(Minghui.org)
Name: Liu JishunChinese Name: 刘继顺Gender: MaleAge: 77City: Qidong CountyProvince: HunanOccupation: county grain bureau secretaryDate of Death: July 27, 2023Date of Most Recent Arrest: October 16, 2014Most Recent Place of Detention: a local prison
A 77-year-old man in Qidong County, Hunan Province died on July 27, 2023, after enduring years of persecution for upholding his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Mr. Liu Jishun was twice sentenced for a total of 6.5 years and once given one year of forced labor during the past 24 years of persecution. He suffered brutal torture during each detention and was on the verge of death multiple times. He was also fired from his job in 2001 and not allowed to apply for a pension when he reached the retirement age of 60 in 2006. With no income and facing constant harassment from the authorities, his health kept declining and he eventually lost his life to the relentless persecution.
Taking Up Falun Gong
Mr. Liu joined the army after graduating high school and was promoted to battalion-level officer a few years later. He retired from the army more than ten years later due to his wife’s poor health. He served on the Qidong County Disciplinary Committee and later on the Communist Party Committee before being named secretary of the Qidong County Grain Bureau.
Mr. Liu’s wife took up Falun Gong in 1997 and soon recovered from her various illnesses. Mr. Liu was in awe of his wife’s transformation and joined her in the practice as well. He strove to live by the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. He never took bribes and was always considerate of others. He was a well-respected government official.
Details of Persecution
After the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, Mr. Liu held firm to his faith and was subjected to various forms of persecution.
Sentenced to Three Years and Fired from Job in 2001
Mr. Liu was fired from his job not long after he was sentenced to three years in prison in 2001. He was brutally tortured by prison guards and inmates. They punched and kicked him, had him stand facing the wall for long periods of time, and even forced him to eat pig feed and dog food. By the time he was released in 2004, he had become unrecognizable. His body was swollen and he could not stand steadily.
Mr. Liu appealed to have his job reinstated but was turned down. After he turned 60 in 2006, he applied for his pension, only to be rejected again. With no income, life was extremely difficult.
One Year of Forced Labor After Arrest in 2006
At 7 p.m. on July 5, 2006, Mr. Jiu was seized from his home by about seven officers. He was only wearing shorts and barefoot at the time, but the police didn’t allow him to put on a shirt or shoes. They targeted him because he had visited a dying practitioner days prior.
Mr. Liu was given 15 days of criminal detention and then one year of forced labor. The guards at the Xinkaipu Labor Camp forced him to stand facing a wall for extended periods of time and ordered him to renounce Falun Gong. In just a few months, he developed high blood pressure and heart disease. The labor camp then released him ahead of time.
Sentenced to 3.5 Years Following Arrest in 2014
At 6:30 a.m. on October 16, 2014, Mr. Liu went to the county post office to mail complaint letters to various levels of government agencies, against his perpetrators for sentencing him in 2001, terminating him from his job, and depriving him of the right to apply for a pension. A postal worker reported him to the police after he mentioned what the letters were all about.
Xiao Heping from the county 610 Office and vice captain Peng Jian of the county domestic security office soon arrived at the post office and arrested him. They body searched him and found his house key. They raided his home and confiscated all of his Falun Gong books, as well as his MP3 player and some Falun Gong informational materials.
The local detention center refused to admit Mr. Liu because he was found to have a systolic blood pressure reading of 200 mmHg (the normal range is no more than 120 mmHg). The police then sought help from a high-up official, and the detention center admitted Mr. Liu after seeing the official’s signed order to keep him detained.
Officers Peng Jian and Peng Changzhen came to the detention center every few days to interrogate him and threatened to sentence him to ten years.
The police later submitted Mr. Liu’s case to the procuratorate in late November 2014 and the Qidong County Court tried him on January 19, 2015. He was sentenced to three and a half years.
Living in Poverty and Under Tremendous Pressure in Final Years
Mr. Liu’s health quickly declined in detention and he was released on medical parole. The local police, judicial bureau, and street committee kept harassing him at home and monitored him closely. They had people shadow him everywhere and didn’t allow him to contact other practitioners or go out of town. They also forced him to report to the county judicial bureau every day to sign and fingerprint certain documents.
The police also often broke into his home to search for his Falun Gong books and other valuables. They snatched any cash or bankbook they could find in his home.
Mr. Liu appealed to the county government, the grain bureau, and the social security office many times regarding his lost pay during his imprisonment and his pension income. No one ever responded to him. He struggled to make ends meet in his final years.
Due to the enormous pressure, Mr. Liu became critically ill in March 2021 and was hospitalized. The Chengdong Police Station officers twice harassed him at home after he was discharged from the hospital. They took pictures of him. The street committee workers also went to his home and ordered him to write statements to renounce Falun Gong.
On October 12, 2021, a branch office of a provincial government agency summoned Mr. Liu and questioned if he still practiced Falun Gong. He responded, “I’ve been persecuted to the point of being on the verge of death multiple times and I am having difficulty walking as a result of the torture. I’ve also been fired from my job for more than ten years. You only ask me if I still practice Falun Gong, yet you cared nothing about my health and financial situation. Can you help me receive my lawfully earned pension income?” They were speechless and let him go.
Mr. Liu’s health continued to decline and he eventually passed away on July 27, 2023.
Related Report:
Qidong County, Hunan Province: Many Falun Gong Practitioners Harassed in 2021
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