Man among Recent Heilongjiang Province Killings
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NEW
YORK (FDI) – 132 deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in Heilongjiang Province
have been verified since the spiritual practice was ordered ‘eradicated’
by former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin in 1999. Of the 824 total verified deaths
of Falun Gong practitioners throughout the country, China’s most northeastern
province, Heilongjiang, accounts for approximately 16% – the highest of any
province.
Hundreds
of reports from China over the last four years indicate arbitrary detention,
brainwashing and torture are wide-spread in Heilongjiang.
Heilongjiang’s
former Communist Party Secretary, Xiu Youfang, and former Governor, Tian Fengshan,
are known to have taken a hard-line approach in adopting Jiang’s persecutory
policies toward Falun Gong, according to Heilongjiang sources. Both officials
have since been removed from their posts on apparently unrelated corruption
charges.
The
next highest death tolls are found in Heilongjiang’s neighboring provinces
of Jilin and Liaoning, each of which account for 11% of the total verified deaths.
Shandong Province has also recorded 11% of the total verified deaths, with Hebei
Province at 10% and Beijing at 7%.
Approximately
75% of the total verified deaths were caused by torture and/or severe beatings,
while 10% were due to forced-feeding.
The remaining cases include mysterious circumstances where individuals die in
mental hospitals after being injected with unknown drugs or mysteriously “fall”
from the upper floors of buildings while in police custody.
Some
Chinese Government sources indicate the true death toll could be between 4,000
and 10,000.
Two
Recent Deaths in Heilongjiang
53-year-old
Ms. Liu Tongling lived in Chengsan Village of Rang District in Daqing City.
On September 12, 2003, Liu was detained at the Harbin City Drug Rehabilitation
Center after authorities discovered she practiced Falun Gong. Such “rehabilitation
centers” are often, in reality, used to detain, torture, and hold brainwashing
“classes” for Falun Gong practitioners.
One
month later, on October 12, Liu died in the Rehabilitation Center.
Sources
familiar with this case say Liu was tortured continuously until two days before
her death. Liu’s family, who examined her body, said it was covered with bruises
and there were electric burn marks on her chest. Electric shock batons, also
known as cattle prods are a common torture tool of the Chinese police.
66-year-old
Mr. Li Ruqing was a retired worker from the Shangyashan City Mine Bureau of
Heilongjiang Province. On October 7, 2002, he was arrested while distributing
flyers about Falun Gong. Li was subsequently sentenced to seven years in
prison and sent to the Mudanjiang Prison. On October 9, 2003, Li was tortured
to death in the prison and his body was cremated shortly thereafter.
Posting date: 5/Dec/2003
Original article date: 4/Dec/2003
Category: News from China
