Falun Gong Practitioner Missing for 20 Years

This past September marked the 20th anniversary of Mr. Yang Aijin’s disappearance. Since the then-33-year-old man was arrested on September 6, 2002, for doing the Falun Gong meditation outdoors, his family has never heard from him again.

Similar to Mr. Yang, countless other Falun Gong practitioners have also gone missing since the Chinese communist regime began persecuting the practice in July 1999. While some were later confirmed to have been arrested and detained incommunicado, the families of most of the others completely lost contact with their loved ones.

With the persecution still going on and the widely-reported organ harvesting from living practitioners to supply the lucrative transplant industry in China, the families of the disappeared practitioners worry day and night whether they are still alive.

Missing for Decades

Mr. Yang Aijin, a then-33-year-old native of Hunan Province, fled home and moved to China’s southern-most province of Hainan to avoid the persecution for practicing Falun Gong. However, he was arrested on September 6, 2002, while meditating on a lawn next to his residence.

Mr. Yang’s family many times went to the police department in Hainan to look for him, only to be cursed at and threatened by the deputy chief, Lin. Although the police claimed that they had released Mr. Yang, no one has heard where Mr. Yang could be since then.

Mr. Yang’s father wrote dozens of appeal letters to the police department. He received only one reply in October 2007 that said, “Things are complicated and we will reply in 60 days.” The family has never heard back.

Recent Disappearances

Ms. Fu Yurong of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, was summoned by the police on July 19, 2022, to fill out her bail release document. The police threatened to break into her home if she didn’t go to the police station. She went the next day and never returned home.

Mr. Yu Faquan of Leshan City, Sichuan Province has been missing since March 20, 2022.

Ms. Zhang Lihua, a 65-year-old Huaian City, Jiangsu Province resident, has been missing since March 2022.

Mr. Zhang Jiekang, a native of Gansu Province in his 40s, was working in Beijing before he disappeared in May 2021. His wife and two sons lived in Beijing with him before he went missing

Mr. Bai Shuangcheng and his wife Ms. Cui Yunyun of Tianjin have both been missing since March 24, 2021.

Ms. Lyu Fengyun, 85, from Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, has been missing since late March 2021.

Mr. Piao Guangxun, 68, of Yanji City, Jilin Province, has been missing since late February 2021. The police harassed him on February 6, 2021, and intimidated the disabled man, warning him not to go out to talk to people about Falun Gong. Mr. Piao went missing shortly afterward, and his family hasn’t heard anything about him since.

Ms. Li Yanxia, 63, of Wuhan City, Hubei Province, went missing in January 2021 when she went out. Her whereabouts remain unknown.

Detained Incommunicado

In addition to the practitioners who completely lost contact with their families, some missing practitioners were eventually confirmed to have been arrested. The authorities haven’t allowed them to communicate with their families, who are understandably worried, not knowing if they’ve been secretly sentenced to prison or are being tortured in custody.

Ms. Huang Qian of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province had her home ransacked on the evening of April 7, 2022. Her family has not been able to contact her since April 13.

Mr. Liu Yanqi, 68, from Nanyang City, Henan Province, was arrested at home on March 2, 2022. He has since been detained incommunicado.

Ms. Zhang Shushan of Changchun City, Jilin Province was arrested on February 17, 2022, and her home was ransacked. The police refused to provide information regarding her whereabouts.

Mr. Wei Jinlu of Xining City, Qinghai Province, has been missing since July 2021. Minghui.org confirmed in December 2021 that someone reported him to the police. It’s not clear where he is detained.

Ms. Luo Chunrong of Pujiang County, Sichuan Province, was arrested on July 13, 2021, while visiting another practitioner. The police haven’t allowed her family to visit her or informed them where she is being detained.

Ms. Wang Qingtian of Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, went out to distribute informational materials about Falun Gong one evening in early February 2021. She was reported and then arrested. Her family has been kept in the dark regarding her situation.

Ms. Wei Jinxian, in her 60s, from Xianning City, Hubei Province, was arrested on December 25, 2020, after being reported for talking to people about Falun Gong. She has been detained incommunicado ever since.

Ms. Chen Duofen of Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, was arrested on May 16, 2020. Her family hasn’t received any update about her case since.

Based on an original report by Minghui.org