(Minghui.org)

Name: Shi ZaiheChinese Name: 史在河Gender: MaleAge: around 52City: HuangchuanProvince: HenanOccupation: farmerDate of Death: early March 2024Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 29, 2018Most Recent Place of Detention: unknown

A Huangchuan County, Henan Province, resident died in early March 2024, after suffering years of persecution for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Mr. Shi Zaihe, around 52, was given two years of forced labor in 2003. After he filed a criminal complaint in June 2015 against Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese dictator, for ordering the persecution of Falun Gong, the police came to arrest him two months later. He managed to escape and was on the run for the next three years before he was arrested again in March 2018. He was sentenced to five years in prison in December of that year. After he was released in March 2022, the police kept harassing him. The relentless persecution took a toll on his health and he passed away two years later.

Earliest Persecution

Mr. Shi began to practice Falun Gong in 1996 and credited the practice for improving his health and character.

After the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999, Mr. Shi went to Beijing in October 2000 to appeal for the right to practice. He was arrested and taken back to his hometown in Huangchuan County, Henan Province, where he was detained for 45 days and had 2,000 yuan extorted from him.

Not long after his release in early 2001, the police attempted to arrest him and take him to a labor camp. He was forced to live away from home to elude them.

The police harassed his family on every major holiday while he was away.

In February 2003, shortly after the Chinese New Year, the police harassed and arrested Mr. Shi’s wife. They held her in detention for more than 40 days to try to force her to reveal his whereabouts.

Two Years of Forced Labor

Mr. Shi was arrested in late 2003, while he was working in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, which is about 330 miles from his home. He was given two years of forced labor in Henan Province No. 3 Forced Labor Camp in Xuchang City.

To try to make him renounce Falun Gong, guard Xu Shuiwang tied Mr. Shi up and shocked him with electric batons, dragged him back and forth on the ground, stepped on his feet, and beat him with a shovel. The guards shocked him with electric batons the next day.

On the Run for 3 Years

Mr. Shi filed a complaint against Jiang Zemin in June 2015 for ordering the persecution of Falun Gong. The police attempted to arrest him two months later. He escaped the arrest and went into hiding. The police put him on the wanted list and arrested his wife, who didn’t practice Falun Gong, and held her in a police station for 24 hours.

The police monitored the phone calls of most of Mr. Shi’s family members and friends to try to track him down and arrest him. He wasn’t able to return home to attend his daughter’s wedding or tend to his mother’s funeral.

Arrested Again and Sentenced to 5 Years

After being on the run for nearly three years, Mr. Shi was arrested at 6:30 p.m. on March 29, 2018, at his home in Huangchuan County by more than a dozen officers.

The police returned to his home at 8 p.m. and ransacked it without his presence. His computer, printer, Falun Gong books, and more than 10,000 yuan in cash were confiscated.

His arrest was approved on May 3, 2018. He was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 20,000 yuan on December 13, 2018. It was unclear where he served time. He was released in March 2022.

Related Report:

After Three Years on the Run to Avoid Persecution for His Faith, Henan Man Arrested and Sentenced to Five Years