(Minghui.org) The year 2024 marked the 25th anniversary since the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution of Falun Gong. As of December 31, 2024, a total of 5,167 deaths of Falun Gong practitioners as a result of the persecution have been confirmed, including 164 cases reported in 2024. In addition to the death cases, Minghui.org also reported 764 sentencing cases, as well as 2,828 arrest cases and 2,864 harassment incidents in 2024.
While Falun Gong practitioners have suffered tremendously during the past 25 years, they are not the only victims. Many perpetrators have harmed themselves by persecuting law-abiding practitioners. There is a Chinese saying that “good is rewarded with good, and evil meets evil.” Minghui recently confirmed 729 cases of perpetrators meeting with consequences in 2024 for their involvement in the persecution of Falun Gong, mostly in the form of being placed under investigation or developing terminal illness.
Karmic Retribution Cases Across Government Agencies and Regions
As shown in Figure 1, 160 (22%) of the 729 cases involved people working in law enforcement and detention facilities, 124 (17%) were officials working for the Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC) and 610 Office, both extra-judicial agencies tasked with carrying out the persecution policy, and fifty (7%) of the perpetrators were from the judicial agencies (including procuratorates, courts and justice bureaus). There were another 38 (5%) and 31 (4%) cases from the enterprises/general public and propaganda/education system, respectively. The remaining 326 cases (45%) concerned people working in various other government agencies.
The 729 retribution cases took place in all 31 provinces, centrally controlled municipalities and autonomous regions. Guangdong reported the most cases (78), followed by Heilongjiang (76) and Hubei (69). Sixteen other provinces also registered double-digit cases between 10 and 58, while the remaining twelve regions had single-digit cases of 2 and 9. There were 8 cases with unknown provinces.
Select Retribution Cases
PLAC and 610 Office System
Li Changsheng, Former Secretary of Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, Dies
Li Changsheng, the former secretary of Mudanjiang City PLAC, Heilongjiang Province, suddenly died on the evening of August 29, 2024. He was 57.
Between July 2017 and April 2021, Li served as a member of the Mudanjiang Municipal Standing Committee and PLAC secretary. During Li’s tenure, he actively followed the persecution policy. Many group arrests of the practitioners took place during the time and some were later sentenced to prison. One practitioner, Dr. Wang Shukun, was beaten to death.
In addition to Li, two former Mudanjiang City PLAC secretaries, Tian Lijun and Pan Ying, and Li Changqing, deputy secretary of the Mudanjiang Government and head of the Mudanjiang 610 Office, were all diagnosed with cancer. Both Tian and Li had died. Zhao Jincheng, another former Mudanjiang City PLAC secretary, has been placed under investigation.
Family of Former 610 Office Director Impacted
In some cases, the family members of the perpetrators were also impacted.
Li Zhengrong was the head of the 610 Office in Anshun City, Guizhou Province. Since the onset of the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, he ordered the arrests of many practitioners. Many of practitioners were sentenced and tortured in custody. Some passed away and some became disabled.
Li used to live a good life with his wife and daughter. But a few years after his active participation in the persecution, his daughter died in a car accident. Then his wife died. Li was later diagnosed with cancer himself and also died.
Law Enforcement and Detention Facilities
Former Police Department Director Contracts Rabies
Hou Changzhou was the director of the Liaoyuan City Police Department in Jilin Province when the persecution started. He ordered the mass arrests of local practitioners and sent them to the Jilin Province Forced Labor Camp. Some practitioners urged him to stop participating in the persecution, but he refused to listen. After he retired, he contracted rabies at the age of 71 and no treatment alleviated his symptoms.
Heilongjiang Police Officer Develops Bowel Cancer
Li Wenming, a former officer of the Xing’an Village Police Station in Zhaoyuan County, Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, often savagely beat Falun Gong practitioners after arresting them, including beating them with wood brushes or whipping them with leather belts. He also verbally abused Falun Gong and its founder. Li was later laid off and later developed bowel cancer.
Former Dalian Prison Guard Diagnosed with Thyroid cancer
Tai Zhiheng is one of the guards at the Dalian Prison in Liaoning Province who actively tortured Falun Gong practitioners for upholding their faith. He underwent heart surgery in 2015 and was operated on again in 2019 for thyroid cancer. On April 7, 2024, the Dalian Prison published an article on the local media, praising Tai for transforming Falun Gong practitioners with “strong faith, extraordinary patience, and sincere heart.” Because of his “excellent achievement,” he was awarded “Provincial Education Expert” and “Third Class Merit for Education Transformation.”
Former Deputy Secretary and Political Commissar of the Henan Provincial Prison Administration Bureau Under Investigation
Miao Zhengzhao took office as the Party secretary and warden of the Henan Province Third Prison in 2007. He served as the deputy secretary and political commissar of the Henan Provincial Prison Administration Bureau between January 2017 and 2024. Several prisons under the bureau, including Henan Province Women’s Prison, Xinmi Prison and Zhengzhou Prison, have been actively participated in torturing Falun Gong practitioners detained there. Organized by the prison administration bureau, the prison guards regularly shared and promoted the “best practices” they learned in transforming the practitioners. They also organized performances and other entertainment programs to smear Falun Gong.
Judicial Agencies
Former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Under Investigation
Han Yuexian, in his 50s, used to serve as the chief prosecutor of Chuxiong Prefecture Procuratorate of Yunnan Province, secretary of the Chuxiong Prefecture Party Leadership Group, member of the Party Leadership Group of Yunnan Provincial Procuratorate, and director of the Anti-Corruption and Bribery Bureau.
