Murder Suspected in Older Practitioner's Sudden Death in Chongqing Forced Labour Camp

Mr. Jiang Xiqing, 66, is a retired employee of the Jiangjin City Property Tax Department under the jurisdiction of the Chongqing Municipality. He lived in Room 301 in the Jizi Building of the Jiangjin City Property Tax Department. On May 13th, 2008, the day after the major earthquake in Sichuan Province, Mr. Jiang, a Falun Gong practitioner, was taken from his home by Communist Party officials. His wife Ms. Luo Zehui also went missing on the same day in Youxi Township, Jiangjin City. After repeated inquiries, their family found out that Ms. Luo was also taken into custody and had been placed under arrest on the approval of the Jiangjin District Procuratorate. The family went to a detention centre several times and learned that Mr. Jiang had been sentenced to one year of forced labour, but there was no word about his wife, Ms. Luo. On December 2nd, 2008, the family visited the detention centre again and learned that Ms. Luo had been sentenced to eight years in prison. They have not received the sentencing document, nor have they seen Ms. Luo.

On July 30th, 2008, days before the Olympic Games started in Beijing, Mr. Jiang Xiqing was taken to the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp. Before his death, information came out of the labour camp that the guards had brutally implemented "transformation¹" sessions to force practitioners to give up their beliefs. The torture was so cruel that the guards broke the leg of a young practitioner in his or her twenties. The labour camp officials cancelled all scheduled meetings between families and practitioners for a period of time in order to prevent news of the torture from being leaked.

On the afternoon of January 27th, 2009, the second day of the Chinese lunar new year, Mr. Jiang's family went to visit him at the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp. He seemed to be in good health at that time. However, within less than 24 hours, at around 3:00 p.m. on January 28th, labour camp officials called his family to notify them that Mr. Jiang had died.

When the family rushed to the labour camp, the labour camp officials did not allow them to look at Mr. Jiang's body. The family was told to wait at the Yuxun Hotel. The officials said they were to report to higher authorities, and officials from the police, Procuratorate and court system would handle this case. The family waited until 9:45 p.m. but no one showed up. They asked the labour camp officials, "How long do we have to wait? Didn't you notify the officials?" An official made a phone call immediately, and a group of plain clothes officers entered. They went in two cars (one plain clothes officer was Liu Hua, and the officer in charge of the conversation with the family had the last name Li). They told the family to follow them to the funeral home. Only direct relatives were allowed to stay for five minutes. Nothing was allowed on site, including cameras, and mobile phones.

When they reached the funeral home, the family took Jiang Xiqing's body out of the freezer. They found that that his body was not completely cold, yet he had been kept in the freezer for hours. His mouth was open, and his teeth had made a cut into his lower lip. They could still feel his body temperature below his nose, in his chest, stomach, and legs. His stomach felt soft, and there seemed to be food in it. His pants were not put on properly: the buttons in the front were not done up. His shoes were covered with mud.

Mr. Jiang's family took some pictures. Twenty or so Communist officials (including the funeral home and cremation facility clerks) rushed them, grabbed the camera and destroyed it. The family called the emergency police number. The telephone receptionist asked for the details and responded that emergency police would arrive in 10 minutes. Communist officials nearby said, "The police are right here. No officers will show up." The family wanted to stay by Mr. Jiang's body. The officials rejected their demands, claiming the family was disrupting order at the site. Several officers dragged each family member out of the funeral home. Over twenty police officers were at the scene, including Tian Xiaohai and Liu Hua from the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp. The emergency response police never showed up.

After dragging the family out of the funeral home, the labour camp officials and plain clothes officers proposed to settle Mr. Jiang's death case. The Jiang family told them that they had not had dinner yet and wanted to leave. They also wanted to take Mr. Jiang's body with them, which was not allowed by the officers. Mr. Jiang Xiqing's death was a complete surprise and very suspicious. The police wanted to cremate his body to cover up the murder evidence. The family has been placed under police surveillance. Mr. Jiang's wife Ms. Luo Zehui, remains in the Langshan Detention Centre in Jiangjin City.

Liu Caimao, division head of the Administrative Affairs Division of the Chongqing Forced Labour Department: 86-23-67502021
Administration Section at the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp: 86-23-89090028
Liu Hua, head of the Administration Section at the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp
Transformation Team at the Xishanping Forced Labor Camp: 86-23-89090061
Meng Shuping, head of the Transformation Team at the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp: 86-15922611118 (Mobile)
No. 2 Team of No. 7 Division of the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp: 86-23-89090025
Wang Jing, head of the No. 2 Team of No. 7 Division
Wang Xianhua, deputy head of the No. 2 Team of No. 7 Division
Hu Yuejin, the No. 2 Team of No. 7 Division
Li Yong, political head of the No. 2 Team of No. 7 Division: 86-13108983459 (Mobile)
Chen Denghai, administration official at the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp
Yan Fei, education official at the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp
Hospital of the Beipei Forced Labour Camp: 86-23-63173016, 86-23-63173057
Zheng Xiaojun, labour camp director

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")

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/1/31/194594.html