Ma Hongwei

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Ma Hongwei was a kind person, well known in his company for his calligraphy and drawing. He was close to winning a merit award every year, and he was in good health.

At around 11:00 a.m. on September 21, 2009, Mr. Ma was making lunch at home. Officers stormed in and ransacked his home, taking his computer, 30,000 yuan in bank deposit booklets, and 3,000 yuan in cash. They detained him in the Dezhou City Detention Center, where Mr. Ma was brutally tortured and deprived of sleep. The prisoners watching him would shake him as soon as he closed his eyes. Mr. Ma told the guards that his legs were swollen on September 26, 2009, but no one cared. A few days later his stomach was swollen and the guards said it was fine as long as he did not die. He reported this problem three times, to no avail.

By October 7, 2009, Mr. Ma's whole body was swollen, and he could not catch his breath. The detention center authorities rushed him to the Dezhou City People's Hospital for emergency treatment. The Dezhou City Domestic Security Division Chief Zhang Xikun quickly notified Mr. Ma's family and forced them to sign forms, and Mr. Ma was released. The emergency rescue effort failed, and Mr. Ma died at approximately 8:00 a.m. on November 5, 2009.