(Minghui.org) People from all walks of life in China, including those in the military, started practicing Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) after it was introduced to the public in 1992. The Chinese Communist Party started the persecution of the practice in 1999, and many of them have since been arrested, sentenced, and tortured.
According to information collected by Minghui.org, from 2014 to 2023, at least 46 military personnel, including chief engineers, deputy chief engineers, researchers, senior engineers, deputy directors, and factory workers involved in nuclear energy, aviation, aerospace, shipping, weapons, electronics, radar, aircraft, armored forces, rockets and missiles, have been targeted for their faith in Falun Gong.
The practitioners came from 15 provinces and centrally controlled municipalities. Guizhou and Jiangsu Provinces each reported seven cases, followed by Sichuan (five). The remaining 12 regions reported between one and four cases.
Below are snapshots of selected cases. The full list of practitioners who were persecuted can be downloaded here (PDF).
Deaths
Aircraft Engineer in Critical Condition Denied Medical Parole, Dies in Prison
A 47-year-old aircraft engineer died on February 16, 2020, while serving two years for practicing Falun Gong.
Mr. Hu Lin, of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, had been in critical condition after months of being on a hunger strike and being tortured, but he was denied medical parole on the grounds that he refused to renounce his faith.
Mr. Hu was arrested on May 23, 2019, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. He was sentenced to two years by the Faku County Court on June 20, 2019, and sent to Kangjiashan Prison on October 30, 2019.
When Mr. Hu’s family visited him in prison on November 7, 2019, he was emaciated. He had lost sensation in his legs and was suffering multiple organ failure.
His family demanded medical attention for him, but the prison authorities refused and blamed Mr. Hu for shouting, “Falun Dafa is good!” after he was brought in. The guards said they wouldn’t release him even if he died.
In the next few months, the prison authorities repeatedly told Mr. Hu’s family that they wouldn’t be responsible if he died, because he was still on a hunger strike and shouting, “Falun Dafa is good!”
Mr. Hu’s family went to different government agencies to seek justice for him, but the local prosecutor said he wouldn’t consider who should be held responsible until Mr. Hu was dying. Another officer, Liu Xing, who was overseeing the prison, refused to meet with them.
With the outbreak of COVID-19 during the Chinese New Year, the prison prohibited his family from visiting or even calling him.
On the evening of February 14, 2020, the prison called Mr. Hu’s older brother, Mr. Hu Shuang, and said that Mr. Hu had been taken to the hospital for emergency care. His family rushed to the hospital overnight and saw him being treated in the intensive care unit. He passed away around 1 p.m. on February 16.
Guizhou Accountant Dies Within Two Months on Medical Parole
Ms. Chen Lizhi, a retired Guizhou Aviation Group accountant, died from multiple organ failure on September 9, 2014, within two months of her medical parole from the Guizhou Women's Prison.
She had been subjected to forced labor and brainwashing since her transfer there on December 19, 2012. She was taken to the public security hospital for medical treatment earlier that year, but she didn't improve. She was released on medical parole at the end of June.
She was skin and bones and couldn’t take care of herself. Speaking or turning over in bed proved to be an ordeal for her. She ate very little and constantly complained that she was in pain. She died in September, barely two months later, at the age of 69.
She was arrested for handing out informational materials about the persecution of Falun Gong on August 19, 2012, and her home was ransacked by police officers from the Xixiu District in Anshun City that evening.
Ms. Chen was held at the Zhenning County Detention Center for nearly four months and was forced to do hard labor there before being sentenced to three years in prison.
Renowned Space and Missile Scientist Passed Away after Years of Police Harassment
Ms. Liu Yuanjie, a senior engineer at the 8358 Research Institute of the Ministry of Space Industry, received many awards for her outstanding contributions to missile research. She later became emaciated and severely depressed due to her husband’s imprisonment and ongoing police harassment.
Ms. Liu passed away on March 3, 2015, without seeing her husband, Mr. Xiong Huifeng, for the last time as he was detained for practicing Falun Gong.
