The Number of Falun Gong Practitioners Being Persecuted to Death in China Has Reached 48

No. 48 & 47: Zhou Chunmei and her daughter Sun Xiaobo, were forced to defend their belief in Falun Gong with their own lives

Zhou Chunmei, female, 62, was a teacher of the "special provincial classification." She lived in Building #4, Shihuyuan Xiaoqu, Weicheng District, Weifang City, Shandong Province. She began practicing Falun Gong in 1995.

Her daughter Sun Xiaobo, female, 36, was an elementary school teacher. She lived in Weicheng Chengguan, Weifang City, Shandong Province. She began practicing Falun Gong in 1999.

Both of them were constantly followed and watched by their work units after going to Beijing to appeal in June 1999. On July 20, 1999, on her way to Beijing to appeal, Zhou Chunmei was intercepted and forcefully dragged onto a police van, which bruised both of her arms. After July 22, 1999, her home was ransacked. At the time, there was a big crowd around watching. In order to protect Falun Dafa books, Zhou Chunmei was dragged into the yard and fell, but she took this opportunity to tell the truth of Falun Dafa to the people around.

Thereafter, every day the education committee and work unit of both Zhou Chunmei and her daughter would send someone over to force them into giving up practicing Falun Gong. They threatened both women that if they did not give up by certain deadline, they would be detained and punished. Facing tremendous pressure, neither Zhou Chunmei nor her daughter, Sun Xiaobo, gave in; they openly stated their determination to continue practicing Falun Gong.

On July 27, 1999, Zhou Chunmei and her daughter Sun Xiaobo, were forced to defend their belief in Falun Gong with their own lives.

No. 46: The Death of Falun Gong Practitioner, Yang Weidong

Yang Weidong, male, 54, was formerly of the regiment cadre as well as director of the Yaosai Hygiene Clinic in Changsha City, Hunan Province. In 1990, after he transferred to civilian work, he became a medical inspector at the Weifang City Medical Inspection Center, which is located in the Weicheng district, and is under the jurisdiction of the city's

Public Health Bureau. When Yang Weidong was at work, he was awarded the title of "model party member" on several occasions, and consecutively held the post of "Party Representative" for his work unit. Yang Weidong was a studious, responsible and honest worker. He treated people with respect, and took pleasure in helping others; he was renowned in his field as a good person.

Health and Peace of Mind Gained Through the Fa (teachings of Falun Dafa)

Before Yang Weidong began practicing Falun Gong, he was unhealthy and weak. He had a serious heart condition, severe tracheitis, gallbladder problems, and other life threatening diseases. It was extremely difficult for him to lie down to sleep, because lying down made it too difficult for him to breathe. He could only sit down to sleep, or walk around a bit in his room. After practicing Falun Gong, all his former diseases were cured without any medical treatment. Yang Weidong often talked about this with his family and other practitioners. Each time he mentioned it, he would sincerely say, with the utmost gratitude and reverence: "If I didn't practice Falun Gong, my life would have been over a long time ago. It was Falun Gong that extended my life, and it has lead my life onto a truly bright path."

A Cold Prison Cell Without Sunlight

On November 19, Yang Weidong went to Beijing to appeal the government's decision to ban Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) and label it an "illegal organization." On the morning of November 23, officers of the Nanguan police substation, in the Weicheng district, of Weifang City brought him back. He was then detained in a "room" at the Nanguan police substation. This room was actually a damp and dark prison cell located in a narrow hallway. It had a window (1 meter high, 1.5 meters wide), with no glass to keep out the cold wind. No sunlight could be seen in this cell year round. At the time of his detention, it was lightly raining, and the temperature outside was 7-8? C below zero (around 20? F), however, the temperature inside this cell was even lower than outside. The officers at the Nanguan police substation detained the men and women together and didn't allow them to leave the "room" to eat or use the restroom. Therefore, it was extremely awkward when one of them needed to go to the bathroom. Inside the cell, the cold wind blew in through the open window, and the police did not provide them with any quilt. Under these harsh conditions, Yang Weidong began to lose his health. It was so bitterly cold that he could not sleep, and had trouble breathing. His voice was weak and he could only speak in short segments. He hardly ate anything and was coughing all day long. However, the police turned a blind eye to his poor physical condition. After being detained for two days and one night, he was sent to the Weicheng detention center by his work unit (the Public Health Bureau) on the evening of November 24, and was sentenced to administrative detention.

Seriously Ill While in Detention

Since he came to the detention center, Yang Weidong's health deteriorated even faster, he could barely walk and could not sleep through the night. He could not eat much and only drank gruel on a few occasions. He was coughing violently everyday and could not breath whenever he lay down. Once the detention center required that each individual be photographed, but by that time Yang Weidong could no longer get up from bed, so they had to take a picture of him in his sickbed. Seeing his poor health, the guard only asked him a few questions, but didn't take any further action to help him.

