channels in August 2007 have verified that another eleven Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China died as a result of the persecution between March and August 2007. Among them, one died in March; one in June; five in July and four in August. Five (45%) were women. Other than two victims, whose ages still need to be verified, seven of them were over 50 years old (64%).

According to information reported on the Clearwisdom website, between January and August of 2007, there have been at least 75 Falun Gong practitioners who passed away in China as a result of the persecution. Since July 20th, 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its persecution of Falun Gong, 3,083 deaths have been verified by reliable sources in China. The sources were able to break through Communist regime's Internet blockade and deliver this information to the Clearwisdom website. Even this is only the tip of the iceberg of atrocities.

Two deaths were reported in each of Liaoning, Hebei and Hubei Provinces; one each in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Sichuan, Gansu and Anhui Provinces.

Escalated Persecution of Falun Gong before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Ms. Hu Yanrong from Liaoyuan City, Liaoning Province, Was Tortured to Death

According to media reports in March 2007, Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang issued an order to launch another round of escalated persecution followed by large-scale arrests of Falun Gong practitioners. In 2005, Public Security Deputy Minister Liu Jing has been told to eradicate Falun Gong before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He has issued orders to police departments throughout the country, demanding concerted efforts to achieve this goal.

It was about 10 p.m. on August 1st, 2007, when police chief Li Zhenghua from the Beilu Township Police Station in Lingyuan City ordered police officers to use wooden and electric batons, picks, and other tools to break into the home of practitioner Guo Fengxian. They blocked the entrance in order to keep a large number of practitioners inside. Later, Deputy Director Li Xuebing of the Lingyuan City Police Department, the police chief of the Wafangdian Township Police Station, and the police chief of the Songlingzi Township Police Station brought in seven police vehicles and dozens of police officers to arrest more than 40 practitioners.

Ms. Hu Yanrong was 42 years old and jumped out of a police vehicle, seriously injuring her head and consequently losing consciousness. She was taken to the Lingyuan Prison Administration Bureau Hospital. Even though her life was in danger, the police did not notify her family and decided that she needed surgery on her head in that hospital. The next day (August 2nd), they notified her family. She died four days later at 2 a.m. on August 5th, 2007, without regaining consciousness after the surgery.

Hu Yanrong

After Ms. Hu passed away, Yang Minghui, Director of the Lingyuan City Police Department and Zhang Minghua, Deputy Director of the Chaoyang City Police Department, as well as government officials of Beilu Town claimed that she was a leader of Falun Gong practitioners who would have been sentenced to over 15 years in jail if she had survived. Therefore, they claimed that her family members should be responsible for all the medical expenses of more than 20,000 yuan¹. Government organisations such as the Commission of Politics in Lingyuan City, the Public Security Bureau in Lingyuan City, the Police Station of Beilu Village, the local government of Beilu Village and the Boluoshu Village Residence Committee colluded with each other. They monitored and threatened Hu's family and cremated her body on August 12th without the consent of her family.

Ms. Hu left this world as a victim of injustice

Ms. Hu's husband cried miserably during the funeral. Her two children also cried so hard that they could hardly stand up and needed others to support them. Everyone present was in tears. More than 200 friends, relatives and people from the same village, who attended the funeral, witnessed this tragedy. People sighed: a kind-hearted village woman was persecuted and died as a result in such a manner. Another happy family had been destroyed.

In early 1999, Ms. Hu began to practise Falun Dafa. Before that, she was unhealthy and short-tempered. After that, she began to show respect for her elderly father-in-law and her husband and took better care of her children. She brought harmony to her family. She had two children at home, her daughter in high school and her son in primary school. Her husband worked out of town all year. She did all the work in the field and the house. When she died, she left behind two young children and elderly parents-in-law.

Hu Yangrong, her father Hu Dianxin, her mother Cui Yuzhi and her relatives have been persecuted since July 20th, 1999 just because they follow the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." The Beilu Police Station (Ju Wenxiang was the former Director) arrested, fined, and harassed Ms. Hu's parents, Mr. Hu Dianxin and Ms. Cui Yuzhi very often. Hu Dianxin died as a result of the persecution in 2001.

Hu Yanrong's sister and sister-in-law are still being detained at the No.2 Detention Centre in Lingyuan City. Song Jiulin, Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Committee, had a meeting with the heads of the procuratorate, the judicial departments, and the police department demanding a serious and speedy detention of these 40 practitioners.

Persecution and Torture of Practitioner Zhang Yanrong from Gansu Province

Mr. Zhang Yanrong, 48 years old, was a farmer from Yongchang County, Gansu Province. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and severely tortured while he was detained in the Lanzhou Prison, Wuwei Prison, and Jiuquan Prison, respectively. When he was on the brink of death, he was released to receive medical care at home. He finally died on August 15th, 2007 at the age of 48. His wife Wang Zefang was sentenced to eight years in prison and is currently tortured in the Lanzhou Women's Prison.

