26 Verified Deaths from Torture During May, 2004
By Clearwisdom.net reporter Fang Hong
(Clearwisdom.net) According to statistics from Clearwisdom.net, 26 innocent Falun Gong
practitioners were verified to have died as a result of persecution in police
custody during the month of May, 2004. This caused the total death count of
Falun Gong practitioners to reach 973. Innocent People are killed for Believing in "Truthfulness, Compassion,
Forbearance" The 26 deaths from torture that were exposed in May are from 15 provinces,
autonomous regions, and municipalities nationwide, including Hebei (5), Liaoning
(4), Jilin (3), Gansu (2), Sichuan (2), and one each from Henan, Guizhou, Shanxi,
Hunan, Chongqing, Hainan, Guangdong, Hubei, Shandong, and Xinjiang. Of the 26 death cases recently exposed, 57.7% were people over 50 years old,
61.50% were women; the youngest was 20-year-old Zhou Rong from Xiaohe Dazhai
Village, Guiyang, Guizhou Province. The eldest was 70-year-old Zhang Caihou from
Shuangcheng Town, Wuwei City, Gansu Province. Two elderly female practitioners
were tortured to death by the police; they were Zhao Xiaoping, 62, a retired
teacher from Xinjiang, and Zeng Lingxiu, 60, from Guanghan City, Sichuan
Province. Like most practitioners, they attained healthy bodies after practicing Falun
Gong. For example, Zhou Zebi from Sichuan and Liu Fu Meihui from Guangdong were
sickly and weak, but became healthy and strong; Li Chunrong from Liaoning and
Wang Jingrong from Henan had high blood pressure for many years but were cured
without treatment; Zhang Yuzhen from Hebei had advanced lymph cancer, and Zhou
Yuqin from Hebei had intestinal cancer, but both completely recovered after
beginning Falun Dafa practice. The tailbone of Yan Liyou from Hainan had been
permanently damaged in a car accident, and was completely cured after practicing
Falun Gong. He donated his wheelchair, crutches, and other equipment to the
residents committee of his town. These are all members of mainstream society,
each with a different occupation, including workers (Zhang Yuzhen from Hebei,
Yang Meiying from Shanxi, Tang Yun from Chongqing), villagers (Zheng Fuxiang
from Jilin, Zhou Rong from Guizhou, Zhao Mingxiang from Shandong, Zeng Lingxiu
from Sichuan), teachers (Yu Fenghua from Liaoning, Zhao Xiaoping from Xinjiang),
and a company general manager (Yan Liyou from Hainan). Policemen Violate the Law and Persecute Brutally Under Jiang's secret elimination orders, "Ruin Falun Gong practitioners'
reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically," the "610
Office" (1) and policemen have used all means to brutally persecute Falun Gong
practitioners. The deaths reported in May resulted in most cases from
persecution. Generally the people suffered severe physical torture along with
mental torment. Many of them were abducted and their homes ransacked. They
suffered from different kinds of violent beatings, brutal punishment, forced
brainwashing, and extortion. They have been held in forced labor camps,
detention centers, and brainwashing centers. The local public security officers
and "610 Office" cruelly persecuted them and tried to force them to give up
their belief in "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." Besides regular beatings, the lawless police used various other torture
methods. For example, Yang Meiying from Shanxi was beaten while she was hung by
her handcuffed wrists for a long time; Wang Xiuyuan was deprived of sleep,
physically punished, and forced to do hard labor; Zhou Zebi from Sichuan was
punished, and only given two corn flour steamed buns each day; Yan Liyou from
Hainan was soaked in ice-cold water during the winter, that was filled with body
waste, and was shocked with several electric batons at the same time, and Zheng
Fuxiang from Jilin and Sun Lancheng from Hebei were barbarically force-fed. Zhao Mingxiang killed by Police and his Body Discarded Dafa practitioner Mr. Zhao Mingxiang was 46 years old and lived in
Zhaojiaguan Village, Renzhao Town, Pingdu City, Shandong Province. On December
21, 2003, he was arrested while distributing truth clarification materials in
Duanbolan Town of Jimo City. A few days later, he was brutally tortured to death
in the Duanbolan Police Station. The lawless police discarded his body in order
to escape responsibility. Villagers discovered his body in a haystack on
December 30, 2003. They reported it to Duanbolan Police Station. The police said
the body was "unclaimed" and "unidentified." On May 25, 2004, Zhao Mingxiang's
family went to the Jimo City Police Department to claim the body. The police