Ordnance Chief Engineer Persecuted to Death
Ms. Song Xiujuan, a former ordnance chief engineer of Xi’an Oriental Group Co., Ltd., was targeted by Shaanxi Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee, the 610 Office, Xi’an Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Committee, Xincheng District Public Security Bureau, and Dongfang Factory Authorities for practicing Falun Gong.
She passed away on June 9, 2015, at the age of 79.
79-year-old Retiree Passed Away after Enduring Years of Harassment
Ms. Zhou Xianglan, who was retired from the Guizhou Liyang Aviation Engine Company, was disabled at the age of 35 at work. She started practicing Falun Gong in 1994 and became healthy again.
After the persecution of Falun Gong started, she went to Beijing to appeal and was detained. She was sent to forced labor camps twice and tortured for five years. She almost died in the labor camp. Due to ongoing harassment from the authorities, her health continued to decline over the years. She passed away on December 21, 2021. She was 79.
80-Year-Old Woman Dies While Serving Time at Home
Ms. Yu Huiyu of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, used to work in a state-owned military enterprise. She took up Falun Gong in late 1995 and her many health problems such as high blood pressure, stomach condition and retinal arteriosclerosis soon disappeared.
Because she refused to give up Falun Gong when the persecution started in 1999, Ms. Yu was repeatedly arrested and detained, which put enormous pressure on her husband (who didn’t practice Falun Gong). The mental distress took a toll on his health and he passed away in July 2010. Ms. Yu’s own health began to decline around 2017. Despite her condition, the court still sentenced her to an unknown term and ordered her to serve time at home. She passed away in October 2019, only a few months after she was convicted. She was 80.
Ms. Yu went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in September 2000 and was arrested on Tiananmen Square. She was escorted back to Nanjing and held in the Nanjing City Detention Center for a month and then the Qinhuai District Brainwashing Center for an unknown period of time. She was held in the same brainwashing center following another arrest in April 2002.
When Ms. Yu accompanied her husband to a clinic for IV infusions on June 9, 2005, the police arrested her and took her to the Nanjing City Brainwashing Center. Her home was ransacked and her Falun Gong books, materials, and phone book were confiscated.
Ms. Yu was arrested again while shopping for groceries in May 2010. The police raided her home when no one was around. Many of her Falun Gong related materials were taken away.
Her next arrest was on March 8, 2017, followed by interrogation at the Zhimaying Police Station. As the Nanjing City Detention Center refused to admit her for unknown reasons, the police released her on bail.
The police submitted Ms. Yu’s case to the Qinhuai District Procuratorate on May 16, 2017. She was indicted on June 20, 2017. The Qinhuai District Court held a hearing of her case on June 23 and September 8, 2017. The police attempted to take her into custody on September 20, but had to release her a day later after she was denied admission due to her high blood pressure.
The court held another hearing of her case in late September 2017 and secretly sentenced her around May 2019. Due to her condition, she was allowed to serve time at home. She passed away five months later.
Sentencing Cases
A renowned Chinese space scientist was sentenced for practicing Falun Gong to 7.5 years in 2015 at the age of 78.
It was reported that Mr. Xiong Huifeng, now in his 80s, lost all of his teeth during the 1.5 years he was detained following his arrest in August 2014 and before he was taken to prison in March 2016. Because the prison refused to provide dental care, he is having difficulty eating and is emaciated. He can hardly get out of bed. He also suffers from recurring colds and fevers.
Mr. Xiong was a former researcher and deputy director of the 8358 Research Institute of the Ministry of Space Industry. He was also a director on the board of the Chinese Society of Astronautics and enjoyed a special government allowance reserved for the best scientists in the nation. He won many awards during his career.
Deputy Chief Engineer Sentenced to 10 Months
Mr. Liu Zhihua, retired deputy chief engineer of the Institute of Aerospace Materials and Technology, was arrested in April 2020 for telling people about Falun Gong. He was put on trial in August 2021 and sentenced to ten months on December 20, 2021.
