(Minghui.org)

Name: Liu ShuheChinese Name: 刘淑和Gender: MaleAge: 81City: YantaiProvince: ShandongOccupation: Retired government officialDate of Death: January 13, 2023Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 3, 2017Most Recent Place of Detention: Shandong Province Men’s Prison

An 81-year-old resident of Yantai City, Shandong Province, died on January 13, 2023, nine days before the Chinese New Year and while still on parole from prison after being sentenced to two years for his faith in Falun Gong.

Mr. Liu Shuhe, a retired government employee, credited Falun Gong for curing his high blood pressure, heart problems, and other ailments. He was also grateful that the practice helped him quit drinking and overcome his bad temper. He enjoyed good health and could carry objects weighing 90 lbs up to his third-floor apartment without feeling tired. 

After the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Falun Gong in July 1999, Mr. Liu held firm to his faith and was repeatedly arrested. His health declined as a result, especially after he was arrested on November 3, 2017 and was sentenced to two years on September 21, 2019. While he was initially allowed to stay out on bail given his poor health, he was taken back into custody on November 21, 2019 and put in prison. His condition further deteriorated and he became incapacitated. The prison authorities released Mr. Liu on parole. Sadly, he never recovered and passed away in January 2023.

Details of Mr. Liu’s Last Persecution Episode

Mr. Liu was at home on the morning of November 3, 2017, when officers from the Zhengfu Boulevard Police Station broke in. They refused to show their IDs and proceeded to search his home. They confiscated his Falun Gong books before taking Mr. Liu to the police station for interrogation.

Mr. Liu was released at around 5 p.m. that evening. He thought the incident was over, only to be summoned by Zhang Meng, a prosecutor from the Muping District Procuratorate, one year later, on November 28, 2018. 

Zhang asked about Mr. Liu’s practice of Falun Gong and said she would indict him soon.

Traumatized by the threat of prison time, Mr. Liu fell ill. His legs became severely swollen. He also had difficulty passing urine and had to use a foley catheter. 

Mr. Liu moved to his oldest daughter’s home in late 2018 so that she could take care of him.

On September 20, 2019, the police went to his daughter’s home and arrested Mr. Liu. They took him to the Muping Chinese Medicine Hospital, where he was diagnosed with high blood pressure, heart palpitations, gallstones, and urine buildup in his kidneys. Despite his condition, the police attempted to have Mr. Liu detained at the Muping District Detention Center. He was denied admission and kept at the hospital overnight.

Mr. Liu was taken to the Muping District Court the next day. The judge sentenced him to two years in prison with a 10,000-yuan fine. He was allowed to go home after the trial.

The police arrested Mr. Liu again on November 19, 2019. They took him to the hospital for another physical examination. Despite his poor health, the judge ordered the police to take him to Shandong Province Men’s Prison two days later, on November 21.

Not long after his imprisonment, his family was notified to send diapers for him. The prison refused to say whether he was receiving any medical attention. 

Mr. Liu’s condition kept worsening and he became incapacitated. The prison then released him on parole (at an unknown date) and his daughter took him to her home. He never recovered and died on January 13, 2023.

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