(Minghui.org) Mr. Wang Jian’s family was forced to reach an agreement with the Jidong Second Prison in Hebei Province on July 30, 2024 to receive a compensation of 150,000 yuan in exchange for their silence regarding his suspicious death on April 3, 2023 while he was imprisoned for practicing Falun Gong.
Mr. Wang Jian
Suspicious Death
Mr. Wang, a 73-year-old resident of Zunhua City, Hebei Province, was arrested on July 6, 2019 and sentenced to seven years in November 2020. His family received a call from the Jidong Second Prison at 11:58 a.m. on April 3, 2023, and were told he had fallen into a coma. Another call came in at 12:14 p.m. saying that he was picked up by an ambulance. His family rushed to the hospital but by 1:05 p.m., he was pronounced dead.
A medical examiner reported that there were large areas of deep bruises around Mr. Wang’s ears and on his back, as well as some bruises on the back of his right hand. There was a circular mark on his chest and some scratches on his back. When the coroner turned his body over, fluid came out of his left ear.
Because Mr. Wang was still in good health when he had a physical examination on March 2, 2023, and he also appeared to be fine and in good spirits when his family visited him two weeks later, his family suspected foul play in his death as the bruises on his head and back suggested torture or other abuse.
The prison insisted that Mr. Wang died suddenly of a disease, but did not specify what disease. They asked the family to provide proof of low income, as they intended to offer them a financial subsidy of between 8,000 and 10,000 yuan.
Mr. Wang’s family rejected the offer and sought justice for him at various agencies, including the Tangshan City Procuratorate, the Tangshan City government, the Caofeidian District government, and Jidong Second Prison. [Tangshan oversees Zunhua and is also where the prison is located.] The family was given the runaround.
Forced to Accept a Settlement
An insider later told the family that Mr. Wang was healthy with a rosy complexion when he was admitted to prison. Because he held firm to his faith, guard Li Zhuang shocked him with electric batons, pepper sprayed him, and put him in solitary confinement. His health quickly declined and he died a few months later.
With this new information, Mr. Wang’s family filed a lawsuit against the prison with the Hebei Province High Court. Instead of hearing the case on its merits, the court directly mediated the case without using an independent, third-party mediator. It proposed to have the prison pay a compensation of 150,000 yuan in exchange for the family’s withdrawal of the case.
The prison initially rejected the offer but later came around. Mr. Wang’s family refused to be bought for their silence. The prison warden then used all kinds of tactics and connections to try to make them submit. He even told Mr. Wang’s son’s supervisor that if the matter did not get resolved by the end of July 2024, both of them would face consequences. The supervisor in turn threatened Mr. Wang’s son with job termination if he didn’t accept the settlement. Mr. Wang’s other family members were also threatened.
The prison called Mr. Wang’s son again on July 29, 2024 and gave him an ultimatum: sign an agreement the next day or face consequences. Mr. Wang’s son, who was representing the family, buckled under the pressure. He signed the paperwork the next day and the prison immediately wired 150,000 yuan to him. He, however, was not given a copy of the settlement or allowed to photograph it.
As part of the agreement, Mr. Wang’s family also had his body cremated at a funeral home near the prison on July 31, 2024.
Daughter’s Heartbreaking Appeal for Justice
Mr. Wang’s daughter drove to the Zunhua City Police Department after the cremation. She staged a public appeal outside with her father’s cremation urn next to her. She demanded to see Miao Aidong and Wu Guanghua, the former head and current vice head of the Domestic Security Division, the agency responsible for her father’s arrest.
Many passersby gathered to see what was going on but were soon dispersed by police. The police also forced onlookers to delete videos taken of Mr. Wang’s daughter. They blocked her from others’ view with a beach umbrella and ordered her to go inside to discuss her appeal. She refused but was picked up and carried inside by four officers.
Miao and Wu were nowhere to be found. Mr. Wang’s daughter asked to see prosecutor Guo Quanxiao and judge Miao Ruisheng, who indicted and sentenced her father. No one responded to her. Then a young man in plainclothes came and pointed his finger at her saying, “When are you going to stop making the big fuss?”
Mr. Wang’s daughter condemned him for treating law-abiding citizens this way and demanded an apology. The young man left. About half an hour later, the village secretary in Mr. Wang’s hometown came and urged Mr. Wang’s daughter to rush back for her father’s memorial services.
Mr. Wang’s daughter eventually left and her family held a memorial service for her father on August 1, 2024.
Related Reports:
Family Suspects Foul Play in 72-year-old Man’s Sudden Death in Jidong Prison (Graphic Photos)
72-year-old Man Suddenly Dies While Serving a Seven-year Prison Term for Practicing Falun Gong
Zunhua City, Hebei Province: 12 Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced from 2 to 8 Years
More Than 300 Police Officers Mobilized to Arrest 18 Falun Gong Practitioners
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