Civil channels in August 2007 have verified that another eleven Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China died as a result of the persecution between March and August 2007. Among them, one died in March; one in June; five in July and four in August. Five (45%) were women. Other than two victims, whose ages still need to be verified, seven of them were over 50 years old (64%).

According to information reported on the Clearwisdom website, between January and August of 2007, there have been at least 75 Falun Gong practitioners who passed away in China as a result of the persecution. Since July 20, 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its persecution of Falun Gong, 3,083 deaths have been verified by reliable sources in China. The sources were able to break through Communist regime's Internet blockade and deliver this information to the Clearwisdom website. Even this is only the tip of the iceberg of atrocities.

Two deaths were reported in each of Liaoning, Hebei and Hubei Provinces; one each in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Sichuan, Gansu and Anhui Provinces.

Escalated Persecution of Falun Gong before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Ms. Hu Yanrong from Liaoyuan City, Liaoning Province, Was Tortured to Death

According to media reports in March 2007, Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang issued an order to launch another round of escalated persecution followed by large-scale arrests of Falun Gong practitioners. In 2005, Public Security Deputy Minister Liu Jing has been told to eradicate Falun Gong before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He has issued orders to police departments throughout the country, demanding concerted efforts to achieve this goal.

It was about 10 p.m. on August 1, 2007, when police chief Li Zhenghua from the Beilu Township Police Station in Lingyuan City ordered police officers to use wooden and electric batons, picks, and other tools to break into the home of practitioner Guo Fengxian. They blocked the entrance in order to keep a large number of practitioners inside. Later, Deputy Director Li Xuebing of the Lingyuan City Police Department, the police chief of the Wafangdian Township Police Station, and the police chief of the Songlingzi Township Police Station brought in seven police vehicles and dozens of police officers to arrest more than 40 practitioners.

Ms. Hu Yanrong was 42 years old and jumped out of a police vehicle, seriously injuring her head and consequently losing consciousness. She was taken to the Lingyuan Prison Administration Bureau Hospital. Even though her life was in danger, the police did not notify her family and decided that she needed surgery on her head in that hospital. The next day (August 2), they notified her family. She died four days later at 2 a.m. on August 5, 2007, without regaining consciousness after the surgery.

Photo of Hu Yanrong

After Ms. Hu passed away, Yang Minghui, Director of the Lingyuan City Police Department and Zhang Minghua, Deputy Director of the Chaoyang City Police Department, as well as government officials of Beilu Town claimed that she was a leader of Falun Gong practitioners who would have been sentenced to over 15 years in jail if she had survived. Therefore, they claimed that her family members should be responsible for all the medical expenses of more than 20,000 yuan. Government organizations such as the Commission of Politics in Lingyuan City, the Public Security Bureau in Lingyuan City, the Police Station of Beilu Village, the local government of Beilu Village and the Boluoshu Village Residence Committee colluded with each other. They monitored and threatened Hu's family and cremated her body on August 12 without the consent of her family.

Ms. Hu left this world as a victim of injustice

Ms. Hu's husband cried miserably during the funeral. Her two children also cried so hard that they could hardly stand up and needed others to support them. Everyone present was in tears. More than 200 friends, relatives and people from the same village, who attended the funeral, witnessed this tragedy. People sighed: a kind-hearted village woman was persecuted and died as a result in such a manner. Another happy family had been destroyed.

In early 1999, Ms. Hu began to practice Falun Dafa. Before that, she was unhealthy and short-tempered. After that, she began to show respect for her elderly father-in-law and her husband and took better care of her children. She brought harmony to her family. She had two children at home, her daughter in high school and her son in primary school. Her husband worked out of town all year. She did all the work in the field and the house. When she died, she left behind two young children and elderly parents-in-law.

Hu Yangrong, her father Hu Dianxin, her mother Cui Yuzhi and her relatives have been persecuted since July 20, 1999 just because they follow the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." The Beilu Police Station (Ju Wenxiang was the former Director) arrested, fined, and harassed Ms. Hu's parents, Mr. Hu Dianxin and Ms. Cui Yuzhi very often. Hu Dianxin died as a result of the persecution in 2001.

Hu Yanrong's sister and sister-in-law are still being detained at the 2nd Detention Center in Lingyuan City. Song Jiulin, Secretary of the CCP Committee, had a meeting with the heads of the procuratorate, the judicial departments, and the police department demanding a serious and speedy detention of these 40 practitioners.