(Minghui.org) A man from Changchun collapsed on the way back to his apartment on December 30 of last year. He died the following day, at the age of 38.

Mr. Li Zhiyong had been living away from home to avoid arrest since April 2008, when he was last released from imprisonment for refusing to give up his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.

The police withheld Mr. Li's ID following his arrest in October 2007, rendering him unable to find a full-time job. He struggled to make ends meet while moving from one place to another.

The cumulative effect of a life on the run and mounting pressure of persecution took a toll on Mr. Li's health, and he passed away on December 31, 2015.

Previous Arrest Follows “3.5.2002 TV Signal Interception”

Mr. Li's 2007 arrest was preceded by an earlier imprisonment from March 11, 2002 to October 13, 2004.

Li Zhiyong was one of more than 5,000 residents of Changchun City, Jilin Province arrested within days of 18 Falun Gong practitioners tapping into the state cable television network on March 5, 2002 to broadcast programs exposing the persecution of Falun Gong.

Jiang Zemin, then-head of the Chinese communist regime, gave a secret order to “kill all Falun Gong practitioners involved in the 3.5.2002 TV interception incident.” Mr. Li was seized at his workplace on March 11 and later sentenced to four years in prison. He was brutally tortured in prison and sustained severe injuries. When he was released on medical parole on October 13, 2004, he had edema throughout his body and was unable to take care of himself.

Before he fully recovered, on September 22, 2005 four prison officials attempted to take him back to prison. Mr. Li wasn't home at the time, and later decided to leave home to avoid arrest.

The authorities launched a manhunt for Li Zhiyong. He was captured again in October 2007, when he went to apply for a new ID, which is required for full-time employment. He wasn't released until the following April.

Related Reports:Communist Agents in Changchun City Planning to Sentence Mr. Li Zhiyong to PrisonThe 14th Anniversary of Tapping into China's State Television to Broadcast the Truth about Falun Gong: Remembering a Courageous Act