60-Year-Old Man Dies in Custody, Five Days After Prison Admission
(Minghui.org)
Name: Ren ChangbinChinese Name: 任长斌Gender: MaleAge: 60City: JiamusiProvince: HeilongjiangOccupation: Glass factory employeeDate of Death: September 28, 2024Date of Most Recent Arrest: September 14, 2023Most Recent Place of Detention: Shuangyashan Prison
Mr. Ren Changbin, a 60-year-old Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province resident, died five days after being admitted to the prison to serve a three-year term for his faith in Falun Gong. His body had multiple bruises and injuries, his eyes had dark circles, and his head had several stitches.
Mr. Ren Changbin
According to Mr. Ren’s sister, she received a call from the prison at around 8 a.m. on September 28, 2024, telling her that Mr. Ren had died from a medical emergency. She asked for the specific reason, but the guard refused to provide any additional information, except that Mr. Ren’s body had been taken to a funeral home.
Mr. Ren’s sister immediately informed other family members of the tragic news, and they rushed to the funeral home, where they saw the injuries on Mr. Ren’s body.
When the family questioned the prison guards about whether their loved one was tortured to death, the guards claimed that Mr. Ren was very weak when he was admitted to the prison, and they arranged two inmates to look after him. They also said that Mr. Ren had a fall while taking a shower, thus causing the injuries on his head and body.
Mr. Ren’s family argued that he was very healthy when he was arrested, and questioned how he could become so weak after one week of detention. If the prison had indeed arranged two inmates to “look after” Mr. Ren, why didn’t they prevent him from taking the fall during the shower.
Arrest and Prison Sentence
Mr. Ren, a former glass factory employee, was arrested during a police sweep on the evening of September 14, 2024. The police deceived him into opening the door, then confiscated his Falun Gong books, informational materials, bank cards, cell phone, ID, and a van, without producing a search warrant. The police late returned only the van, but none of the other confiscated belongings.
Upon hearing about his arrest, many of his coworkers and neighbors signed a petition, demanding his immediate release.
The Qianjin Police Station later submitted Mr. Ren’s case to the Xiangyang District Procuratorate, accusing him of “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” the standard pretext used to frame Falun Gong practitioners. Mr. Ren was indicted in March 2024 and sentenced to three years by the Xiangyang District Court on July 25, 2024. He was transferred to the Shuangyashan Prison on September 23, only to die five days later.
The Shuangyashan Prison, formerly known as Bijiashan Prison, is the strict management prison designated for detaining Falun Gong practitioners. All male practitioners sentenced in Heilongjiang Province are taken to the Shuangyashan Prison first, where they are subjected to months-long torture designed to force them to renounce Falun Gong, before being assigned to various prisons across the province.
Shuangyashan Prison
Related Reports:
Police Director Arrests Practitioners and Their Families, Threatens to Eradicate Falun Gong
Arrested in a Police Sweep, Heilongjiang Man Faces Indictment for Practicing Falun Gong