Falun Gong Practitioner Tortured to Death Five Days into Prison Sentence

Mr. Ren Changbin, a 60-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province, was tortured to death on September 28, 2024, just five days after he had been taken to Shuangyashan Prison—a prison notorious for torturing inmates. Mr. Ren’s body had multiple bruises and injuries; his eyes hard dark circles around them; and his head has several stitches.

According to Ren’s sister who received a call from the prison on the day of Mr. Ren’s death, prison staff claimed he died of a “medical emergency,” but refused to provide further details over the phone. Mr. Ren’s family rushed to the funeral home where the prison had already taken his body, discovered the injuries on Mr. Ren’s body.

Targeted in Mass Arrest

On the evening of September 14, 2023, Mr. Ren was arrested as part of a police sweep across Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province, targeting over 30 Falun Gong practitioners and their family members. Security forces deceived Mr. Ren into opening his door before arresting him and confiscating his Falun Gong books, informational materials, bank cards, cell phone, ID, and van—all without presenting a search warrant.

The operation was led by Zhou Wei, chief of the Songlin Police Station, who has a long history of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners in the region. The sweep that detained Mr. Ren was the latest in a series of raids aimed at practitioners. Zhou has openly threatened to force all Falun Gong practitioners under his jurisdiction to renounce their beliefs and many have been sentenced to prison under Zhou’s directives.

Sham Trial and Imprisonment

Despite a petition from Mr. Ren’s coworkers and neighbors calling for his release, Mr. Ren was charged with “undermining law enforcement with a heretical organization,” an arbitrary charge routinely used against Falun Gong practitioners. The Xiangyang District Court indicted Mr. Ren in March 2024 and sentenced him to three years in prison on July 25, 2024.

Mr. Ren was transferred to Shuangyashan Prison, a facility notorious for torturing Falun Gong practitioners, on September 23, 2024. Just five days later, he tragically died in custody with his body showing clear signs of torture.

Mr. Ren’s death adds to the more than 5,000 Falun Gong practitioners documented to have died from torture and other abuses in custody since the CCP began its persecution of the spiritual practice. His case underscores the urgent need for accountability and international attention to the ongoing atrocities committed against Falun Gong practitioners in China.