71-Year-Old Shandong Man Dies One Day After Being Sentenced to 3.5 Years for Practicing Falun Gong
(Minghui.org)
Name: Guo ShuqunChinese Name: 郭书群Gender: MaleAge: 71City: Guan CountyProvince: Shandong Occupation: N/ADate of Death: November 28, 2024Date of Most Recent Arrest: 2023Most Recent Place of Detention: Tianmayuan Detention Center
A 71-year-old resident of Guan County, Shandong Province, died on November 28, 2024, one day after he was sentenced to three and a half years with a 10,000-yuan fine for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
The police descended on Mr. Guo Shuqun’s son’s home on December 1, 2024, and took pictures of the certificate showing that Mr. Guo’s body had been cremated.
Latest Persecution
Mr. Guo’s prison sentence stemmed from his arrest in 2023 (exact time unknown) for distributing Falun Gong informational materials together with two other practitioners. He was released on bail and the Guan County Court tried him in 2024. He wasn’t notified of his first hearing (around August 15, 2024) in advance. Only after he was deceived into going to the courthouse did he realize he was to face the judge. His second hearing was held on September 11, 2024, again with him going home afterward.
At around 8 a.m. on November 27, 2024, officers from the Qingshui Police Station took Mr. Guo to the county hospital for a physical exam to see if he was fit for detention. His family accompanied him to the hospital that day.
After the checkup, the police drove Mr. Guo to the Guan County Court, where the judge announced a sentence of 3.5 years to be served outside of prison. For some unknown reason, the police still took him to the Tianmayuan Detention Center and kept him there for a few hours before sending him home that night.
Mr. Guo died at around 11 a.m. the next day.
Earlier Persecution in 2014
Mr. Guo and his son, also a Falun Gong practitioner, were both arrested on March 18, 2014, and stood trial together at the Guan County Court on December 3 that year. The courthouse was heavily guarded with armed police and only Mr. Guo’s wife and daughter-in-law were allowed inside. The daughter-in-law was later removed from the courtroom when she said her husband and father-in-law did not break any law in practicing Falun Gong.
As the father and son had been denied family visits since their arrests, their loved ones wanted to take a closer look at them after the court hearing. The police, however, pushed away Mr. Guo’s wife, and the couple’s older daughter then videotaped the scene on the phone. Three officers immediately swarmed her and pushed her down on the ground (see photo below). They then snatched her phone. Another group of officers put black hoods on her father and brother and took them away.
Officers pushed Mr. Guo’s older daughter (woman in red) to the ground
Mr. Guo’s younger daughter tried to protect her sister but was held back by two officers (see photo below).
Mr. Guo’s younger daughter (woman in a gray coat) was held back by officers.
It was unclear whether Mr. Guo and his son were sentenced following the court hearing.