(Minghui.org)
Name: Yu HailongChinese Name: 于海龙Gender: MaleAge: 53City: ChengdeProvince: HebeiOccupation: N/ADate of Death: January 26, 2024Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 8, 2016Most Recent Place of Detention: Jidong Prison
A Chengde City, Hebei Province, resident developed sores all over his body after serving four years in prison for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. Mr. Yu Hailong struggled with declining health after his prison release in 2020. He passed away on January 26, 2024, at the age of 53.
Mr. Yu was arrested on the evening of July 8, 2016, along with three other practitioners Mr. Bian Qunlian, Mr. Yu Dali and Ms. Jiang Yuhuan. They were followed by officers of the Chengde County Domestic Security Office while on their way to the Xiabancheng Township to distribute Falun Gong materials.
One black car stopped them when they were passing the Chengde County Hospital and an officer accused Mr. Yu Hailong of a traffic violation. As Mr. Yu took out his driver’s license at the officer’s demand, Wu Lei and Hou Shouyin of the Domestic Security Office arrested all four practitioners and took them and their car to the Chengde County Detention Center. At around 1 a.m., the police broke into Mr. Yu Hailong’s home and took away his Falun Gong books, informational materials, printer, and computer.
The three male practitioners were held at the Chengde County Detention Center and Ms. Jiang at Chengde City Detention Center. The practitioners’ families went to the Chengde County Domestic Security Office on July 10 to demand their release, but were turned away by officer Wu. The families made another request days later, still to no avail.
Mr. Yu Hailong’s family quickly hired a lawyer for him. When the lawyer visited him on July 15, he saw that both Mr. Yu Hailong and Mr. Bian, in his late 60s, were handcuffed and shackled. Mr. Bian also had injuries all over his body from electric shocks. The lawyer demanded the guards to unchain the two practitioners, but they ignored him.
The four practitioners appeared in the Chengde County Court on December 20, 2016. As Mr. Yu Hailong’s lawyer was repeatedly interrupted by the presiding judge Wang Fu during his defense argument, he quit midway through the hearing in protest of the judge’s violation of his legal right to defend his client.
The second hearing was held on January 5, 2017, with Wang still presiding. Two more prosecutors were added this time and many more police officers were patrolling both inside and outside the courthouse. Only three family members of each practitioner were allowed inside, and they were videotaped during the trial. The practitioners’ families also saw officials from the local Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC), an extra-judiciary agency tasked to oversee the persecution. All four practitioners’ lawyers entered not guilty pleas for them. The prosecutors remained silent most of the time.
Presiding judge Wang announced the practitioners’ verdicts on February 15, 2017. Mr. Yu Dali and Mr. Bian were each given 6 years and fined 20,000 yuan. Mr. Yu Hailong was given 4 years and fined 10,000 yuan. Ms. Jiang was given 3 years and fined 10,000 yuan. Their appeals were denied by the higher court.
The three male practitioners served time in the Jidong Prison in Tangshan City. Mr. Bian was diagnosed with rectal cancer in early January 2020, but the prison didn’t release him until August 9. According to his family, when he was sent home by an ambulance, he was emaciated, and a feeding tube was inserted into his stomach, as he could no longer eat after the cancer metastasized. He had a high fever and couldn’t recognize his own brother. He passed away four days later.
Mr. Yu Hailong developed sores all over his body after four years of torture in the prison. He kept losing weight after being released in 2020. He was unable to recover and passed away on January 26, 2024.
Jidong Prison, which has nine branches, is under the administration of the Hebei Provincial Prison Administration Bureau. Most of the male Falun Gong practitioners sentenced in Hebei Province are detained here. Prison guards use all sorts of cruel methods to try to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their faith. At least 36 practitioners have died after being tortured here.
Past Persecution of Mr. Yu Hailong
Mr. Yu Hailong took up Falun Gong in 1998. His Hepatitis B that had tormented him since 1995 soon disappeared. He resumed working on his family farm and also found a job for a local construction project.
Mr. Yu was arrested around 6 p.m. on December 30, 2005 by Liu Mingcheng and Wu Deyong of the Chengde City Domestic Security Office, as soon as he stepped out of his home. The police confiscated his photocopier, paper cutter and other office supplies he used to produce Falun Gong informational materials at home. He was held at the police station overnight and not allowed to sleep. The police took him to the Chengde City Detention Center the next day.
Two weeks later, on the evening of January 14, 2006, the police took Mr. Yu to the Luanping Detention Center for interrogation. They covered his head and verbally abused him. He recognized five officers, including Shi Shujian, Liu Mingcheng, Wu Deyong, Liu Peng, and Zhang Dapeng. There were two or three officers who were present, but their names weren’t known.
The police handcuffed Mr. Yu to a metal chair and then left for dinner. Upon returning, they began the interrogation. Liu Peng slapped him in the face over a dozen times, until he almost lost his hearing. The beating lasted until midnight. As the detention center refused to admit Mr. Yu, the police took him back to the Chengde City Detention Center. But the latter also refused to accept him as it was too late. The police thus held Mr. Yu at the police station overnight and sent him back to the Chengde City Detention Center in the morning.
Although Mr. Yu’s Hepatitis B relapsed, the authorities held him in custody for six months. He was later sentenced to four years of probation. He demanded to hire a lawyer, but was denied by the procuratorate. The prosecutor also verbally abused him when he demanded to be released for medical treatment.
After Mr. Yu was finally released in June 2006, Li Fuyu, the secretary of Dashi Town PLAC, Lan Xiaofeng of the local justice bureau, Liu Mingcheng and two other police officers kept harassing him at home or with phone calls. He was forced to live away from home for a while to avoid the persecution.
Related Reports:
Six Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted to Death by Jidong Prison in Hebei Province Since 2022
Hebei Man Dies Four Days After Prison Release
4 Hebei Residents Sentenced to Prison for Talking to People about Falun Gong
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