Name: Xu Langzhou (徐浪舟)
Gender: Male
Age: 39 (Born in 1973)
Address: Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province
Occupation: Police officer
Date of Death: March 18, 2012
Date of Most Recent Arrest: April 9, 2004
Most Recent Place of Detention: Wumaping Prison (五马坪监狱)
City: Leshan
Province: Sichuan
Persecution Suffered: Forced labor, brainwashing, illegal sentencing, beatings, detention and imprisonment, torture, dismissal from workplace
(Minghui.org) It has been nearly four months since Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Xu Langzhou, an outstanding police officer from Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province, died as a result of mistreatment at Wumaping Prison, Leshan City and Sichuan Provincial Judicial Police Hospital (also know as Chengdu Hospital for Ill Convicts). Hospital and the prison authorities have not only refused to provide any explanation to Xu's family members, but also threatened to cremate the corpse on July 21.
I. Falun Gong practitioner Xu Langzhou, an outstanding police officer, was framed and sentenced to 8.5 years of prison.
Xu Langzhou
After Mr. Xu Langzhou, a traffic officer in Panzhihua City, began practicing the principles of Falun Dafa, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, in 1994, he was named an outstanding police officer every year. The Panzhihua City TV station even did a feature story on him.
Torture Re-enactment: Handcuffed and hung up
After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Gong, Mr. Xu Langzhou was sentenced to two years of forced labor. In 2004, he was arrested by the Panzhihua 610 Office and tortured by being deprived of sleep for three consecutive nights and handcuffed behind his back and hung from the handcuffs for 24 hours, causing him to pass out. He was sentenced to 8.5 years of prison even though there was insufficient evidence of his involvement in Falun Gong activities and he had not committed any actual crime. He was first detained in Guangyuan Prison in Sichuan and later transferred to Wumaping Prison in Leshan City.
Mr. Xu Langzhou died due to the mistreatment on March 18, 2012 at the age of 39.
II. Mysterious death during the hospitalization in the Sichuan Provincial Judicial Police Hospital
Mr. Xu Langzhou received medical treatment for an acute gastric perforation in the Sichuan Provincial Judicial Police Hospital on March 7-17, 2012. Mr. Xu was admitted on March 7, and underwent surgery to repair the perforation on March 8. On March 9, when his mother visited him in the hospital, the key surgeon told her the operation was very successful. On March 13, Xu's situation was still very good when his mother visited him again. Xu appeared to be sober and was able to sit on the bed and talk with his mother. He said, "Mother, could you buy me a basin and some toiletries?"
Later on March 14, 15 and 16, Xu's mother went to the hospital but the authorities denied her visit with her son. The hospital authorities told her that her son's recovery was very good and he could eat some liquid or semi-liquid foods. At around 10:00 p.m. on the night of March 17, Xu's sister received a phone call, informing her that Xu Langzhou was critically ill and needed to be transferred to Huaxi Hospital for treatment.
On the morning of March 18, when Xu's mother arrived at the hospital, she saw that Xu was in a deep coma, and only inhaling without exhaling. The hospital took no measures to rescue him, nor did they use an oxygen mask, artificial respirator, electrocardiographic monitoring, nor intravenous drip. At that time, Xu's mother repeatedly requested an immediate transfer to another hospital, but the hospital authorities did not respond until after 12:00 p.m. that day, when Xu was transferred to another hospital. Xu's mother was not told which hospital or department to which Xu was transferred. On March 19, Xu's sister received a phone call saying that Xu Langzhou had died at 10:55 p.m. on the night of March 18.
III. Prison, Prosecutorial Office and Hospital Delayed Autopsy
Since Xu's family members were suspicious of Xu's death, they asked that the hospital and prison authorities provide a reasonable explanation and conduct an autopsy. However, the Wumaping Prison of Leshan City, the Sichuan Provincial Judicial Police Hospital, and the prosecutorial office of Leshan delayed the autopsy, claiming that Xu Langzhou died from a normal death. Xu's sister had no other choice but to visit the health department and other departments concerning Xu's death. She also brought her doubts about her brother's death and the abuse and torture he received in the Wumaping Prison to the Provincial People's Congress and the prosecutorial office of Leshan. For fear of drawing too much attention on this matter, the Wumaping Prison unwillingly agreed to allow the autopsy, but required the family to only look for a judicial forensic agency within the province. Xu's family firmly refused to do so, insisting that a third-party forensic appraiser from outside the province be sought.
Xu's sister contacted several well-known forensic agencies in Chongqing. Initially, they agreed to take Xu's case, but later backed away, with the excuse of being too busy. By April 12 an agency called "Chongqing Fazheng Judicial Forensic Agency" was identified that was willing to conduct the autopsy and was committed to being "objective and impartial." Because her employer in Dalian urged her to return, and her child at home needed her care, Xu's sister left Chengdu on April 14 for Dalian after she completed the paperwork with the forensic agency. After her departure, the prosecutorial office of Leshan got in touch with the agency and pre-paid over 20,000 yuan for the appraisal fee.
