Two months after Ms. Hongyue Hu, 45, disappeared mysteriously, Public Security officers could only show her family a photo of her body. Hongyue was one of 25 Falun Gong practitioners reported dead from police torture and abuse over the last month.

NEW YORK, December 30, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) -- A 39-year-old medical doctor whose 5'6'' frame was reduced to 80 pounds from nine months of police brutality and forced-feeding, died on December 4, 2002.

A 61-year-old retired teacher who was handcuffed to a tree for two weeks, incapacitating the lower half of her body, died on November 17, 2002.

A 40-year-old man detained for possessing Falun Gong materials was beaten and tortured by police to reveal others who were making the materials. The man refused to reveal any information and died on November 29, 2002.

These stories are just a few examples of the twenty-five deaths of Falun Gong practitioners confirmed by the Falun Dafa Information Center in the past month. Due to the systematic effort imposed by Jiang Zemin to hide all information about the deaths of Falun Gong practitioners, many details remain unknown. The details that have been uncovered, however, are presented below.

- Dec. 23, 2002: Father Tortured to Death in Daqing Labor Camp, Heilongjiang Province

On September 16, 2002, Huajiang He was taken from his workplace by policemen from the Qingxin Police Substation of Ranghulu District in Daqing City. Policemen also searched his home. After more than three months detention, Huajiang was sent to the Daqing Labor Camp on Dec. 23. Upon arrival at the labor camp, Huajiang was tortured by police to force him to renounce Falun Gong. Huajiang died sometime around midnight. Police called Huajiang's 15-year old son at approximately 1:00 AM, telling him to take his father home "because he is ill." When his son arrived at the labor camp, however, Huajiang was dead. Huajiang's son says there were strangulation marks around his throat and other signs of torture. Huajiang's body has been transferred to a different location for cremation.

According to sources familiar with this case, the labor camp's Deputy Warden, Wang Yongxiang, is in charge of Falun Gong cases. His phone numbers are: (86) 4680996 (office), (86) 4631816 (home), (86) 13069642099 (cell). The labor camp warden is Ying Chengli (tel. (86) 4661192).

- Oct. 26, 2002: Tortured to Death by the Ping'antai Forced Labor Camp in Gansu Province

On Oct 16, 2002 Ouyang Wei, (male, 32 years old) from Lanzhou City was detained by three police officers from Lanzhou City, Anling District Police Station National Security Squad. The next day he was sent to the Gansu Province First Labor Camp (Ping'antai) to serve a one-year sentence. At 6:30 p.m. October 24, Qiying Wei, Director of the Safety Department of Gansu Province Civil and Housebuilding Company, brought an ailing Ouyang home. He died two days later. Before his death, Ouyang told family members that criminals beat his head severely. Additionally, according to eyewitnesses, there were needle marks on both of Ouyang's wrists where an unknown drug had been injected

- Nov. 29, 2002: Woman Dies from Torture at the Ping'antai Labor Camp in Gansu Province

On November 29, 2002, Ms. Hou (female, 40's) was tortured to death at the Ping'antai Labor Camp in Gansu Province. Eyewitnesses say that her ribs and pelvis were severely fractured, and she suffered from severe hemorrhaging. Shortly after her death, the police sent her body to be cremated. Since the police are blocking the news tightly, many details of her death are still unknown. Sources say that in order to prevent the news from leaking, the labor camp has transferred some policemen involved in the death of Ms. Hou to different work units.

- Nov. 17, 2002: Veteran Teacher Tortured to Death at the Songlindian Police Station in Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province

Xiuqin Xing (female, 61 years old) was a resident of Beima Village, Songlingdian Town, Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province. She had been a teacher for over 30 years. Because Xiuqin insisted on practicing Falun Dafa, she had been constantly monitored for the past three years and had no freedom. Her pension was cut off, and she had been illegally fined and detained many times.

Around 8:00 pm on September 15, 2002, Xiuqin was forcibly taken away from home and sent to Songlindian Police Station for a brainwashing class. Because she refused to give up her belief in Falun Gong, she was handcuffed to a tree for three days and nights. Afterwards, she was hung for half a month, incapacitating the lower half of her body. At about 4:00 pm on November 16, 2002, the police asked her family members to pick her up and take her home. When they arrived, she was already cold all over her body. She died the next morning at around 4:00 am on November 17. When her family members went to the town government to find out the reason for her death, the officials refused to meet with them.

