73-Year-old Chongqing Man Develops Severe Medical Issues During Third Wrongful Prison Term, Dies Eight Months After Release

(Minghui.org)

Name: Dai XianmingChinese Name: 代先明Gender: MaleAge: 73City:Province: ChongqingOccupation: N/ADate of Death: April 19, 2025Date of Most Recent Arrest: January 5, 2022Most Recent Place of Detention: Yongchuan Prison

After serving three prison terms and a forced labor camp term for a total of eight years and two months for his faith in Falun Gong, a Chongqing resident passed away on April 19, 2025. He was 73.

Mr. Dai Xianming became critically ill about ten days after he was admitted to the Yongchuan Prison on April 27, 2023, to serve a 2.5-year term. He developed diabetes and was forced to receive unknown injections. He continued to struggle with poor health after being released from prison in August 2024 and passed away months later.

Prior to his latest arrest and sentencing, both Mr. Dai and his wife had been arrested, harassed, and had their homes ransacked repeatedly for their shared faith in Falun Gong.

Over Eight Years of Incarceration and Torture

Mr. Dai, born on March 7, 1952, used to have a bad temper and was addicted to gambling, while struggling with many ailments, including tracheitis and rheumatism. After he took up Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline, in September 1997, he regained his health, quit the bad habits and became a kind and considerate person.

After the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, Mr. Dai held firm to his faith and was targeted by the authorities.

He was first arrested in early 2000 and held at a drug rehab center for over a month and extorted 290 yuan. He was arrested two more times, in October 2000 and October 2001, and held at a brainwashing center for over a month both times. While he and his family were having dinner together on January 20, 2002, the police broke in and arrested him again. He was released after five days of detention. To avoid further persecution, he was forced to live away from home.

At his rental place in Rongchang County, which is under the jurisdiction of Chongqing, Mr. Dai was arrested by agents from the Rongchang County 610 Office on March 13, 2005. He was severely tortured at the Rongchang County Detention Center and Jingkou Brainwashing Center in Shapingba District, Chongqing. His hands and arms were terribly swollen and his face was disfigured. The Rongchang County Court later sentenced him to 4.5 years and he was taken to the Yongchuan Prison on January 26, 2006.

Because of using paper currency printed with information about Falun Gong to pay for his father’s funeral costs, Mr. Dai was arrested again on April 9, 2011 at the funeral home and later given one year of forced labor.

Mr. Dai was arrested again on September 7, 2012, after being reported for distributing Falun Gong materials at the Yongchuan Zoo. He was held at the Yongchuan District Lockup for 15 days.

Officers from the Xuanhua Police Station and Zhangjiapo Residential Committee broke into Mr. Dai’s home on November 5, 2012 and took him to a brainwashing center. He was released 25 days later.

Mr. Dai’s next arrest was on July 2, 2016, after being followed for putting up self-adhesive posters about Falun Gong. He was tried by the Yongchuan District Court on October 11, 2016 and later sentenced to fourteen months. He was transferred from the Yongchuan District Detention Center to the Yongchuan Prison in January 2017.

Starting in September 2020, the Yongchuan District Social Security Bureau deducted 700 yuan from Mr. Dai’s pension payment every month, leaving him with 500 yuan only. In 2021, with the annual cost-of-living adjustment, he was receiving 575 yuan each month. But in 2022, the Yongchuan District Social Security Bureau ramped up the financial persecution and deducted 570 yuan from his monthly payment.

Mr. Dai’s last arrest took place around 9 p.m. on January 5, 2022, after he was deceived into going to the police station. He was secretly tried by the Yongchuan District Court and sentenced to two and a half years. He was transferred from the Yongchuan District Detention Center to the Yongchuan Prison on April 27, 2023.

Only ten days after he was admitted to the 10th division, also known as the strict management division, he fell into critical condition and was taken to the hospital for resuscitation. His wife, Ms. Xu Keqin, went to the prison nine times to visit him, but was rejected each time.

On May 22, 2023, Ms. Xu received a letter from the prison. It was not written by Mr. Dai. The letter said that Mr. Dai suffered from high blood sugar but had recovered after a hospital stay. The letter then asked Ms. Xu to wire 2,000 yuan to the prison so her husband could purchase daily necessities and supplements.

Ms. Xu became worried about her husband’s health. She went to the prison again and showed the letter to a guard. The guard threatened to punish whoever wrote the letter. Ms. Xu said that Mr. Dai’s pension had been suspended for practicing Falun Gong and that she did not have money to make a deposit into his commissary account. She asked to see her husband but was rejected.

A few days later, Ms. Xu returned to the prison but was still denied visits. A guard asked her to wait for a phone notice from the prison. Someone called later but the decision was still “no visits with Mr. Dai.”

Ms. Xu received a letter from Mr. Dai on July 7. He wrote, “I almost died in just ten days of prison admission. I was hospitalized for more than ten days. After I was taken back to Division Ten, I have been taking medications and receiving IV injections.”

Mr. Dai later developed diabetes and was again hospitalized. He was forced to receive two shots of unknown medicine every day.

Mr. Dai continued to suffer from failing health after he was released in August 2024. He passed away on April 19, 2025 at the Chongqing Second Hospital.

Only two days earlier, another 71-year-old Falun Gong practitioner in Chongqing, Mr. Tang Fenghua, also died at the Chongqing Second Hospital, after he was taken there from the Yongchuan Prison to treat physical injuries sustained from the torture in prison.

Related Reports:

71-Year-Old Chongqing Man Falls Critically Ill Within 10 Days of Prison Admission, Wife Repeatedly Denied Visits

Chongqing Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years for His Faith in Falun Gong

Chongqing Resident Secretly Sentenced to Prison

Mr. Dai Xianming's Life During the Last Ten Years of Persecution

Ms. Xu Keqin Beaten by 610 Office Staff Person