Crimes Committed by Ding Shunsheng, President of Hebei Provincial Procuratorate in the Persecution of Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) July 20, 2022 marked 23 years since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to suppress Falun Gong in 1999. Around this date Falun Gong practitioners in 38 countries submitted an updated list of perpetrators, including those in the law enforcement, judiciary branches, as well as the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, to their respective governments, urging that those on the list (and their family members) be barred from entering these countries and that their assets frozen.

The 38 countries are: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Czechia, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Croatia, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, Malta, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Israel, Mexico, Chile, and Dominica.

Please refer to the article “New List of Perpetrators Submitted to 38 Governments on the 23rd Anniversary of the Persecution of Falun Gong” for details.

Ding Shunsheng, the president of Hebei Provincial Procuratorate, is on the list.

Perpetrator Information

Full Name of Perpetrator: Ding (last name) Shunsheng (first name) (Chinese: 丁顺生)Gender: MaleCountry: ChinaEthnicity: HanDate/year of Birth: November 1964Place of Birth: Linqu City, Shandong Province

Ding Shunsheng

Title or Position

January 2018 – Present: Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and President of the Hebei Provincial Procuratorate

Main Crime

Since the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, the Hebei Provincial Procuratorate has assisted in sending practitioners to prison. After Ding Shunsheng was appointed the Party Secretary and President of the Hebei Provincial Procuratorate in January 2018, he ordered his subordinate prosecutors to approve the practitioners’ arrests and indict them. Ding repeatedly instructed procuratorate staff at all levels to “actively persecute Falun Gong.”

Since then, at least five practitioners, including Ms. Li Xiuhua, Mr. Guo Qinbei, Ms. Pan Shunying, Mr. Han Junde and Mr. Wei Qishan, have died as a result of the persecution. Many more were injured after being tortured in custody.

Selected Death Cases

Case 1: Mr. Wei Qishan Dies in Qinhuangdao City Detention Center

Mr. Wei Qishan was tortured to death in the Qinhuangdao City Detention Center in Hebei Province on the evening of November 23, 2019. Before his death, Mr. Wei was sentenced to four years in prison. His wife, Ms. Yu Shurong, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Around 9:20 p.m. on November 23, Mr. Wei’s two sons received calls from the Qinhuangdao City Detention Center and were told that their father was dying in the Qinhuangdao City People’s Hospital. As the sons do not live near their hometown, they called their aunt and asked her to go to the hospital to check on their father. Ten minutes later, the police called Mr. Wei’s sons again and informed them that Mr. Wei had just passed away.

Mr. Wei’s sister-in-law rushed to the hospital and saw his body, which was still on a stretcher but not in the emergency room. She noticed that Mr. Wei’s eyes were half-open. His right arm was hanging down and his right sleeve was completely wet. She rolled his sleeve half way up and saw his right arm was black and purple.

Case 2: Ms. Li Xiuhua Dies Six Months After Being Released from Prison

Ms. Li Xiuhua, of Tangshan City, Hebei Province was arrested in the early morning hours of May 13, 2019, for hanging a banner that read: “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” She was sentenced to one year in prison.

While serving time at the Tangshan No. 1 Detention Center, Ms. Li developed high blood pressure and persistent headaches due to the torture. She struggled with poor health after being released on May 12, 2020. She passed away on December 24, 2020. She was only 57 years old.

Case 3: Elderly Ms. Guo Qin Dies After Being Indicted

Ms. Guo Qin, of Xinji City, Hebei Province, was arrested twice in 2020 after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. Officers from the Jianshe Street Police Station submitted the case against her to the procuratorate. After learning that she was indicted and faced trial, she was under so much pressure that she passed away on December 9, 2021. She was 72.

Case 4: Dr. Pan Yingshun Dies in Prison

Dr. Pan Yingshun and his wife, Ms. Zhai Suping, were arrested on January 19, 2018. Dr. Pan was sentenced to four years and six months in prison on January 30, 2019. Ms. Zhai was given four years and nine months.

Dr. Pan was taken to the No. 5 Jidong Prison in May 2019. His family received a phone call from the prison in July 2021, telling them that Dr. Pan was in the intensive care unit of the Tangshan Union Hospital. When his family went to see him, he was unconscious and could not speak. Dr. Pan passed away on July 30. Ms. Zhai was incarcerated in the Shijiazhuang Women’s Prison and was not informed of his death.

Case 5: Mr. Han Junde Denied Medical Parole, Dies in Custody

Three Baoding City, Hebei Province residents were sentenced on February 26, 2020 for making gourds which contained the words: “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.” Mr. Han Junde was sentenced to eight years and six months. Ms. Li Yanqiu and Ms. Sun Liying were both given 8 years.

After Mr. Han was taken to the Jidong Prison, the guards repeatedly ordered him to plead guilty and renounce Falun Gong. When he refused to comply, they denied his right to meet with, call, or write his family.

Mr. Han’s family later learned that he developed severe anemia due to the abuse in prison. He became blind in one eye and had to be wheeled around in a wheelchair. The family applied for medical parole for him, but the Jingxiu District Justice Bureau denied their application, even after the doctor determined that he qualified.

