FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 2/20/2002 [ http://www.faluninfo.net/ ]

NEW YORK, February 20, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) - Four more Falun Gong practitioners are reported dead from abuse and torture by police in China. These cases continue an alarming surge in the death toll of Falun Gong practitioners resulting directly from state-sponsored torture and abuse in China.

Tortured to Death in the Prime of His Life

Ding Wen was a 30-year-old resident of Shiyan City, Hubei Province. Mr. Ding was first arrested in early 2001, and over the next year he was transferred back and forth between jail and brainwashing classes, suffering brutal torture all along the way. Over a stretch of five days, he was beaten, force-fed with alcohol and vinegar, and beaten again continuously. This type of torture continued for nearly an entire year.

On January 14, 2002, Ding Wen passed away in a brainwashing class held in Shiyan City. While his wife was detained in another brainwashing class, Mr. Ding's body was cremated without permission on January 16, 2002.

Beaten to Death and Denied Medical Care

Hu Youliang, 48, was from Xishui County, Hubei Province. Mr. Hu was arrested in November 2001 for distributing flyers. In order to protest his detention and torture, Mr. Hu went on a hunger strike for more than 20 days. Seeing his condition deteriorate rapidly, the police did not release him or provide medical care but instead transferred him to a detention center in his hometown.

On January 23, 2002, Hu Youliang passed away. The police refused to allow his body to be seen by relatives and quickly cremated it on the same day.

Arrested for Going to Banned Website and Beaten to Death

Jiang Yonghong was a 34-year-old engineer from Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. Mr. Jiang had been detained in a labor camp from December 1999 to September 2000. Shortly after his release, Mr. Jiang was arrested while viewing a banned Falun Gong website in an Internet caf¨¦ in January 2001 and sentenced to labor camp in June 2001. However, Jiang Yonghong was beaten to death in the detention center even before he made it to the labor camp.

"Supervised" by Criminals

Liu Jian, a practitioner from Jinan City, Shandong Province, was tortured to death by guards from Liuchangshan Labor Camp. In March 2001, Mr. Liu was sent to the labor camp, where he began a hunger strike in protest. The authorities then placed him under the supervision of criminal inmates, who tortured him mercilessly. Liu Jian passed away on December 29, 2001.

Adam Montanaro, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Information Center, remarks, "The death toll of Falun Gong practitioners due to police brutality has risen at an astounding rate in the recent months. This campaign of torture and murder waged by the Chinese government has escalated dramatically, and these atrocities must be made known to the world."

The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of over 360 deaths 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. Over 100,000 have been detained, with more than 20,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps without trial.

Posting date: 2/21/2002
Original article date: 2/21/2002
Category: News & Media Reports

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