72-Year-Old Man Dies in Prison While Serving Time for His Faith

(Minghui.org)

Chinese Name: 钟国全Gender: MaleAge: 72City: Mishan Province: HeilongjiangOccupation: UnknownDate of Death: February 6, 2022Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 4, 2020Most Recent Place of Detention: Tailai Prison

Mr. Zhong Guoquan, of Mishan City, Heilongjiang Province, was arrested on March 4, 2020, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. He was sentenced to three and half years in August that year. He was admitted to Jixi City Prison on November 17, 2020, and later transferred to Tailai Prison, where he was tortured to death on February 6, 2022, the sixth day of the Chinese New Year. He was 72.

Mr. Zhong’s family had requested medical parole in early 2022, but the prison turned them down on the grounds that Mr. Zhong was a political prisoner. His family was devastated on February 6 when they received a phone call from the prison saying he had died hours earlier.

Mr. Zhong, of Han ethnicity and with an associate’s degree, was a resident of Mudanjiang Agricultural Reclamation Community in Mishan City, Heilongjiang Province. He was arrested at around 9 a.m. on March 4, 2020, after being reported for distributing Falun Gong materials on Fangshan Road in Mishan City.

While awaiting an indictment, Mr. Zhong was admitted to Mudanjiang Agricultural Reclamation Community Hospital on July 6, 2020. He was found to have numerous diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, multiple strokes, high blood pressure, heart disease, urinary tract infection, high cholesterol, blood clots, and impaired vision and hearing.

Mr. Zhong appeared in Mishan City Court on August 11, 2020. Judge Zhang Ying presided over the hearing. Assistant judges Cai Hongli and He Fengxian, clerk Guan Yumin (phone numbers: 86-467-5266753, 86-467-5266756), and prosecutor Wang Kaifeng (phone number: 86-15946762899) were present. Mr. Zhong’s defense attorney, Ni Huilong, defended his innocence during the hearing. He was sentenced to three and half years one week later.

Mr. Zhong filed an appeal. On October 9, 2020, his family went to Jixi City Intermediate Court to inquire about the status of his appeals case, but they were told that Mishan City Court had not forwarded the case to the appeals court. His family went to the trial court the next day and judge Cai Hongli (phone number: 86-13846082240) promised that they’d forward the case on October 11. 

Judges Ma Liping, assistant judges Liu Yang and Liu Bingjie, and clerk Chen Liping (phone numebrs: 86-467-2881953, 86-467-2881853) were assigned to handle the appeals case. They ruled on October 28, 2020 to uphold the original verdict. 

Mr. Zhong was moved from Mishan City Detention Center to Jixi City Prison on the morning of November 17, 2020. He was later transferred to Tailai Prison, where he died on February 6, 2022.

Tailai County Chinese Medicine Hospital issued a statement to say that Mr. Zhong died of respiratory failure at the hospital at 8:34 a.m. on February 6. The attending physician who signed the statement was Chen Xiujun. The statement bore Chen’s personal seal and the hospital’s official seal.

Tailai Prison has been used as a concentration camp by the authorities to “transform” Falun Gong practitioners. Those who refused to write various statements to renounce their faith in Falun Gong were subjected to various forms of torture, including being hung up, being forced to stand or squat for long hours, being deprived of sleep for days on end, being force fed chili pepper water, and being verbally abused.

Mr. Liu Jingming, who worked at Qiqihar City Chinese Medicine Hospital, was admitted to Tailai Prison on February 8, 2007. He died 46 days later, at the age of 39. Mr. Pan Benyu, who once saved six lives, became incapacitated in Tailai Prison as a result of the torture he suffered. He also developed liver ascites, heart attack, and was coughing up blood. He had cramps all over his body and couldn’t stop moaning from the pain. He died of a brain hemorrhage on April 4, 2021. He was 69.