said Zhao Mingxiang died from "hunger and cold weather." His family asked to
take back his ashes, but the police said there were no ashes. Zhao Mingxiang's
family saw four pictures of him in the police portfolio, in which he looked
emaciated with long, unshaved facial hair. He wore only underwear and was
disheveled. Zhao Mingxiang obviously died after suffering nine days of brutal
torture at the Duanbolan Police Station in Jimo City. Zhang Yuzhen Recovered from Advanced Lymph Cancer after Practicing Falun
Gong, but Was Killed for Believing in "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" Ms. Zhang Yuzhen, was a 48-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Qiaoxi
District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province. In 1998, she was diagnosed with
advanced lymph cancer. She had difficulty eating, was extremely weak, and her
life was in danger. After being introduced to and practicing Falun Gong, she
recovered from cancer and regained her physical and mental health. She went back
to work, and performed her job well. After July 20, 1999, when the persecution
of Falun Gong began, Zhang Yuzhen went to Beijing to appeal and brought her
medical records with her. However she was arrested by the National Appeals
Office, and brought back to her hometown by the local police. After she
returned, she was illegally detained and fined. Afterwards, Qiaoxi Beixin
Village police station and the local office harassed her many times at home and
at her workplace, and even abducted her and took her to both the local office
and brainwashing center several times. Zhang Yuzhen had to leave home after
experiencing this brutal persecution several times. On the night of February 17, 2004, lawless policemen from the Zhangjiakou
City Qiaoxi Public Security Sub-branch and the Qiaoxi Dajingmen Police Station
kidnapped Zhang Yuzhen and detained her at the Shisanli Detention Center. Later,
the Qiaoxi Judicial and Political Committee and the Qiaoxi Public Security
Sub-branch sent her to the brainwashing center. In mid-April, when visited by
her family members, they found that her mind was not clear. They believed this
to be from her being persecuted. On May 4, 2004, Zhang Yuzhen died in a small
clinic in the Qiaoxi HuaXiangzi area. The Dajingmen Police notified her family
members after she died. 62 Year-Old Retired Teacher Went to Beijing to Appeal, and Was Killed by the
Police in Beijing Ms. Zhao Xiaoping, 62, was a resident in Urumqi City and a retired teacher
from a Ceramics Factory. She went to Beijing on December 28, 2000 to appeal
against the persecution of Falun Dafa, and was detained in the Yanqing Detention
Center. She was released two days later. She was held again in the No. 8 Branch
of Beijing City's Police Station. They poured cold water over her after she was
forced to take off all her clothes. She went on a hunger strike to resist the
illegal detention. On January 4, 2001 Ms. Zhao was barbarically force-fed,
interrogated by the authorities, and brutally tortured. Her face was disfigured
with 3 big bumps on her head. Her body was covered with dirt, she could not
speak, and her lips were tightly shut. She was sent to the hospital for
emergency treatment on January 5, 2001. The doctors found that she was suffering
from internal injuries that consisted of bleeding in her liver, spleen, and
stomach. She was also diagnosed as having a swollen heart from the trauma she
received, and she also was diagnosed with kidney failure. As a result of these
massive injuries, Ms. Zhao passed away on January 7, 2001. Young Practitioner Zheng Fuxiang Suffered 4 Years of Persecution before
Passing On Dafa practitioner Mr. Zheng Fuxiang, 35, lived in Qingshan Township, Yushu
City, Jilin Province. After Zheng Fuxiang went to Beijing to appeal for the
first time, officers from Yushu City's Police Department detained him for over
two months. After his second appeal, he was illegally sentenced to one year of
forced labor. He was detained at the Weizigou Forced Labor Camp, the Fenjin
Forced Labor Camp, and the Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp in Changchun, where he
suffered all kinds of physical and mental torture. His sentence was extended by
five months because he persisted in his belief. His body was covered with
scabies and he was very emaciated. In March 2002, Dafa practitioners in Changchun tapped into the cable TV
network and broadcasted programs clarifying the truth about Dafa. Jiang was
extremely frightened, and secretly gave orders to "Kill without pardon."