During his term as the deputy attorney general and member of the Yunnan Provincial Procuratorate Committee between May 2015 and July 2018, many Falun Gong practitioners were indicted. Ms. Jin Zhimei was arrested on July 18, 2017 for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. She appeared in the Chuxiong Prefecture Court on March 22, 2018 and was sentenced to three years.
President of Changsha Intermediate People’s Court Under Investigation
Xiao Xinping served as the vice president and deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Loudi Intermediate People’s Court from April 2009 to January 2012, president of Loudi Intermediate People's Court from January 2012 to November 2016, and president of Changsha Intermediate People s Court from January 2017 to January 2022. Many Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced to prison during his tenure.
More than twenty Falun Gong practitioners in Changsha City, Hunan Province were arrested on October 27 and 28. Several of them were later sentenced to prison: Ms. Zhang Lingge was sentenced to four years on May 8, 2021, Mr. Meng Kai to three years and six months on September 17, 2021, Ms. Wen Jing to three years and three months on December 6, 2021, Ms. Xu Lihua to three years and six months on December 7, 2021, Mr. Li Zhigang to five years and three months on December 21, 2021, and both Mr. Cao Zhifang and his wife Ms. Yang Fang to three years and four months on December 24, 2021. Another married couple, Mr. Chen Yang and Ms. Cao Zhimin, were sentenced to unknown terms.
It was reported on April 9, 2024 that Xiao is being investigated for serious violation of law.
Other Government Agencies
Former Shandong Vice Governor Sentenced to Life
According to a media report on June 5, 2024, Sun Shutao, former vice governor of Shandong Province, was sentenced to life for taking bribes. All of his personal property was confiscated.
Sun joined the Chinese Communist Party in November 1985. He served as deputy mayor and mayor of Weihai City between February 2008 and March 2018. He was elected as the deputy governor of the Shandong on January 31, 2018 and then became the mayor of Jinan, the capital of Shandong in June 2018. He was elected as the vice chairman of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in January 2023.
During his terms in Weihai and Jinan, he actively promoted the persecution policy, causing many practitioners to be arrested, detained and later sentenced to prison.
Village Official in Hebei Province Receives Retribution
Since the onset of the persecution in July 1999, Li Congbin, secretary of Ligezhuang Village, Gaobeidian City, Hebei Province, actively worked with the police and 610 Office to harass and arrest local practitioners.
His younger son Min (alias) died in an accident in early 2024 at the age of 42. Min’s wife couldn’t cope and had a mental breakdown. She was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and her young son had to stay with relatives.
Before losing his younger son, Li lost his older son Xue (alias) years ago. Xue and his wife divorced and their son was jailed for committing a crime and hasn’t been released yet.
Deputy Director of Hebei Provincial Development and Reform Commission Under Investigation
Han Guoqiang, the deputy director of Hebei Provincial Development and Reform Commission, was investigated for serious violations of law in May 2024.
Han served as the mayor of Qian’an City, Hebei Province between February 2017 and August 2019. He was promoted to be the Party secretary of Qian’an City in August 2019 and became the deputy director of Hebei Provincial Development and Reform Commission in May 2021. He actively followed the persecution policy during his tenure in Qian’an and more than ten practitioners were targeted during the time.
Propaganda and Education System
Former President of Beijing Normal University Dies
Zhong Binglin, former president of Beijing Normal University and director of the Academic Committee of the China Private Education Association, died from an illness on April 7, 2024. He was 73.
Once considered a famous educator and charismatic leader, he actively followed the persecution policy while in office, resulting in many students and teachers at the university being arrested and sentenced. Ms. Ma Jingfang, a music teacher, died in 2005 as a result of the persecution.
46-Year-Old Former CCTV Anchor Dies
Gu Guoning, a well-known former anchor of the CCP’s mouthpiece CCTV, suddenly died on October 29, 2024, at the age of 46. Some report said he had lung cancer and his death came only 15 days after his diagnosis.
Gu used to host many prime-time news program, which often featured propaganda reporting to smear Falun Gong. One of the high-profile cases reported by Gu was the mass arrest of human rights lawyers on July 9, 2015. In 2018, his father, Gu Wanchao, suddenly died in 2018. His wife later divorced him.
Enterprises and General Public
Party Secretary and Director of the Xianning City Tobacco Factory and His Family Receive Retribution
Ms. Huang Qiuzhen, a former employee of the Xianning City Tobacco Factory in Hubei Province, wrote a letter to Ma Yan, the wife of the factory director Zhang Shengkun in 2003, telling her why she practiced Falun Gong, how she benefited both physically and mentally and how brutal the persecution was. The Zhang couple reported her to the 610 Office, resulting in her arrest and later a two-year labor camp term.
A year later, the factory was shut down and Zhang was dismissed. His wife developed cancer and their daughter got divorced.
Villager Dies Not Long After Reporting a Falun Gong Practitioner
Han Xiguo, a villager in the Toudaogou Village, Datun Town, Jianchang County, Liaoning Province, reported a Falun Gong practitioner for talking to others about the persecution. His report led seven practitioners to be arrested and all of them were later sentenced to prison.
Only two months after Han reported the practitioners, he suddenly died from an acute disease. Not long after, his wife also died from a terminal disease. Some villagers commented that he received karmic retribution for reporting Falun Gong practitioners.
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