Mr. Liu, 66, studied at the Harbin Institute of Technology and worked at Institute 703 of the First Academy of the Ministry of Aerospace of the Institute of Aerospace Materials and Technology. Before retiring, he was the deputy chief engineer, chairman of the Aerospace Welding Personnel Qualification Assessment Committee, process technology leader of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and member of the Process Expert Group of the Corporation’s Science and Technology Committee.
Retiree Sentenced to Ten Years for His Faith
Mr. Zhang Tingxiang, 52, worked in a machinery factory. He was sentenced to ten years with a 50,000-yuan fine.
He was arrested at home on April 21, 2019, by over 30 officers who confiscated his Falun Gong books, computer, cellphone, and 80,000 yuan in cash. He was first held in the Pingba Detention Center and then transferred to the Anshun City No. 2 Detention Center. His family went to the detention center frequently to visit him, but were turned away each time and only allowed to make cash deposits for him.
This isn’t the first time that Mr. Zhang has been targeted for his faith. Shortly after the persecution began in July 1999, he went to the local government compound in December that year to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong, only to be detained and have his home ransacked.
Due to constant harassment after he was released, his mother, Ms. Peng Yuanlin, lived in fear and passed away from the mental distress in March 2001. Mr. Zhang was arrested again two months later and given three years in the Zhongba Forced Labor Camp.
Once Imprisoned for 7 Years, Radar Design Engineer Jailed Again for His Faith
A radar design engineer in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, was sentenced to prison again for refusing to renounce Falun Gong.
This is not the first time that Mr. Ma Zhenyu has been targeted for his faith. Simply for believing in Falun Gong, he was fired from his post as chief engineer of the 14th Research Institute of China Electronic Technology Group Corporation in Nanjing. He has also been repeatedly arrested for refusing to give up Falun Gong.
His wife divorced him shortly after he was sentenced to 7 years in prison in 2000. Their daughter was only 10 years old at the time. His ordeal didn't end when he was released from prison. He was given 1.5 years of forced labor in 2011.
Mr. Ma’s latest arrest took place on September 19, 2017. The Xuanwu District Court initially set a hearing date for April 18, 2018, but it postponed the hearing due to insufficient evidence.
The local procuratorate and police fabricated additional evidence and resubmitted the case. Mr. Ma appeared in court on May 16, and his lawyer entered a not guilty plea for him.
The court ruled on June 28 to sentence Mr. Ma to 3 years in prison. The verdict stated that “Ma Zhenyu wrote seven letters to central government leaders to appeal for Falun Gong.”
Retired Geologist Deprived of Right to Pension
Mr. Li Jiankui, a 73-year-old retired geologist from the Gansu Province Nuclear Department, was arrested on November 25, 2020.
Ever since the communist regime initiated the persecution in 1999, Mr. Li has been repeatedly arrested and tortured while serving a one-year forced labor camp term and a five-year prison term. He suffered a brain hemorrhage and fell into a coma following an arrest in 2012 and was allowed to serve his second six-year prison term at home.
In August 2015, Mr. Li sued Jiang Zemin, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party, for launching the persecution of Falun Gong. Pressured by the county committee, the Gansu Province Nuclear Department suspended his pension in 2016.
Senior Engineer of the 29th Institute of Electronic Information Corporation Sentenced to Three Years
Ms. Liu Guiying, a senior engineer with the 29th Institute of Electronic Information Corporation in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, was arrested at home on November 25, 2015, by Chadianzi Police Station officers after she filed a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin. She was sentenced to three years.
It was reported that Ms. Liu and Ms. Wu Youshu, another Falun Gong practitioner, were tortured in Sichuan Province Women’s Prison in 2018. They were forced to sit on small stools with their knees against the wall and heels off the ground. For several months, they were not allowed to shower, wash their hair, brush their teeth, or use toilet paper. They were not given full meals and had only four small cups of water a day. They were allowed to use the restroom only four times a day. Both of them became emaciated and weak.
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