Wang Guiming died after less than three days in Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp in February 2008. His family's insistence on an investigation resulted in their arrests.
Wang Guiming was a Falun Gong practitioner from Tonghua City, Jilin Province. After being detained for less than three days, from the afternoon of February 27, 2008, to February 29, 2008, he was dead as a result of brutal torture in Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp, in Changchun City, Jilin Province.
Wang Guiming's wife, Han Fengxia, hired a lawyer to bring a lawsuit against the suburban Procuratorate in Changchun City on March 5, 2008. At that time she specifically requested that her husband's corpse not be cremated. Six people, including Procuratorate Head Wang, Deputy Li, and Director Li Hongbo promised not to cremate the corpse.
On March 8, several people went to Tonghua City, including Wang Zhiming, head of Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp, Yang Guang, deputy of the labor camp, the director of the Procuratorate and the deputy of the Judicature Bureau, as well as the division head of the Provincial Prison Administration Bureau. On March 9, they met with Wang Guiming's family and promised them compensation of 50,000 yuan to help with financial difficulties as a result of his death. However, the family had solid evidence that proved that Wang Guiming's death was a result of the torture administered by electric shock while he was in the forced labor camp. To cover up the facts, the officials told the prison doctor to list the cause of death as "sudden death due to natural causes" and not to allow any doctors from other provinces to examine his body. Wang Zhiming's family refused to accept the 50,000 yuan compensation, and instead asked to talk to the prison guards on duty the day of Mr. Wang's death. The officials refused to disclose the name of the prison guards involved. The family members were able to learn from other sources that a man named Yu Tie is the head of the division where Wang Guiming was tortured to death while he was detained at Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp.
The officials hadn't reach an agreement with Mr. Wang's family by March 9, so they returned to Changchun City. On March 13, Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp officials, the procurator's court, the provincial prison administration bureau, and Heimazhi Forced Labor Camp officials went to Tonghua City once again. At 10:00 a.m. on March 13, on the fifth floor of the judicature bureau, they met with Mr. Wang's family once again and asked how much money the family would accept as compensation for his death. The family still insisted that they wished to talk to the prison guards involved. No agreement was reached at that time.
On March 14, an urgent meeting was held in Tonghua Police Department and a decision was made to arrest Wang's wife, Han Fengxia, as well as other members of his family, and to charge them with "creating a public disturbance." There is now a police car on around the clock surveillance in front of Mr. Wang's home.
Recent Large-Scale Arrests by Anqiu City Police in Shandong Province
Between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on March 1, 2008, authorities in Anqiu City staged large-scale arrests of Falun Gong practitioners. Participating were more than 50 police officers who arrived in 20 vehicles from Anqiu City Police Department, the Domestic Security Team, Xingan Street Police Station, as well as agents from the 610 Office. They encircled Zongzipo Village, Xiaoxinzhuang Village and Nanxin Village, then illegally arrested Falun Gong practitioners and wantonly searched their homes.
The arrested practitioners included: Tian Xuekun at Zongzipo Village (male, 57 years old), Han Meiqin (female, 50 years old), Sun Yeqing (female, 50 years old), Li Xiuzhi (female, 60 years old), Wang Xiuyun (female, 60 years old), Tian Zhiyou (not a Falun Gong practitioner), Tian Shuzhen at Xiao Xin Villiage (female, 60 years old), and Jiang Guixiu at Nanxin Village (female, 65 years old). Tian Zhiyou was arrested for saying to the police, "You behave just like bandits" when they searched his home. During the arrest and home searches, the police took all the cash from the practitioners' pockets. It was reported that Tian Zhiyou, Wang Xiuyun, and Li Xiuzhi returned home that same day.
At 8:00 a.m. that same morning, more than 20 police officers from Anqiu City Domestic Security Team, the Patroller Team, Liu Jiayao Police Station and Jiage Police Station broke in and arrested practitioners Wang Peizhi and his daughter Wang Xiaomin at Hanjiahou Village. The police taped Wang Peizhi's mouth shut and tied him up because they were afraid he would clarify the facts about Falun Gong to people. Wang Xiaomin defied the police. They tied her with rope and carried her downstairs from the fifth floor. Wang Xiaomin's eight year-old son was frightened by the terrible sight and kept trembling and crying helplessly. The persecutors also confiscated the family's computer, TV, DVD, and other items.
In the meantime, the police also arrested Wang Peizhi's son-in-law, practitioner Li Zhiguang, who was at work at the thermal power plant.
The police officers from Xingan Street Police Station arrested practitioner Li Rendong from Tiange Villiage, Jiage County.
Practitioner Liu Qingmei from Daxiapo Villiage, Shidui County was arrested at home that same morning, together with another practitioner, name unknown, from Baoquan County.