(Minghui.org)
Name: Yao XingqiChinese Name: 姚兴启Gender: MaleAge: 79City: QiqiharProvince: HeilongjiangOccupation: employee of a heavy machinery group corporationDate of Death: June 24, 2026Date of Most Recent Arrest: May 12, 2026Most Recent Place of Detention: Qiqihar City First Detention Center
A 79-year-old man in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province fell into a coma after being tortured in custody for practicing Falun Gong. Mr. Yao Xingqi was released on the verge of death eight days after his arrest. He passed away at home one month later.
Mr. Yao, a retired employee of a heavy machinery group corporation, went to the Beixing Police Station on May 11, 2026, to seek the return of the Falun Gong books confiscated from him during an earlier arrest (time unknown). Instead of returning the books, the police arrested him at home the next day and took him to the Qiqihar City First Detention Center.
Mr. Yao fell into a coma on May 21 due to torture at the detention center, and was taken to the hospital for resuscitation. He remained very weak afterward. The police sent him home on May 29, and he passed away on June 24.
Past Persecution
Since the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, Mr. Yao had been repeatedly targeted for upholding his faith.
He was arrested on April 2, 2010, after being reported by a teenage girl for talking to her about Falun Gong. He was held at the Hongan Police Station overnight. The police ransacked his home and extorted 5,000 yuan from him before releasing him.
Mr. Yao was arrested again on February 28, 2011. His home was ransacked and he was detained at the Fu District Detention Center. Deputy chief Ma Minghui of the Beixing Police Station submitted his case to the local Procuratorate, accusing him of printing Falun Gong informational materials. He was sentenced to three and a half years and served time at the Tailai Prison.
Officer Lu Cheng from the Beixing Police Station harassed Mr. Yao four times in April 2020, attempting to force him to renounce Falun Gong. He refused to comply. Lu threatened to arrest him during the fourth harassment episode.
Mr. Yao was arrested again on May 10, 2025 by Beixing Police Station officers. His wife, who doesn’t practice Falun Gong, was also taken to the police station. The police extorted 2,000 yuan from the couple and released them at around 10 p.m. that day.
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