- Nov. 2, 2002: Woman From Harbin City Tortured/Force-Fed to Death

Yunping Bi (female, exact age unknown) had previously been arrested by local policemen in 1999 for appealing for Falun Gong. On January 22, 2002, while on her way to pick up Falun Gong materials, Yunping was kidnapped by policemen from the Harbin Power Plant Police Substation. She was detained at the Harbin No. 2 Detention Center. On October 13, Yunping was illegally sentenced to three years in prison and transferred to the Harbin City Female Prison. To protest her illegal imprisonment, Yunping starting a hunger strike. She was subsequently tortured and force-fed, and died at 1:00AM on November 2, 2002, inside the Harbin City Female Prison.

- Nov. 27, 2002: Retired Worker from Yushu City Dies After Beatings and Torture

Baochen Huang (male, 65 years old) was a retired worker from Yushu City, Jilin Province. In July, 2002, 4 policemen from the Yushu City Public Security Bureau woke Baochen up in the middle of the night to interogate him at his home. Upon discovering that Baochen still practiced Falun Gong, the policemen detained him. Soon after, Baochen was transferred to the Weizigou Labor Camp in Changchun City. In the labor camp, policemen ordered inmates to beat him, and refused to give him food or water for days at a time. Baochen was not on hunger strike. On November 7, the labor camp sent two policemen and a doctor to take him home. Baochen had to be carried into his home, and could not recognize anyone. His whole body was swollen. Upon seeing his condition, Baochen's family sent him to the hospital immediately, but he died 20 days later while still in the hospital. His family had no money and had to borrow 6000-Yuan to pay the medical fee.

- Approx. Nov. 15, 2002: Woman from Xindu County, Sichuan Province Dies in Police Custody

Hongyue Hu (female, 45 years old) was a resident in Xindu Town, Xindu County, Sichuan Province, and an employee of the Xindu County Oil Pump Factory. On September 28, 2002, Hongyue and another practitioner of Falun Gong disappeared mysteriously near Funanhe River in Chengdu City. In November 2002, her work unit received a notice from the Public Security saying that she had died. The policemen only showed a picture of Hongyue's body and told her family that she "died from starvation." On November 19, 2002, the police cremated her body without the consent of her family. In fact, neither her family members nor her coworkers were allowed to see her body before the cremation. The details of her death are still under investigation.

- Approx. Nov. 28, 2002: Man from Shandong Province Beaten to Death

Hongjie Shi (male, 40's) was a resident in Wubei Town, Laixi City, Shandong Province. Policemen ransacked Mr. Shi's home and found some Falun Gong materials. They started to beat him in order to discover the source of the materials, but Hongjie refused to reveal any information. He died shortly afterwards, and as of Dec. 11, his body had not been cremated.

- Oct. 4, 2002: Elderly farmer from Panzhihua City Miyi County Dies in Police Custody

On April 2, Xinzhi Gu (female, 64 years old) was arrested because she posted Falun Gong flyers around Miyi County. She was taken to the local police station political and safety branch and was beaten severely. She was then sent to the Miyi detention center where she went on hunger strike to protest her illegal detainment. During her hunger strike, she endured force-feeding torture for one month. On October 4, Xinzhi was sent to the hospital and died that night. Police cremated her body without the family's permission. Those responsible for her death are Xianjinfa (Police station Political and safety branch) Liutaiming (director of the police station). Tel: 0812-8171988

- Dec. 4, 2002: Woman Dies from Prolonged Force Feeding

Yurong Zhou (female, 39) was illegally detained by Tacheng city police station on March 15, 2002. She immediately started a hunger strike to protest the detention. Over the next eight months, police force fed Yurong through her nose. By late November, Yurong's weight was down to 80 pounds and it was clear she was dying. Mr. Wang, the director of the Tacheng city detention center, notified her husband to come see her "one the last time." Yurong's husband and 14-year-old son hurried to Tacheng People Hospital. On the morning of Dec 4, 2002, Yurong was released, but died at 1pm that afternoon.

- Nov. 13, 2002: Woman Dies in Jilin Province Female Prison

Guiqin Yang (female, 40s) was killed by policemen of No.4 Brigade, Team 2 in Jinlin Province Female Prison on November 13, 2002. All other details regarding Guiqin's death are being withheld.

