(Clearwisdom.net)

Li Hongwei, about fifty years old, was a Falun Gong practitioner in Chaoyang, Liaoning Province. After Li was sent to the First Detention Center of Chaoyang on the morning of September 26, 2002, he was brutally force-fed several times, which led to his death on October 7.

The Shuangta Branch of the Public Security Bureau, the Qianjin Police Station and the city's "610 Office" [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.] joined efforts to abduct Li from his home on the morning of September 26, 2002. He was sent to the First Detention Center of Chaoyang. His home was searched and property confiscated. Li resisted the persecution with a hunger strike, accepting no food or water, and was force-fed by the policemen of the detention center. On October 1, he was force-fed for the first time. He was force-fed again on October 4. Some Falun Dafa practitioners in other cells requested to see him, hoping to find out how he was doing, but their requests were denied by the Detention Center Chief, Shi Jianping. (Police ID: 860027). Li was force-fed again on October 5. He was seen being pulled out of his cell with some support, his feet dragging on the floor.

We stopped the Detention Center Chief Shi at the cell door, and told him not to torture Falun Dafa practitioners under the pretext of force-feeding. He turned around and left without listening. On October 6, Li was seen being dragged out again by two people. He was unable to walk at all and looked extremely pale. We told these two people not to help a tyrant do evil. Li Hongwei may have been force-fed twice on that day. On the morning of October 7, some people from the Emergency Center of Chaoyang came to the Detention Center, attempting to rescue Li Hongwei, but pronounced him dead shortly afterwards. News about this case was sealed off by the Detention Center following Li's death.

In the detention center, those who refused to follow the policemen's unreasonable demands would be cursed and punished physically. Li Hongwei was often subjected to this kind of persecution before he passed away.

April 4, 2003