FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 10/17/2001 [ http://www.faluninfo.net/ ]


NEW YORK, October 17, 2001 (Falun Dafa Information Center) - Two men have died in their homes after many months of torture and mistreatment by police under the Chinese regime's campaign to destroy Falun Gong. One of the victims was 28 year old Huang Jianyong and the other 56 year old Cao Fazhen. Both were Falun Dafa practitioners who died bravely resisting the efforts of police to make them denounce their faith. They were known to be simple, honest men who are survived by many loved ones.

In March of 2000, anxious to defend the reputation of Falun Dafa, Huang Jianyong traveled thousands of miles from Hubei Province to Beijing to make an appeal to his government. It is known that he had to stop along the way because he ran out of money for transportation, but he earned enough doing odd jobs to make his way to the Chinese capital. Later he was arrested and sent to the Macheng No.2 detention center in his home province. Sources say he was held there for three months but was sent home after having sustained severe injuries from police torture. He died four days later. He was 28 years old.

In Hebei Province, police arrested Cao Fazhen, 56, in his home in Macen Village on December 21st of last year. Although he had done nothing wrong, he was held at the Yuanshi County Detention Center. Reliable sources say that on September 26th, 2001 at about 2:20PM, Mr. Cao suddenly lost consciousness and fell into a coma. The warden of the detention center, Dong Wenyan, refused to take Mr. Cao's critical condition seriously and sought no emergency treatment for him. It was not until 8PM that Cao's family was notified to take him home. Mr. Cao died just two days after he returned home.

Those who have been held in the Yuanshi County Detention Center say that Warden Dong Wenyan should bear full responsibility for Mr. Cao's death. It is under the warden's orders that detained practitioners are given a meal of only five tiny steamed buns, some cold salt water, and two small pieces of rotten vegetables a day. To add insult to injury, he even charges an exorbitant 10 Yuan daily for this meager meal. Most practitioners in the detention center suffer from severe dysentery, which further weakens them. Practitioners who protest the illegal detention face electric shock torture and being tied down with ropes. It was under these inhuman conditions that Cao Fazhen was held for nine months before he died.

According to Chinese law, "administrative detention" in a detention center without trial or sentencing is only supposed to last for a maximum of 15 days. However, to date, 26 Falun Gong practitioners have been kept at the Yuanshi County Detention Center for much longer. One Falun Dafa practitioner is known to have been kept there for more than 15 months. Very often the only time practitioners are released to go home is when they have denounced their belief in Falun Gong or when they are on the verge of death and the police do not want to bear the responsibility.

We invite the media to investigate these and many other cases related to the persecution of Falun Gong. The telephone number of the Yuanshi County Detention Center is 0311-462-0809.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER - Contacts: Gail Rachlin 917-501-4441, Adam Montanaro 917-405-4507, Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, or Feng Yuan 646-523-5676. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/

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Category: Deaths Due To Persecution