Authorities from Wumaping Prison approached Xu's mother on April 20, and forced her to sign a "letter of commitment" by threatening her with a 20,000 yuan fee for expenses. The "letter of commitment" contained three terms: 1) If the appraisal pointed to a normal death of Xu Langzhou, the entire cost would be paid by Xu's family; 2) If the death was proven to be abnormal, the fees would be paid by the prison; 3) The corpse must be cremated as soon as the appraisal results is provided, regardless whether it showed a normal or abnormal death. Since Xu's mother could not afford the 20,000 yuan but she did not want to give up the chance to determine the reason for her son's death, she unwillingly put her thumbprint on the so-called "letter of commitment."
Not until April 24, the 36th day after Xu's death, did Director Dai of Chongqing Fazheng Judicial Forensic Agency and his assistant finally come to the Xindu Donglin Memorial Chapel to begin the autopsy.
IV. Xu's Mother Was Threatened and Given Innumerable Obstacles in Obtaining the Forensic Report
Two months after the completion of the forensic appraisal, Xu's mother learned from the Chongqing Fazheng Judicial Forensic Agency that the forensic report had been mailed to the prosecutorial office of Leshan on June 28. On July 11, Xu's mother went to the prosecutorial office to ask for a copy of the report, but was denied entrance by the gate security. After she explained the intention of her visit, the security guard made a phone call to the prosecutorial office but was told to direct Xu's mother to the Wumaping Prison for the report.
Xu's mother hurried to the Wumaping Prison, but the prison office was closed. At around 2:30 p.m. that day, she went to the city prosecutors office inside the Wumaping Prison and sat on the ground outside the office waiting for the prosecutorial people to arrive. A person from the prison approached her and asked whether she was Xu Langzhou's mother. This person said the people from the prosecutorial office would arrive a bit later, and he led Xu's mother into an office on the seventh floor of the prison building and asked her to wait there.
In this office, the attitude of many people from the prison towards Xu's mother could be described as "aggressive" and "siege-like." They continually took photos and video recordings of her, but Xu's mother stopped them, and told them it was wrong, and was infringing on a citizen's rights. These so-called police deceived Xu's mother by showing her the video camera and saying the recording had been deleted, but Xu's mother wasn't familiar with video cameras. They swore at Xu Langzhou in front of Xu's mother using foul language, but Xu's mother explained to them what kind of a person Xu was. After these police officers found themselves bested in the argument, they shouted and slandered Xu Langzhou as being a disloyal and unfilial son.
The prosecutorial people in the prison later returned, so Xu's mother was taken to the prosecutorial office in the prison. The prosecutorial people told her that it was OK for her to get a copy of the report, but the appraisal results indicated a normal death, and she would need to pay the 20,000+ yuan appraisal fee. Xu's mother wanted to take a look at the report, but was denied. They only read the report to her. Xu's mother told them that she learned from the Chongqing Fazheng Judicial Forensic Agency that at the time of appraisal, Xu's internal organs had already began rotting, and had deteriorated. Also, no family members were present at the time of appraisal. Such being the case, would the appraisal be effective and impartial? Xu's mother said that her son was framed and sentenced with prison terms, and he was persecuted to death in prison, so it was totally unreasonable for his family to pay the appraisal fee. Although Xu's family had expressed strong doubts on the cause of Xu's death, the prison authorities provided no evidence to prove their innocence, but they delayed the time for forensic examination, which caused the loss of the best time for autopsy. Therefore, the prison should be responsible for the forensic fees.
Later, Xu's mother asked for a photocopy of Xu's medical records, but the prosecutorial people deceived her by telling her that the medical records were with the Chongqing Fazheng Judicial Forensic Agency and she should go there to make the photocopy. Xu's mother said, "If this is so, then could you write me a certification letter to take with me to the agency or make a phone call to the agency before I go there?" Of course, they would not do this, since the medical records were at the hospital and kept there for 10+ years. This is an obvious case of deceiving Xu's mother due to her limited knowledge of medical record keeping.
V. Prison Authorities Threatened to Forcibly Cremate the Corpse on July 21
Director Wang of the Prison Political Section arrived later, wanting to discuss with Xu's mother about cremating Xu Langzhou's corpse. Quite a few male and female police officers approached her, wanting to discuss "reconciling" the case. The purpose of these discussions was to obtain approval to cremate the corpse. Xu's mother firmly denied their requests and said, "Before obtaining a clear understanding of the cause of my son's death, no cremation can be done."
After Xu's mother knew that she could not obtain the medical records or the forensic report, and that the police only wanted to talk about cremation, she realized that it would be fruitless to talk further to the police, so she prepared to leave prison and go home. However, a large number of police officers came to drag her back, trying to prevent her from leaving. Xu's mother was dragged back to the building and these officers asked her to stay and reconcile the cremation issue. After Xu's mother noticed that their only focus was to cremate the corpse, she tried to leave the building again. Many police officers again came to drag her back, but Xu's mother scolded them, saying that the prison and prosecutorial office were colluding to bully people. She finally escaped from their harassment and left.
Director Wang of the Prison Political Section said ferociously, "No matter what, the corpse will be cremated on July 21." Xu's mother replied and said, "No way, without my signature, no one can do so. If you really want to do so, then you should cremate me, an old lady, first." Xu Langzhou died a strange death in the prison and yet the prison authorities refused to provide a reasonable explanation to Xu's family, and tried to forcibly cremate the corpse. Is not this trying to destroy the evidence?
We urge all just people to help this mother who lost her beloved son to obtain justice and clear the name of Xu Langzhou!
Related article:
http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2012/4/8/132607.html#.UAX563qF8uM
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