Immediately afterwards, the police started a frenzied wave of arrests. Zhang
Dezhi, head of the Qingshan Township Police Station, led a group of police
officers to Zheng Fuxiang's home and broke in without a warrant. They broke the
windows and entered his home, and viciously beat him and his wife. They then
took him to the Qingshan Township Police Station, where they shocked Zheng
Fuxiang with electric batons, and beat his chest and stomach. They detained him
for "disturbing the social order." Mr. Zheng Fuxiang held a hunger strike during
detention to protest the persecution, and the guards force-fed him. Later he was
sentenced to three years of forced labor and detained in the Chaoyanggou Forced
Labor Camp in Changchun. Many inmates and police surrounded Zheng Fuxiang and
beat and tortured him with electric batons. Not long after that, Zheng Fuxiang
sustained severe internal injuries from the torture. He coughed constantly and
was extremely weak. Despite his condition, he was forced to do hard labor, which
caused his condition to deteriorate, and he developed a high fever. In June
2003, Zheng Fuxiang was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was quarantined. The
labor camp authorities ordered his family to pay for his medical treatment. His
family pleaded for medical parole for Zheng Fuxiang, but the labor camp
authorities denied their request. Due to the long-term persecution, Zheng
Fuxiang became critically ill and vomited thick blood. The labor camp officials
were afraid of being held responsible for their abuse, so on April 6, 2004 they
told Zheng Fuxiang's family to take him home. Mr. Zheng Fuxiang passed away at
4:00 a.m. on April 7, 2004, at the age of 35. Persecution Causes the Death of Husband, and Heart Disease of Wife Zhang Baicheng, 66, lived in Hongmei Town, Meihekou City in Jilin Province.
He was sentenced to one year of forced labor for posting Falun Gong
truth-clarification material. When he was released in December 2001, his body
was full of scabies, he could not straighten his back while walking, the flesh
on his leg was rotten, and the bones were exposed. During my father's stay at
home, he constantly remained in bed. Even so, the staff from the labor camp and
the police station still came to harass him, and extorted 400 Yuan (2) as a
"visiting fee." Under the persecution and harassment of the public security
officers, Zhang Baicheng died on February 19, 2002. After he passed away, the
family had no income. The daughter, Zhang Lixin, had to work away from home.
Zhang Lixin is also a Falun Gong practitioner. The policemen could not find her,
so they frequently interrogated Zhang Baicheng's wife. One time they tried to
force the elderly lady to sign a "Guarantee Statement." (3) She refused, so they
forcibly took her fingerprints. They even shouted at her, "If we can't find your
daughter, we'll take you away and interrogate you every day." At the same time,
they intended to beat her. As a result, the 63 year-old elderly lady suffered a
heart attack. Jiang's Crimes of Murder Can't Be Exempted On the morning of May 27, the first oral arguments in the appeal of Falun
Gong practitioners suing former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin for genocide were
heard in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Dr. Terri Marsh, the
plaintiffs' attorney, stated that Jiang cannot be exempt from prosecution for
individual acts because of his former official position. On the morning of May 27, 2004, Dr. Terri Marsh, the plaintiffs' attorney,
stated that there were mistakes with the original court's dismissal of the
lawsuit based on head-of-state immunity because Jiang is no longer a head of
state, having left office as the president of China, and he therefore no longer
enjoys immunity. Additionally, a head of state cannot be exempt from prosecution
for individual and non-governmental acts. A representative from the Department of Justice admitted China's human rights
persecution against Falun Gong, and emphasized the United States' condemnation
of such human rights violations. In response to the diplomatic and political considerations, Dr. Marsh quoted
former President Bush who, when signing the Torture Victim Protection Act into
law, was aware that he was also supporting the rule of law. Dr. Marsh said that
protecting human rights through strict legal processes is critically important. After the oral arguments ended, the judges said they would make a decision
based on discussion of the lawyers' statements. According to sources inside
Mainland China, Jiang was extremely nervous about the court arguments. Prior to the oral arguments between May 24 and 26, Falun Gong practitioners
held an anti-torture exhibition called "Persecution vs. Principle" in the city
of Chicago. They used posters and live models to illustrate the horrific and
inconceivable torture against Falun Gong practitioners by the Jiang regime. It
shocked people from all walks of life. (1) The "610 Office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun
Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all
other political and judiciary systems. (2) Yuan is the Chinese currency. The monthly income of an average urban
worker is 500 Yuan. (3) "Guarantee Statement" - A
statement to declare that one is remorseful for practicing Falun Gong and
guarantees not to practice Falun Gong again, not to go to Beijing to appeal for
Falun Gong, and never again associate with any Falun Dafa practitioners.
Chinese version available at
http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/6/5/76364.html
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