Yunnan Man Dies Three Months After Serving Five Years for His Faith
Mr. Wu Guangcheng
Mr. Wu Guangcheng was very weak when he was released on April 6, 2022, after serving five years for practicing Falun Gong. The Kunming City, Yunnan Province resident slipped and fell on July 27 while using the restroom. He lost consciousness and died hours later. He was 63 years old.
Mr. Wu’s passing capped his two decades of suffering for upholding his faith, which has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. In addition to his latest 5-year term, he served two labor camp terms totaling 3 years and a prison term of 6.5 years.
In addition to his own ordeal, his wife, Ms. Wang Deping, was also given two labor camp terms totaling 5 years, for practicing Falun Gong. Their son was traumatized by the persecution and developed a mental disorder. He is unable to work and doesn’t leave home.
Mr. Wu’s latest arrest took place on April 7, 2017, for talking to people about Falun Gong. The Xishan District Court sentenced him on November 27, 2017.
Mr. Wu was subjected to strict management and constant torture at the Yunnan Province No. 1 Prison, as he refused to do the unpaid labor. He was very weak and emaciated upon his release on April 6, 2022. His condition continued to deteriorate for the next few months, which eventually resulted in his tragic death.
Early Days of Persecution for Upholding His Faith
When the communist regime ordered the persecution in July 1999, the Wu family’s peaceful life was shattered. The couple faced constant harassment, arrests, and incarceration for upholding their faith.
Mr. Wu went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong in January 2001 and was arrested at Tiananmen Square. The police beat him and took him to the Dongcheng District Detention Center.
Instigated by the detention center director and guards, the detainees smashed his fingers and toes in the gap of a metal door and the doorframe and then stomped on them. They also beat his face with a shoe, causing his nose to bleed severely. After several rounds of beatings, Mr. Wu had injuries on his face, hands, and legs. He suffered severe back pain and couldn’t sleep on his back or stand up.
After Mr. Wu was taken back to Kaifeng on January 9, 2001, the authorities held him at the Beishudian Police Station. Police chief Sun Xuejiang ordered an officer to confine him to a metal bed and handcuff him to the frame. When he was taken to the detention center the next day, the guard specifically asked him to write a letter, clarifying that he sustained the injuries somewhere else, not in the detention center.
Two Labor Camp Terms
After a month of detention, Mr. Wu was given two months of forced labor. While he was serving time at the Kaifeng City Forced Labor Camp, its political instructor ordered the inmates to line up and spit phlegm into his mouth. In the winter, the inmates stripped his clothes and poured cold water over him. During the summer time, the inmates restrained Mr. Wu and wrapped him in a thick comforter. The guards also crushed some left-over steamed buns with their feet and forced Mr. Wu to eat them. In addition to the physical torture, Mr. Wu also bore constant brainwashing attempts and verbal abuse.
Only two months after he was released, Mr. Wu was arrested again in March 2003 and given another year at the Kaifeng City Forced Labor Camp. Guard Zhang Yong slapped him in the face so hard that his right eardrum ruptured. He was once tied up in a constraint chair for more than ten hours. When the end of his term was imminent, the guards threatened to detain him indefinitely if he didn’t renounce Falun Gong. Mr. Wu remained firm in his faith. The guards relented and released him on time.
6.5-year Prison Term
Mr. Wu was detained again on July 9, 2005. The police intimidated his supervisor at work and attempted to extort money from them. A few days later, Mr. Wu was taken to a brainwashing center. He held a hunger strike for one day and then escaped. After wandering about for a few days, he was captured again and held at the Kaifeng City Detention Center for 15 months. His family wasn’t allowed to visit him during that time.
Mr. Wu was secretly sentenced to 6.5 years in Xinmi Prison in Zhengzhou City in October 2006. His family was allowed to visit him once in 2008 and they were saddened to see that he was extremely emaciated. After that, the prison never allowed them to visit him again.
After Mr. Wu was released in 2012, his family moved to Kunming City, Yunnan Province where he was arrested in his most recent detainment that caused his weak condition before his death.
Based on an original report by Minghui.org
Related reports:
Wu Guangcheng Arrested in His Adopted Province of Yunnan
Henan Province: Mr. Wu Guangcheng of Kaifeng City Persecuted for Ten Years