Mr. Han’s family received a call from the prison on April 14, 2022 and were told that he passed away that morning. He was 77.

Select Sentencing Cases

Sentencing Cases in 2021

According to statistics reported by Minghui.org, at least 71 practitioners in Hebei Province were sentenced in 2021, 456 people were arrested, and 2,211 people were harassed.

In the early morning of August 12, 2020, up to 100 police officers were dispatched in four districts of Tangshan City, Hebei Province, to arrest over 50 Falun Gong practitioners. Most practitioners also had their homes ransacked.

Traumatized by his previous experience of being tortured in prison and forced labor camps, Mr. Dong Jianquan drank bleach during police interrogation, in an attempt to end his life and avoid future persecution. He was rushed to the hospital on August 15 and diagnosed with stomach perforation, hypertension, and high blood sugar. He vomited blood and had blood in his stool. The police forced his family to pay 9,000 yuan for hospital expenses before releasing him. He never recovered and died at home two months later on October 25, at the age of 62.

Regarding the other practitioners, thirteen of them stood trial at the Luannan County Court on July 20, 2021 and were sentenced to prison on August 27, 2021.

Mr. Liu Weili was sentenced to ten years, Ms. Wang Huilin was sentenced to six and a half years, and Ms. Zhang Zhilan received seven years. Ms. Tong Xiulan was sentenced to three years, Mr. Zuo Desheng was sentenced to two years and six months, and Mr. Hou Jianguang was sentenced to one year. Mr. Wang Baozhu was sentenced to eleven months and both Mr. Lu Lifa and Ms. Bi Guanqin were sentenced to six-month terms. Ms. Li Yuying and Ms. Hu Yincang were each sentenced to two years with three years’ probation, and Ms. Cui Shuyu was sentenced to one year with two years’ probation. Ms. Liu Jinying’s term is still being investigated.

Sentencing Cases in 2020

According to statistics from Minghui.org, at least 72 practitioners in Hebei Province were sentenced in 2020. Nineteen were given five years or more, with a maximum sentence being nine years.

Twelve practitioners were secretly sentenced by the Zunhua City Court on November 27, 2020. Among them, Ms. Wang Ruiling, 68, was sentenced to eight years; Ms. Zhang Yuming, 65, was sentenced to seven years; Mr. Wang Jian, 70, was sentenced to seven years; Mr. Zhang Qin, 78, was sentenced to four years and six months; Ms. Tian Shuxue, 82, was sentenced to five years and six months; and Mr. Ma Kuo, 68, was sentenced to five years.

Mr. Yang Zhixiong from Baoding City was arrested on September 26, 2019. He stood trial on December 1, 2020 and was sentenced to seven years in prison. He immediately filed an appeal, which was turned down eight days later. He was taken to the Jidong No. 5 Prison around April 2021. The prison never allowed him to call his family because he refused to renounce Falun Gong. He died in the prison on August 10, 2022. he was 58.

On July 13, 2019, 34 Falun Gong practitioners from Weichang County were arrested.Thirteen of them were tried by the Luanping County Court on September 28, 2020. Among them, Liu Zhifeng was sentenced to six years and fined 10,000 yuan; Wang Guangxue was sentenced to five years and fined 10,000 yuan; Wang Yongxing and Wang Haiqin were each sentenced to four years and fined 10,000 yuan; Chen Haidong, Wang Sufang, Du Guilan were each sentenced to 20 months and fined 5,000 yuan; Ge Sufen was sentenced to 18 months and fined 5,000 yuan; Li Yanhua was sentenced to 15 months with two years probation, and fined 5,000 yuan; Liu Fengxia, Tang Fengxia, Liu Lina, and Wang Haibing were each sentenced to 14 months with two years probation, and fined 5,000 yuan.

Ms. Liu Ruilian, who has a disabled leg, was arrested at home on July 1, 2020. She stood trial on August 27, 2020 and was sentenced to three years in prison on September 24. She appealed the verdict, but was rejected by the higher court. She was taken to the Shijiazhuang Women’s Prison on November 17.

Sentencing Cases in 2019

In 2019, at least 64 practitioners in Hebei Province were sentenced, 544 were arrested, and 234 were harassed.

Mr. Li Yanchun and his wife, Ms. Pei Yuxian, of Qinhuangdao City, stood trial at Changli County Court on May 31, 2019. The prosecution evidence used against them included their Falun Gong books, computers, printers, and mobile phones. The judge sentenced Mr. Li to seven years and six months and Ms. Pei to four years on August 27.

Sentencing Cases in 2018

In 2018, 68 practitioners were sentenced in Hebei Province. One case was Mr. Du Hexian’s.

Mr. Du was arrested on September 26, 2017. During his hearing by the Xiong County Court on December 8, 2017, the court locked him in a metal cage, even though he was very weak after being tortured in custody. Not long after the session began, Mr. Du vomited blood. The judge adjourned the hearing for a few minutes and soon started it again. Ten minutes after later, Mr. Du fainted, yet the judge continued to question him. Mr. Du briefly regained consciousness before fainting again. At the strong request of his family, the judge finally adjourned the session. He sentenced Mr. Du to seven years on June 15, 2018.