In 1997, Mr. Zhang's entire family started to practise Falun Gong and thus they were healthy both physically and mentally. When Jiang Zemin's faction started to persecute Falun Gong, Zhang was arrested and detained in a drug rehabilitation centre for two months.

After being released, he went to Beijing with his nephew to appeal for Falun Gong. Zhang was arrested in Beijing and transported back to Yongchang County. Liu Fahai, the then director of the county police department said ferociously, "I am going to break up and ruin your entire family!" He arrested Zhang's whole family and confiscated Zhang's tractor. The fish pond that was worth 20,000 yuan was ruined due to lack of maintenance. Zhang's wife was arrested. Even his non-practitioner son received a severe warning.

Zhang had to work for two years in the Pingantai Forced Labour Camp where he was severely tortured. He was released in February 2002. On March 7th, 2002, Zhang and his wife were both arrested by officials from Yongchang County Police Department, including Li Guoyu, Peng Weiping, Zhu Shengnian and others.

On May 14th, 2005, the judiciary and the police department in Yongchang County held a mass rally in a gymnasium. More than 30 practitioners were handcuffed and had a sign slandering Dafa hanging around their necks in front of their chests. The deputy director of the police department, Peng Weiping, read the verdict, and then the police escorted them to parade through the streets to humiliate them. At that time, four practitioners, Zhang Yanrong, Hu Shungxue, Qin Dexin, and Fan Yongcheng, were sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Zhang's wife was also sentenced to an eight-year prison term. When both parents were sent to prison, their 16-year-old son could not attend school any longer. Another happy family was totally broken up due to the persecution.

During the past several years, Zhang Yanrong was sent to the Dashaping Prison first and then transferred to the Wuwei Prison. On November 21st, 2005, when the United Nations Anti-Torture Commissioner Novak visited China, Novak was the first official from that division to visit China and he performed a 12-day on site visit. The Chinese Communist regime played its deceiving tactics and secretly transported more than 20 practitioners to the Jiuquan Prison. Right after the practitioners got off the van, they were led to prearranged divisions. They were often physically and mentally abused in prison. It was not unusual to see them with a bloody face, or bruises all over their bodies.

Practitioner Zhang Yanrong was on the brink of death and was therefore released to receive medical care. He passed away on August 15th, 2007.

Mr. Wang Yongjun from Jilin Province Died as a Result of the Persecution

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Yongjun lived in Sonjianghe Town, Fusong County, Jilin Province. Before he practised Falun Gong, he beat his wife and children, he also drank and smoked. Sometimes, he made huge troubles. He also suffered from many diseases, such as diabetes, arthritis and tracheitis. After he started practising Falun Gong, he improved. He was fair when doing business with others. Sometimes, he even asked for less money. Many local people knew that he was a good person. His diseases also disappeared due to practising Falun Gong.

However, the police from Fusong County have arrested and tortured Mr. Wang Yongjun four times since the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999.

On September 16th, 1999, local police officer Wang Yongjun arrested him, and released him on October 2nd, 1999 after Zhang Aimin, the Political and Security Section Chief, extorted 760 yuan from him. Zhang Aimin has participated in the persecution of over 150 practitioners. He does not provide any receipts of any of the fines he took from practitioners.

On August 14th, 2000, the local police arrested him again and released him on September 9th, 2000. While he was in police custody, the Political and Security Section Deputy Head Liu Xincai tortured Mr. Wang Yongjun by cuffing his hands behind his back, and shocking him with electric batons, thus causing extreme pain.

On January 8th, 2001, the local police arrested Mr. Wang Yongjun a third time and released him on March 5th, 2001. During this detention, the guards encouraged prisoners to beat him, and as a result he had three fractured ribs. He had to pay a large sum of money for medical treatment. Officer Liu Xincai once again tortured him by cuffing his hands behind his back with a bottle in between to cause more pain and shocking him with electric batons. His condition became critical due to the shocks.

On April 9th, 2004, led by the Songjianghe District Police Department Head Cheng Rongjiang, a group of officers arrested Mr. Wang for the fourth time and ransacked his home.

He became very weak after being mistreated multiple times by malicious Communist Party members and harassed by police officers from the Donglin Station in Songjianghe Town. He died on July 2nd, 2007.

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During the past eight years, the CCP has been persecuting and brutally torturing Falun Gong practitioners, kindhearted people who follow the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." Through the continuous effort of practitioners informing people about the true nature of Falun Gong and the wide spreading of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party ², more and more people have recognised the evilness of the CCP and started standing on the side of justice. The persecution of Falun Gong will end. Jiang's regime and his followers who participated in the persecution will get the strictest punishment by heaven's laws as well as the laws of the human world.

Note

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

2. Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party: Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party is a series of essays published in late 2004 that reveal the true nature of the Communist Party. The Nine Commentaries have led millions of people to renounce their membership in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). "A book that has shocked all Chinese around the world. A book that is disintegrating the Communist Party." http://ninecommentaries.com

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/9/7/162231.html