Three Fathers, Persecuted by the Chinese Regime
Mr. Wang Yudong, now deceased (left) and his last family photo with his six-year-old daughter, now orphaned in China (right).
The Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong has separated families for nearly 24 years now. Countless adherents were placed in detention and many have been sentenced or killed for their beliefs.
On Father’s Day 2023, the Falun Dafa Information Center highlights three fathers and the tragedies that the Chinese regime has brought upon their families. By bringing awareness to these fathers, the center wishes more people will enlighten to the visceral plight of this human rights atrocity going on today.
Father of Florida Resident Sentenced to Eight Years
Mr. Zhou Deyong, a senior geological engineer in Shandong Province, was arrested in a police sweep with 10 other Falun Gong practitioners and their family members on April 23, 2021. After his arrest, police initially denied Zhou access to his lawyer, who had tried to make appointments to visit him in May 2021. The police allowed the meeting after Mr. Zhou’s son You, a resident in Florida, called the Dongying District Procuratorate and mentioned that his Congressional representatives are paying attention to this case.
Following two years in Binhai Detention Center, Zhou was sentenced to eight years for possessing Falun Gong books in his home on April 20, 2023.
Zhou Deyong’s wife and son, Florida residents, continue to call for his release in 2023. Dozens of Florida lawmakers have released public statements in support of Zhou Deyong and his family, especially Representative Gus Bilirakis, who personally wrote a letter to Xi Jinping about Zhou Deyong’s case.
Six-year-old Girl Loses Mother and Father Within a Year
Mr. Wang Yudong of Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province, was an excellent chef and a chess referee. Wang and his wife Ms. Zhu were arrested on March 21, 2017. Soon after, when Ms. Zhu was found to be pregnant, she was released and her daughter was born on December 8, 2017.
After the court sentenced Wang to three years in prison, his wife struggled to care for their newborn by herself. The police regularly harassed her at home, and she was forced to move frequently in attempts to escape the repression.
Unfortunately, Ms. Wang died in July 2022. Within a year of his wife’s death, Mr. Wang also succumbed to grief and the after-effects of the persecution, passing away on April 9, 2023. They were both 51 years old at the time of their deaths.
Their six-year-old daughter is now orphaned. It is currently unknown if she has a guardian or her whereabouts.
Henan Veteran Dies One Day After Arrest
Mr. Li Guoxun and his wife Ms. Yu Xiuying in Zhoukou City, Henan Province, were arrested and their home was ransacked on July 18, 2022. The arresting officers from the Economic Development Zone Police Station reported that passerby reported the couple for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong.
Li, a veteran and former Zhoukou City Power Company human resources director, was 70 years old. On July 19, the day after he was arrested, Li died in custody.
The police released Ms. Yu and ordered her to stay at home. The police told his son that Li had died of a stroke and reportedly took his body to the local funeral home. Without family consent or time to process his death, the police had Li cremated. Oftentimes, the authorities will rush the cremation procedure for the bodies of Falun Gong practitioners who die in detention in order to hide evidence of abuse.
His wife and son suspect that Mr. Li was tortured to death.
In Memory of Fathers Across China
The number of fathers across China experiencing similar persecution to the above is countless.
Their stories are left untold, but not forgotten. The Falun Dafa Information Center will continue to document and spotlight persecution cases until the day that freedom comes to Falun Dafa practitioners in China.
