Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted to Death, 33 Reported from July to September 2022

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a mind-body practice based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Since its introduction to the public in 1992, countless people have been drawn to its profound principles and health benefits. Fearing its growing popularity, the Chinese communist regime launched a nationwide campaign in July 1999, attempting to stamp out the practice.

Between July and September 2022 Minghui.org confirmed 33 more cases of Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted to death for their faith.

Among the 33 confirmed deaths, one Falun Gong practitioner had died in 2009, one in 2015, one in 2019, three in 2020, five in 2021, and twenty-two in 2022. For the death cases that occurred in 2022, two practitioners died in January, one in February, two in April, one in May, two in June, seven in July, six in August, and one in September.

Since 92 deaths were reported in the first half of the year, the 33 recently confirmed deaths between July and September brings the year-to-date of reported death cases to 125 (92+33), with 73 deaths happening in 2022, and 52 in previous years.

As of October 20, 2022, a total of 4,856 deaths have been confirmed since the Chinese regime started persecuting Falun Gong in 1999. Due to strict censorship by the Chinese regime, the actual death toll is most likely to be much higher.

Eight of the 33 newly reported cases took place in Sichuan Province, five in Hebei, three in Hunan, and three in Henan. Four other provinces had two cases each, and in nine other provinces or municipalities each had one case.

Several of the deceased practitioners were professionals, including a famous author, a retired HR director, a former journalist, a government official, a factory technical expert, and company executives.

The 33 practitioners, 16 of them women who died were between 39 and 87 years of age. Four were in their 80s and eleven were in their 70s. Several of the elderly practitioners succumbed to the mental distress from the persecution or were dealt a heavy blow after the arrests and incarceration of their loved ones.

Six practitioners died while in custody, just days after being arrested or taken to prison. Several others died after being released from prison, after their health was damaged by the relentless torture in custody. One practitioner fell to his death after he was pushed out of a window by the police.

Below is a selection of the death cases described. The full list of the 33 deceased practitioners can be downloaded here (PDF).

Deaths in Custody

Retired HR Director Dies a Day after Being Arrested for Practicing Falun Gong

Mr. Li Guoxun, a retired human resources director from Zhoukou City, Henan Province, died a day after he was arrested for practicing Falun Gong. He was 70 years old.

On July 18, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. eight officers arrested Mr. Li in his home. The police claimed Mr. Li and his wife, Ms. Yu Xiuying, had been reported for distributing Falun Gong materials before the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, which started on October 16, 2022. Without presenting a search warrant, police officers confiscated the couple’s Falun Gong books, a photo of Falun Gong’s founder, a computer, a media player, a cellphone, and an electric motorcycle.

The police took the couple to the Zhoukou Economic Development Zone Police Station. The next evening, the police told Ms. Yu that Mr. Li was seriously ill (even though he was already dead). They released her and ordered her to stay at home. The couple’s motorcycle and cellphone were returned.

Ms. Yu was devastated to learn of Mr. Li’s death when her son said that the police had called and told him his father had died of a stroke. They said they’d taken him to the local funeral home. The police had him cremated, without allowing Ms. Yu or her son to see Mr. Li’s body.

Author and Educator Dies Six Days After Being Admitted to Prison

Mr. Wang Xueming, a well-known author and educator in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, was arrested on November 20, 2020, while he was in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia giving lectures on traditional Chinese culture. An insider revealed that he had been reported by a student’s parent for talking to him about Falun Gong. He was later sentenced to a four-year prison term.

Mr. Wang’s family was informed of his death on September 21, 2022, only six days after he was taken to the Hohhot No. 1 Prison in Inner Mongolia. While the prison refused to reveal any details, his family suspects that he died from torture, as he had always been healthy before the arrest.

Mr. Wang, who used the pen names of Yun Xiao and Tang Ming in his writings, held a bachelor’s degree in Chinese language and literature from Sichuan Normal University and a master’s degree in education from Southwest Normal University. He was a member of the Sichuan Writers Association and a director of the Longquan Writers Association. He was also awarded “Top Ten Outstanding Writers on Sohu.com in 2007.”

Former Journalist Dies in Prison Hospital 16 Months after Being Jailed for His Faith

Sixteen months after Mr. Yang Zhixiong from Baoding City, Hebei Province was transferred to the Jidong No. 5 Prison to serve a seven-year term for practicing Falun Gong, he died on August 10, 2022 in the hospital affiliated with the prison. Mr. Yang Zhixiong was 58 years old. 

According to Mr. Yang’s family, when they saw his body at the Tangshan Union Hospital, he was emaciated, and his eyes and mouth were wide open.

Mr. Yang had fallen into a coma due to myeloma (cancer of the plasma cells) on June 30, 2022, but the guards waited for two days before taking him to the hospital. Prior to that, he had often struggled with pain in his back and legs.

Mr. Yang was kept in the intensive care unit for nearly 40 days, between July 2 and August 10, and his family visitation was restricted. The guards also kept him handcuffed and shackled.

Based on an original Minghui.org article.