Mr Jiang Xiqing dies one day after appearing healthy at a family visit. Photos were not allowed of his body after death.

Murder Suspected in a Sudden Death Case at Chongqing Forced Labor Camp

Mr. Jiang Xiqing, 66, is a retired employee of Jiangjin City Property Tax Bureau. He lived in Room 301, Jizi Building. On May 13, 2008, the day after the major earthquake in Sichuan Province, Mr. Jiang, a Falun Gong practitioner, was taken from his home by Communist Party officials. His wife Ms. Luo Zehui also went missing on the same day in Youxi Township, Jiangjin City. After repeated inquiries, their family found out that Ms. Luo was also taken into custody and had been placed under arrest on the approval of the Jiangjin District Procuratorate. The family went to a detention center several times and learned that Mr. Jiang had been sentenced to one year of forced labor, but there was no word about his wife, Ms. Luo. On December 2, 2008, the family visited the detention center again and learned that Ms. Luo had been sentenced to eight years in prison. They have not received the sentencing document, nor have they seen Ms. Luo.

On July 30, 2008, days before the Olympic Games started in Beijing, Mr. Jiang Xiqing was taken to the Xishanping Forced Labor Camp. Before his death, information came out of the labor camp that the guards had brutally implemented "transformation" sessions to force practitioners to give up their beliefs. The torture was so cruel that the guards broke the leg of a young practitioner. The labor camp officials canceled all scheduled meetings between families and practitioners for a period of time in order to prevent news of the torture from being leaked.

On the afternoon of January 27, 2009, the second day of the Chinese lunar new year, Mr. Jiang's family went to visit him at the Xishanping Forced Labor Camp. He seemed to be in good health at that time. However, within less than 24 hours, at around 3:00 p.m. on January 28, labor camp officials called his family to notify them that Mr. Jiang had died.

When the family rushed to the labor camp, the labor camp officials did not allow them to look at Mr. Jiang's body. The family was told to wait at the Yuxun Hotel. The officials said they were to report to higher authorities, and officials from the police, Procuratorate and court system would handle this case. The family waited until 9:45 p.m. but no one showed up. They asked the labor camp officials, "How long do we have to wait? Didn't you notify the officials?" An official made a phone call immediately, and a group of plainclothes officers entered. They went in two cars (one plainclothes officer was Liu Hua, and the officer in charge of the conversation with the family had the last name Li). They told the family to follow them to the funeral home. Only direct relatives were allowed to stay for five minutes. Nothing was allowed on site, including cameras, and cell phones.

When they reached the funeral home, the family took Jiang Xiqing's body out of the freezer. They found that that his body was not completely cold, yet he had been kept in the freezer for hours. His mouth was open, and his teeth had made a cut into his lower lip. They could still feel his body temperature below his nose, in his chest, stomach, and legs. His stomach felt soft, and there seemed to be food in it. His pants were not put on properly: the buttons in the front were not done up. His shoes were covered with mud.

Mr. Jiang's family took some pictures. Twenty or so Communist officials (including the funeral home and cremation facility clerks) rushed them, grabbed the camera and destroyed it. The family called the 110 emergency police number. The 110 telephone receptionist asked for the details and responded that 110 emergency police would arrive in 10 minutes. Communist officials nearby said, "The police are right here. No 110 officers will show up." The family wanted to stay by Mr. Jiang's body. The officials rejected their demands, claiming the family was disrupting order at the site. Several officers dragged each family member out of the funeral home. Over twenty police officers were at the scene, including Tian Xiaohai and Liu Hua from the Xishanping Forced Labor Camp. The 110 emergency response police never showed up.

After dragging the family out of the funeral home, the labor camp officials and plainclothes officers proposed to settle Mr. Jiang's death case. The Jiang family told them that they had not had dinner yet and wanted to leave. They also wanted to take Mr. Jiang's body with them, which was not allowed by the officers. Mr. Jiang Xiqing's death was a complete surprise and very suspicious. The police wanted to cremate his body to cover up the murder evidence. The family has been placed under police surveillance. Mr. Jiang's wife Ms. Luo Zehui, remains in Langshan Detention Center in Jiangjin City.