Through an amazingly display of willpower, Yang Weidong finished his 15-day administrative detention. However on December 8, his work unit sent him to the male ward of the psychiatric department in Kangfu hospital, against his will. After Yang Weidong was released from the detention center, he refused to be committed to the Kangfu hospital, however his work unit simply ignored him and forcefully committed him against his wishes. In addition, they sent a guard to watch over him, prohibit him from studying the Fa (teachings of Falun Dafa) or practice the exercises. Once detained in a ward for psychiatric patients, his health deteriorated even further.

By then, Yang Weidong had already developed liver edema, and his lower limbs were swollen. Even the doctor in Kangfu Hospital was frightened upon seeing his condition. He told the guard, who watched Yang Weidong: "He is in a state of physical collapse, how come you do not send him home? His illness is already incurable? Yang Weidong's son was working in the psychiatric department of the same hospital, and his office happened to be right across from the ward where Weidong was being held. Because of this, Weidong's son was ridiculed in his workplace, and his fiancée left him.

After November, the hospital realized that Yang Weidong was dying, so they asked his family to take him home. After five or six days, on the evening of December 25, Yang Weidong passed away.

After this, the Nanguan Police Substation immediately declared that Yang Weidong's death was caused by his practice of Falun Gong and used this lie to frame Falun Gong.

August 2000, practitioners from Mainland China

No. 45: Falun Gong Practitioner, Li Faming, From Gansu Province, Died After Falling From a Building While Being Persecuted by the Police

Li Faming, male, 52, was formerly from Longxi County, Gansu Province. He was a worker in the North West Aluminum Processing Factory (State Operated Factory 113), a communist party member, and an ex-soldier. He started practicing Falun Gong in May 1998. From then on, he became a healthy person, a good worker who worked hard without complaint, and a good communist party member.

On February 12, 2000, the police illegally entered and searched his home, confiscated his color TV and detained him for 31 days. According to his own account, he was beaten when the police ransacked his home.

At around 4:40 pm on August 10, 2000, three police officers took Li Faming home from his job. At 5:30 pm, he fell from his own apartment on the forth floor. He died fifteen minutes after arriving at a hospital. When he fell from the building, all three police officers were present at the scene. At the time, someone from outside his apartment overheard the three police officers yelling loudly and abusively at Li Faming. In reply, Li Faming spoke only one sentence: "I am a Falun Gong practitioner." These were his last words.

The exact circumstances of his death cannot be verified, but the three police officers present at the scene clearly knew what really happened.

According to an insider, the police suspected that Li Faming was connected to the distribution of Falun Gong materials.

After the death of Li Faming, the officials from his factory and the police department held an emergency meeting. They mad a strong statement that his death was due to "committing suicide to escape punishment." They forbade Falun Gong practitioners to hold any memorial service. Within 24 hours, his body was secretly cremated.

We hope that all people, around the world, who support justice will investigate the human rights conditions in Long Xi County, Gansu Province, China, and the incident of Falun Gong practitioner Li Faming being persecuted to death for practicing Falun Gong.

Telephone number for the North West Aluminum Processing Factory : [phone] Telephone number for the Public Security Bureau of Longxi County: [phone]

August 19, 2000, practitioners from Mainland China

No. 44: Falun Gong Practitioner, Wang Xuezhi, of Chengdu City, was killed at a Labor Camp

Wang Xuezhi, male, 30, was a driver for the bottled water company in Chengdu City. After he learned Falun Gong in 1998, he treasured it (Dafa) as much as his own life. When Falun Gong was under vicious persecution in China, and genuine practitioners were stepping forward bravely to safeguard the Fa, getting arrested, and receiving heavy jail terms, Wang Xuezhi also stepped forward. He publicly practiced the exercises outside by himself last October and was detained for fifteen days. In early December, Wang Xuezhi was again detained in the Chengdu office in Beijing for coming to appeal, and then dispatched back to the Jiuru Village Detention Center in Chengdu. Later, like many other practitioners, he was secretly sentenced to a year and half of hard labor without a trial. He was then sent to the Ziyang Dayan labor camp in mid-January 2000.

In order to safeguard the principles of Falun Dafa, while being detained, Wang Xuezhi went on a hunger strike for over 150 days. He was telling the government the truth of Falun Gong with his own life, but the government refused to listen. What is even more outrageous is that as hinted by some police in the labor camp, over 200 convicted inmates once surrounded Wang Xuezhi and beat him for an entire day. When he was on a hunger strike, he was even force-fed with urine and feces. Due to the adverse effects of such long-term and inhumane torture, Wang Xuezhi became extremely weak. In order to shirk the responsibility for their crimes, the labor camp released Wang Xuezhi to "seek medical treatment outside of police custody." Soon after, on the evening of August 5, 2000, Wang Xuezhi passed away.

At work, to his boss and co-workers' mind, Wang Xuezhi was a great person of few words and an excellent worker. At home, he was the only child of his family.