August: Torture Deaths of 61 Falun Gong Practitioners Verified (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) Minghui correspondent Gu Anru reports: according to statistics on the Minghui website (the Chinese version of Clearwisdom), in August 2005, the torture deaths of 61 Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China have been verified through civil channels.

The number of Falun Gong practitioners confirmed dead as a result of the persecution reached 2,781 on August 31, 2005.

The 61 deaths are distributed over 17 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Nine torture deaths took place in Liaoning Province and Heilongjiang Province, eight in Sichuan Province, seven in Shandong Province, five in Jilin Province, five in Hebei Province, two each in Gansu Province, Hubei Province, Guizhou Province, Anhui Province, Beijing, and Chongqing; one death each in Hunan Province, Shanxi Province, Tianjin and Shanghai. Due to the information blockade, the region where one torture death took place requires further investigation.

Among the 61 practitioners, 25 or 41% of the total were women, and 33 or 54% of the total were above 50 years of age. Twenty-eight of the deaths occurred in 2005, including six in August 2005. The youngest victim was 21 years old. His name is Pei Feng and he lived in the Dadong District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province.

The tortures the practitioners were subjected to are shocking and inhumane. Their description reveals the ruthlessness of the persecution.

Thirty-Year-Old Mr. Wu Chunlong Tortured to Death in the Jiamusi Labor Camp

Dafa practitioner Mr. Wu Chunlong from Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province was tortured in the Jiamusi City Labor Camp until he was near death. He was completely emaciated and was unable to think clearly. When he was finally sent home on April 30, 2005, he could not speak. His condition gradually improved with the care of his family, but police from the Songlin Station kept monitoring him very closely. They constantly threatened and harassed him. Mr. Wu died on August 20, 2005, although he was only 30 years old.

One week before Wu Chunlong passed away	Wu Chunlong died at 2 a.m. on August 20, 2005
Wu Chunlong passed away	Wu Chunlong was skin and bones when he passed away

Mr. Wu started practicing Falun Dafa in 1995. In the spring of1995, Mr. Wu suffered from rheumatoid arthritis; his legs swelled up and he could not walk. He quickly recovered, however, after he started practicing Falun Gong.

In July 1999, when the CCP started the persecution, Mr. Wu went to Beijing twice to appeal to the government for justice for Falun Gong and told people the wonders of Dafa by relating his personal experiences to them. Twice, the authorities sentenced him to forced labor. He died as a result of the physical torture and mental torment he experienced.

Mr. Wu was first sentenced to three years of forced labor on November 3, 1999, and was tortured severely in the Jiamusi City Labor Camp during that term. In late November 2001, he was tortured for seven days on the Tiger Bench. See illustration on http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/11/24/16156.html].

Other practitioners requested Mr. Wu's release, but when their pleas were rejected, they went on a hunger strike to protest. Practitioners Yao Zhongliang, Xia Zhiliang, Dong Shaohua and Li Jingfeng were locked in the Communication Room. The guards then force-fed them by inserting a tube through their noses into their stomachs. Their hands were cuffed to the sides of the bed, which only allowed them to sit or lie down all day. In addition, their feet were bound. When Mr. Wu's father wanted to meet with him, the authorities extorted a great deal of money from him. Then he was allowed to meet with his son. Finally Mr. Wu was released at the end of 2002. Mr. Wu and his father had to move five times to avoid police harassment.

In October 2003, Mr. Wu borrowed money to open a hair salon business. His studio opened on November 8, 2003. Only three days later, at noon on November 11, 2003, officer An Quanyi from the Yingjun Police Department arrested Mr. Wu and had him sentenced for the second time to three years of forced labor. To be allowed to meet with his son, Mr. Wu Chunlong's father paid almost 20,000 yuan over the course of three years.

At the Jiamusi Forced Labor Camp eight guards brutally tortured Mr. Wu. He went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution and was then force-fed and injected with unknown drugs. He lapsed into a coma a few days later, was incontinent and lost control of his bowels. Seven to eight days into the hunger strike, he lost all feeling from his lower back to his knees. He was unable to move his legs; his chest was cold, his mind was blurry, he was physically emaciated and he was dying.

The guards, however, continued torturing him, even as he was dying. One time the guards dragged him back to the washroom and sprayed him with cold water, so he woke up. Then they dragged him back to his cell. Another time he awoke with a shock in extreme pain; he saw a prisoner was fiercely digging into his left collarbone with his fingers.

Because Mr. Wu would often shout, "Falun Dafa is great," the guards encouraged prisoner Wang Fu to gag him with a towel contaminated with feces. He often did this when Mr. Wu was unconscious, so he would be choked awake by the dirty towel being stuffed into his mouth.

Since the Labor Camp was aware that Mr. Wu was dying, they were concerned about being held responsible for his death. Therefore, on April 30, 2005, prison guards Yang Chunlong and Diao Yukun sent him home in a taxi. Before allowing his family to see him, they deceived Mr. Wu's father into signing a statement saying that the family would assume full responsibility for Mr. Wu. They also tried to extort 5,000 Yuan from the family, but Mr. Wu's father had no money to give them. In the end he had to borrow 300 Yuan to give the guards.

