Dai Xiaoling

The Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong has escalated in the name of "maintaining security for the Olympics." From December 2007 to August 2008, at least 48 practitioners have been arrested in Shuangyashan City, Heilongjiang Province. At around 5 p.m. on August 11, 2008, police officers went to "visit" and threaten practitioners door-to-door. When they arrived at Ms. Dai Xiaoling's building, she was about to leave to buy bread for her family. The police asked, "Why won't you let us in? Do you have anything you are scared to let us see?"

Ms. Dai went out and told her friends that she would have to face those officers upon returning home. An eyewitness said four officers were in her home at around 6:40 p.m. They had found Falun Gong books and truth-clarification DVDs and questioned Ms. Dai viciously. At around 7:20 p.m. Ms. Dai was seen plummeting from her balcony on the third floor, and landing on a steel manhole cover. She was severely injured. There was a big crowd of people surrounding her. Later, someone saw her foot dangling from the police vehicle. A witness said her last words were: "They forced me. I had no way out. I want to see my husband."

Ms. Dai was rushed to the hospital around 8 p.m. with four police vehicles. Her neighbor went with the police. Her husband was not there, and so there was no one to sign the paperwork. The doctors issued four dying notices within three hours.