FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 1/22/2002 [ http://www.faluninfo.net/ ]
NEW YORK, January 22, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) - U.S. President Bush has called the persecution of Falun Gong in China "unworthy of all that China has been and unworthy of all that China should become." With less than a month before Mr. Bush visits China, however, the persecution of Falun Gong continues to claim the lives of Chinese citizens at an alarming rate.
Sources inside China have verified another two deaths of Falun Gong practitioners, bringing the total number of deaths reported in the past month to twenty-six.
Mr. Yan Xiuzhong, 52, from Shuangxing Village, Dasizhan Town, Boli County, Heilongjiang Province died on October 29, 2001. In March 2001, he was taken by police from his home and sent to Suihua Labor Camp. A physical examination showed that his health was "very good" at the time he was sent to the camp. On October 20, 2001, however, he went on a hunger strike to protest the illegal persecution he faced in the labor camp. He died nine days later.
Labor camp officials claimed that Yan Xiuzhong died from "unspecified diseases."
The labor camp sent compensation of 3000 Yuan to Yan's relatives for funeral expenses, but the money never made it past the hands of the authorities of the Dasizhan police station, according to sources inside China.
Yan had previously been arrested and fined 2000 Yuan for sending a letter to Li Guofu, the Vice County Mayor, discussing the persecution of Falun Gong.
In a separate case, Mr. Gu Chenghai, 46, a villager in Huayuan City, Hebei Province died as a result of torture while in custody. Policemen tortured him daily while in jail until it became clear that his death was imminent, at which time they released him. By the time of his release, he had lost the ability to care for and get around by himself. Eyewitnesses report that his face was badly burned and that his legs and back were black and blue all over. Additionally, his left leg was broken and his feet were severely burned and swollen, having been immersed in molten asphalt.
Mr. Gu died soon after he was released from jail.
The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of 349 deaths since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600. Over 100,000 have been detained, with more than 20,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps without trial.