- Nov. 15, 2002: Man from Fushun City Dies after Months of Torture and Abuse

Zaixin Wei (male, 63 years old) was a senior engineer of Fushun City Advanced Study Technologies. On Febuary 7, 2002, Zaixin was kidnapped by policemen from the Fushun City Public Security Bureau Section 1 and Liangshizhan police substation. Zaixin was tortured for most of the night and then sent to "control classes" at the Wujiabao Labor Camp. Because Zaixin insisted on practicing Falun Gong, the labor camp forbade his family members to visit him or send him clothes. In June 2002, Zaixin was sent to the Fushun City Jiangjun police substation No.2 detention center to await his sentence. While being held at the detention center, policemen incited other inmates to torture him. In July, police thought Zaixin would die and so sent him to the city hospital. Although he was later released to his family, Zaixin never fully recovered and died on November 15, 2002.

- November, 2002: Woman Beaten and Tortured to Death

Fengwei Wang (female, 40 years old) was an employee of the Drinking Water Company of Shen County, Liao City, Shangdong Province. She was fired because she practices of Falun Gong. After the persecution of Falun Gong was launched on July 20, 1999, Fengwei went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and was arrested on eight separate occasions. On January 14 when she was hanging banners that read "Falun Dafa is good," she was kidnap by police from Yanggu County, Shandong Province. Fengwei was severely beaten and then sent to the detention center of Shen county. In the detention center police adopted every means possible in an attempt to force her to give up the practice of Falun Gong. Fengwei refused to renounce Falun Gong and died from repeated beating and torture in November 2002 in the Detention Center of Shen County.

- Oct. 3, 2002: Tortured to Death in Dongsanmalu Police Station of Zhengzhou City, Henan Province

Gaidi Zhu (female, exact age unknown) was from Chengguan District, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province. In the summer of 2002, Policemen from the Donsanmalu Police Station came to her home, forcibly took her away and then sent her to a detention center. While in detention, she was beaten by criminals, and tortured. She refused to renounce her practice of Falun Gong and after one month's torture, was in critical condition. The police attempted to send her to the Shibalihe Labor Camp in Zhengzhou City. The doctors at the forced labor camp, however, refused to accept her because of her health condition, so they released her on "medical parole." Her condition deteriorated and she passed away on October 3, 2002.

?Sept. 21, 2002: Man Tortured to Death in Huazi Jail, Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province

Jingyi Wang (male, 56 years old) was from Dong-xi-zhen-li Village in Zhao Township, Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province. In February 2000, he was abducted by police for making Falun Gong materials and taken to Wafangdian City Detention Center. In September 2002, Jingyi was unlawfully sentenced to a five-year jail term. After only 18 days of being transferred to Liaoyang City's Huazi Jail in Liaoning Province, he was tortured to death on September 21. The details of Mr. Wang's death are still under investigation.

- Sept. 16, 2002: Woman Tortured to Death by the Mudanjiang City Police in Heilongjiang Province

Hongmin Li (female, 50 years old) was from Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province. On the morning of September 16, 2002, she was kidnapped by the city police department. In the afternoon of the same day, she had been beaten to death. According to sources familiar with her case, the police dropped her corpse from a building and then claimed that she committed suicide in order to shirk responsibility for her death. Her body was cremated on September 19. The police department threatened her family members not to leak the news and asked them to say to the outside world that she went out to visit relatives and she was not dead. Mudanjiang City Political Security Department: 86-453-6282628, Department Director: Li Fu

- Dec. 4, 2002: After Torture in Detention, Woman Dies Falling from a Building

Zhixiang Luo (female, exact age unknown) was an engineer for the Guangdong Province Farming Construction Company. Due to continuous persecution from local police, she was forced to leave her home in 2000. On November 29 2002, Zhixiang and her husband Guohua Huang, both practitioners of Falun Gong, were kidnapped from a leased apartment in Haizhu District of Guangzhou City by "610 Office" policemen. The couple were detained in the Haizhu District Detention Center, where they were both tortured severely. Zhixiang protested the torture by going on a hunger strike. Police continued to persecute Zhixiang as her health deteriorated. Zhixiang was sent to the hospital on or before December 4, where police continued to pressure her to renounce Falun Gong. Sources in China indicate Zhixiang died on December 4, 2002 by falling from a building. The details of Zhixiang's case, however, are still under investigation. Her husband remains in detention.

- Sept. 8, 2002: Tortured to Death at the Jiujiechun Detention Center in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province

Deming Shen (mail, exact age unknown) was from Xiantao City, Hubei Province. Deming was arrested while distributing Falun Dafa materials in Shenzhen City, where he was working temporarily. He was then detained for six months in the Jiujiechun Detention Center. Due to the severity of the torture, he suffered a mental breakdown and his health deteriorated. On September 8, Deming passed away.