When Mr. Wu returned home he looked like a skeleton. He couldn't sit or stand up straight, he couldn't think, he had no facial expression and he could not recognize his own father. His face was very pale; the left side of his face was much larger than the right side and one eye was severely bloodshot, obviously the result of beating. He could not answer any questions from his friends or family. He appeared to be without any memory, thoughts or reactions.

After his fellow practitioners helped him study the Dafa books and did the exercises with him, his health improved greatly. His swollen face returned to normal and he could at times speak a few sentences.

On May 18, 2005, the Jiamusi City Labor Camp sent a guard to the Songlin Police Station, ordering the police to closely monitor Mr. Wu. Early in the morning on May 19, 2005, Yin Xiaodong went to Mr. Wu's home, demanding that he go to the police station every month for interrogation. He said Mr. Wu would be sent back to the Jiamusi City Labor Camp once his health recovered. On May 20, 2005, Yin Xiaodong went to Mr. Wu's home again and requested that he register for a temporary residency certificate with photo identification.

Mr. Wu Chunlong was suffering from memory loss and a nervous breakdown. He had only partially recovered in terms of mental clarity. The police harassment at his home caused him to relive the terror of the labor camp. He lost his appetite and could barely drink some porridge. He had constant diarrhea, lost more weight, developed a high fever, had rapid and short breathing, was very nervous and could once again not recognize his family.

On July 20, Yin Xiaodong again went to Mr. Wu's home and demanded that his landlord give 10 yuan to the police department. Mr. Wu was so frightened by Yin Xiaodong's presence that he had a complete nervous breakdown.

Mr. Wu Chunlong passed away at around 2 a.m. on August 20 at the age of 30.

Dafa practitioner Mr. Kang Yunling passed away in exile while resisting persecution

Dafa practitioner Mr. Kang Yunling from Liaoyuan City, Jilin Province passed away at age 36 after officials pursued him for one year.

Mr. Kang Yunling lived at Group 3, Division 11, Xining Street, Longshan District, Liaoyuan City in Jilin Province. He started practicing Falun Dafa in 1993. He attended Teacher Li Hongzhi's Fa lectures twice, in Changchun City and Dalian City. After the persecution began, the authorities sent him to a forced labor camp and brutally tortured him for continuing to practice Dafa.

On July 5, 2004, when he was carrying truth clarification materials from Liaoyuan City to Dongfeng County, someone reported him. After he got off the bus, officers Wei Dong and Yu from the Dongfeng County Police Department beat him and then held him at the Dongfeng County Detention Center. They took 1,700 Yuan cash and four bankbooks from him.

He began a hunger strike on July 7, 2004, to protest the persecution, so the police force-fed him. His health was severely harmed and he became extremely weak.

Seeing that his condition was deteriorating, the detention center authorities did not want to take responsibility, so they released him, but only after 20 days and after extorting 2,000 Yuan from his family. He was extremely weak by then and on the brink of death. After he returned home, the police continued to constantly harass him, so he left home to escape further persecution.

Kang Yunling when he was healthy

Kang Yunling in exile (photo taken in July 2005, shortly before his death)

Mr. Kang lived in exile, but the Liaoyuan City National Security Bureau pursued him everywhere. They often harassed his family. During this period his resources were meager because he had no source of income, but he was frugal and still did much truth-clarifying work.

In July 2005, Kang Yunling's health took a turn for the worse. His weight dropped to below 80 pounds. He passed away on August 18, 2005.

Ms. Zhan Ye'an from Guizhou Province Was Paralyzed and Died from Torture Suffered in a Labor Camp

Ms. Zhan Ye'an was 57 years old. She was an employee of the Guiyang City Medical Institute in Guizhou Province. For clarifying the truth about Falun Dafa she was arrested and held in the Guizhou Province Women's Labor Camp. She became emaciated and paralyzed after being tortured over a long period of time. Ms. Zhan was finally sent home at the end of May 2005 when she was on the brink of death. She died on June 16, 2005.

After the persecution began, her employer stopped paying her salary and they stopped assigning her work. Her husband divorced her, but she still persisted in practicing Falun Dafa and always clarified the truth to the police and to government officials. In August 2002, she went to Shanghai to visit her family and was arrested while clarifying the truth. The police sentenced her to three years of forced labor at the Guizhou Women's Labor Camp.

According to eyewitnesses, one day in early Spring 2003, the guards allowed Ms. Zhan to walk outside to get some fresh air, but she had no energy to move. She appeared very weak and leaned against the wall with her eyes closed. Guard Li Jianying (female) asked Ms. Zhan if she had eaten. She did not answer. The inmate assigned to watch her answered, "She had half a bag of Ramen noodles." Li Jianying cursed Ms. Zhan. Ms. Zhan shouted with all her energy, "Falun Dafa is great!" The inmates jumped her and covered her mouth. They lifted her off her feet and quickly carried her inside.

