Mr. Ma Yunxian, 70, Dies After Suffering Extensive Persecution in Henan Province

Name: Ma Yunxian, wife Luo Shuhua
Gender: Male
Age: 70
Address: Niu Village in Xianxiang City
Occupation: Retired from 755 Factory in Xinxiang City
Date of Death: April 2008
Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 2004
Most Recent Place of Detention: Xinxiang City Hongqi District Police Department
City: Xinxiang
Province: Henan
Persecution Suffered: Torture, extortion, physical restraint, home ransacked, interrogation, detention

Mr. Ma Yunxian and his wife Luo Shuhua began practising Falun Gong in March 1998 and attained good health and harmony in their family. After the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began on July 20th, 1999, Mr. Ma passed away due to the persecution while his wife, Luo Shuhua, has faced many counts of imprisonment, torture, and seizure of property.

Mr. Ma Yunxian was arrested many times and eventually died due to the persecution

In 1999, Mr. Ma was in his fifties. Before cultivating in Falun Gong, he had chronic hepatitis, hernias, and a variety of ailments. After he practised Falun Gong, he became much healthier both physically and spiritually. After July 20th, 1999, the Xinxiang City Primary District Police broke into Mr. Ma's home and confiscated large quantities of Falun Gong books and other personal belongings. Mr. Ma was arrested and taken to a police department in the suburbs. He was handcuffed to a wooden pole in the courtyard in the heat of summer from noon till midnight without food or water. He was later released.

In December of 2000, Mr. Ma went to Beijing to make an appeal on behalf of Falun Gong. As a result, the Xinxiang City Police went to Niu Village to apprehend him. After becoming aware of this, Mr. Ma was forced to leave his village and lead a life of homelessness. The Xinxiang City Suburban Police Department later dispatched police to break into Mr. Ma's home. His home and his sister-in-law's home nearby were both plundered.

In the summer of 2001, after half a year, the police arrested Mr. Ma as he was making a withdrawal from the bank. He was taken to the Xinxiang City Detention Centre, whereupon this formerly healthy man began showing signs of liver sclerosis. Soon he was in critical condition. Even so, the Xinxiang City 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) manipulated the judicial process and insisted on prolonging Mr. Ma's imprisonment to four years. Mr. Ma was taken by stretcher to a police vehicle and transported to a secret prison in Zhengzhou City. Due to Mr. Ma's critical health condition, the Zhengzhou City Prison refused to take him, and he was sent back to Xinxiang City Detention Centre. Not wanting to accept responsibility for Mr. Ma's condition, the detention centre authorities allowed Mr. Ma's family to take him home. Mr. Ma was able to recover after several weeks of recuperation.

After the persecution against Mr. Ma's began, his work unit froze his and his wife's retirement pension. Without any income of their own, the couple had to rely on their relatives for financial assistance. In addition, their son and daughter, who are not practitioners, were fired from the 755 Factory by the factory's director Jiang Enrong.

In July 2004, Mr. Ma was arrested by the Xinxiang City Hongqi District Police Department. That night, Mr. Ma managed to escape and began a life of homelessness until he returned home in 2006. After suffering such an extended period of persecution, Mr. Ma passed away in April of 2008. He was 70 years old.

Ms. Luo Shuhua faced imprisonment and torture

In November 1999, Ms. Luo Shuhua, who was 70 years old at the time, visited Beijing to seek an audience with higher authorities to speak up for Falun Gong. She was soon arrested by the Xinxiang City 610 Office and detained for 15 days in the Xinxiang City Detention Centre. The 755 Factory Director Jiang Enrong withheld over 3000 yuan¹ from her pension. The money was re-directed to the head of factory security, Chen Yuejin, to be used for the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners.

In December 1999, Ms. Luo again visited Beijing. She stood in Tiananmen Square and shouted, "Falun Gong is good! Restore our Teacher's good name!" She was arrested by the Beijing police and taken to Pangshan Detention Centre, and then transferred to Tianjin. The police shackled her hands to her feet with heavy fetters, making it impossible for her to stand up or lie down straight. She was verbally and physically abused and tortured by the police for over twelve days. After returning to Xinxiang City, the 755 Factory stopped and seized her pension.

In November 2000, Ms. Luo once again went to Beijing to ask for justice for Falun Gong. Afterwards, she was arrested by the Xinxiang City 610 Office and placed in the Xinxiang City Detention Centre. In March 2001, she was sent to Zhengzhou City Forced Labour Camp. She was refused entry due to her health condition. Even so, the Xinxiang City 610 Office refused to release her, so she was held at the Xinxiang City Detention Centre for another year. When Ms. Luo returned home, her husband had been deceased over two years. Due to her pension being taken, she could only get by with her relatives' support. It was not until 2005 that the pension was restored.

In 2003, the Xinxiang City 610 Office forced the local power company to stop providing electricity to her home for more than four months. They even tried to force Niu Village stop the water supply as well, but the request was refused by the village administrator.

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://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/4/26/222236.html