- Sept. 8, 2002: Woman in Huangshi City, Hubei Province Dies After Severe Long-Term Persecution

Xiang Chen (female, 50s) from Huangshi City, Hubei Province was arrested on April 18, 2000 for holding up a banner saying, "Falun Dafa is Good" in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. She was sent back to her hometown by Beijing police to be detained in Huangshi City No.1 Labor Camp. Police in the camp cuffed Chen's ankles and forced her to stay sitting on the bed to prevent her from sitting cross-legged on the floor and practicing the Falun Gong exercises. The shackles cut into her flesh, and she became very ill, sometimes becoming breathless and passing out, forcing other inmates to call for help. The handcuffs were never taken off of Chen until she was released 15 days later on a 2000 yuan bail paid by her family

Following the induction of the Huangshi City brainwashing class in 2002, Xiang was repeatedly kidnapped to each term of the classes, typically lasting 15 days, by police. Due to the long-term, continuous physical and psychological abuse she suffered, Xiang passed away on September 8 2002.

- November 20, 2002: Woman Dies from Electric Baton Beatings

Rongzhen Jiang (female, 42 years old) was an employee from the Cooking Element Emporium, Coal Engine Factory, Jixi City. She was tortured to death on November 20, 2002 in the Ha'erbin Drug Rehabilitation Center. The Center claimed that she died of a heart attack. According to eyewitnesses, however, Rongzhen's body was full of wounds and marks left by electric shocks. There were also holes on her forehead and back.

- November 17, 2002: Man Dies Following Hunger Strike in Linxi Police Station, Guye District, Tangshan City

On November 6, 2002, policeman Zhenhai Wang from the Linxi Police Station, Guye District, Tangshan City, detained Laihe Wei (male, exact age unknown). At the police station, Laihe was accused of making Falun Gong materials. As a result, he was detained indefinitely, his home searched and his possessions confiscated. On November 10, Laihe started a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention. On November 15, pressured by Laihe's family, police released him, but he died two days later. The Linxi police station phone number: 0315-3561550

- May, 2002: Retired Teacher from Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province Dies After Prolonged Persecution

After July 20, 1999, Xiwen Liu (male, 60 years old) had been the target of continuous persecution from the Beilin District Education Committee and Zhenxing Elementary School. Especially after he appealed in Beijing in December 2000, the officials intensified their tactics. Xiwen had been detained and beaten in detention centers on numerous occasions. He passed away on May 20, 2002. Prior to his death, Xiwen had been living in the streets for 14 months to avoid persecution by police and his pension had been suspended for 18 months.

- May, 2001: Man Tortured to Death in the Daqing Forced Labor Camp

Huaiyi Niu (male, exact age unknown) was an employee of the 6th Plant of the Daqing City Oil Extraction Factory Mr. Niu was detained in the Daqing Forced Labor Camp in August of 2000 without any due process. Inside the labor camp, Mr. Niu was tortured and subjected to severe forced labor. Mr. Niu's health deteriorated quickly. By April 2001, he was dying. Fearful of taking on responsibility for his death, the Daqing Forced Labor Camp sent him home. Mr. Niu passed away within a month of returning home.

- July, 2001: Zhao Zichu from Wuxue City, Hubei Province Tortured to Death by Police

Zhao Zichu, (male, 51 years old), was a resident of Longping Township, Wuxue City. For studying and practicing Falun Gong, he was kidnapped by local police and sent to the Wuxue City No. 1 Detention Center, where he was tortured to the brink of death. He was not released until, in July 2001, the police saw him spitting up blood. Mr. Zhao could not recover and passed away shortly afterwards.

- Jan. 24, 2000: Woman Thrown to Her Death From 5th Story Window

Qunhua Shu (female, 40 years old) was a resident of the 3rd community of Banshan Village in Suining City, Sichuan Province. After July 20, 1999, Qunhua was arrested twice and detained for a total of 2-3 months. During her detention, she was severely torture. On the afternoon of January 24, 2000, Chief Yang of the local police station surrounded Qunhua's home with 5 police vehicles. Chief Yang, Shixue Deng and several other policemen ambushed Qunhua's 5th-floor apartment and tried to force her to turn over the Falun Gong materials she had in her possession. She immediately threw the flyers out of the window to people on the street, infuriating the police to the point that they threw her out the window. Qunhua died on the spot.

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report), fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it.

The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of 537 deaths (reports / sources) since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600, while expert sources estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labour camps, typically without trial.