Ms. Zhan was tortured over a long period of time in the Guizhou Women's Labor Camp. She went on a long hunger strike to protest the persecution and was brutally force-fed. Toward the end she could not take care of herself. She became paralyzed and emaciated.

The guards sent her to the Police Department Hospital on the third floor of the camp. At the end of May 2005, seeing that she was dying, the guards sent her home. She exclaimed with a weak voice upon returning to her home, "Falun Dafa is great!" Ms. Zhan Ye'an passed away less than 20 days later, on June 16, 2005.

Mudanjiang Practitioner Mr. Ning Jun Dies after Suffering Repeated Torture

Mr. Ning Jun, over 50 years old, lived on Ertiao Road, Xian District, Mudanjiang City in Heilongjiang Province. He began to practice Falun Dafa in 1996 and strove to be a good person as well as continually to improve his character. After he started to practice Falun Dafa, he returned the extra housing space that he did not pay for and bought Dafa books, a VCR and a recorder to help other people learn Falun Dafa.

Before July 20, 1999, Mr. Ning and fellow practitioners went to Russia to introduce Falun Dafa there. On July 20, 1999, the unprecedented persecution of Falun Gong started in China. On July 30, practitioners who went to Russia to spread Dafa were issued a warrant for their arrest and were repatriated from Vladivostok, Russia. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs teamed up with the National Security Bureau and the Public Security Bureau and arrested them at Dongning Customs. Their passports, identifications and belongings were confiscated. After many investigations, the police could not find any evidence of a crime. Then they obtained their fingerprints and made them sign a statement saying that they would no longer go abroad. Only then did the police notify the practitioners' families to bail them out.

On September 7, 1999, Mr. Ning went to Beijing to appeal for justice on behalf of Falun Gong with fellow practitioners. Three days later, the local Beijing police arrested them and took them to a Beijing police station. On September 11 the police tried to send them to a detention center but were unsuccessful. The next day, some officials from the 610 Office in Mudanjiang City's Beijing liaison office handcuffed them and took them to the Mudanjiang City Public Security Bureau. They also confiscated more than 4,000 yuan from the practitioners. Afterwards, all the practitioners were held in Mudanjiang City's No. 2 Detention Center for further persecution. At the end of 1999, Mr. Ning was sent to a brainwashing center. On January 2, 2000, he was returned to the detention center and sentenced to two years of forced labor.

On March 17, 2000, Mr. Ning Jun was transferred to the Sidao Forced Labor Camp. While in the forced labor camp, because he was a steadfast practitioner, the police transferred him to many brigades to be tortured.

Mr. Ning was tortured to the point of having fluid accumulate in his liver, and his abdomen became very large. He had difficulty walking and also had blood in his urine. Qiao Jianwei, the secretary in charge of administration even incited inmates to assault Mr. Ning, but the policemen turned a blind eye to it. They could not "transform" Mr. Ning, so they sent him to the brigade that was designated for the persecution of Falun Gong. Police officers in that brigade feared that he might die in the prison, so they sent him to the hospital. He was diagnosed with liver ascites. They thought he would not live much longer. The forced labor camp had to release him on bail for medical treatment.

After he returned home, the police officers from the prison regularly interrogated him. The local police officers often harassed him and disturbed him even further. Five months later, the chief of the administration section, Ma Libiao, and political head Li Longyu deceived Mr. Ning into coming to the forced labor camp. They detained him for further persecution and even kept him for nine months beyond the end of his term. He was released on October 11, 2001.

On November 11, 2001, just one month later, officers from the Xi'an Public Security Sub-bureau in Mudanjiang City arrested him again. They beat him, shocked him with an electric baton and tempted him with monetary gain. They used various means to interrogate him and attempted to force a confession from him. He did not give in to their demands and went home within a week. He again clarified the truth about Falun Gong.

On September 9, 2002, after Mr. Ning had been on a police wanted list for half a year, a patient reported him when he clarified the truth of the persecution at the Hongqi Hospital in Mudanjiang City. Officers from the Aimin Public Security Sub-bureau of Mudanjiang City arrested and tortured him. He was later held in a detention center.

During the detention, Mr. Ning was tortured until he was in critical condition. At the end of 2003, the detention center issued two terminally ill notices to the Aimin Public Security Sub-bureau that was handling the case, but the officers ignored the notices for various reasons. Just before the 2004 Chinese New Year, he was sentenced to five years in prison and sent to the Mudanjiang Prison.

In September 2004, Mr. Ning was extremely ill and needed to be hospitalized. Although his family paid them a fee, the prison delayed and did not send him to the police hospital until November. At that time, they released him on bail for medical treatment.

After Mr. Ning went home, he studied Dafa and cultivated himself. He helped others by continuing to clarify the truth to them. Because of the long-term persecution, however, Mr. Ning never recovered his health. His condition deteriorated and he died on August 12, 2005.

Every death represents the brutal loss of an innocent life. Good will be rewarded and evil will reap its own peril. The day when those who persecute others will pay for their debts is imminent.