Follow-Up Report on the Death of Ms. Peng Chunrong from Duzhou Township, Changshou District, Chongqing City

(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Peng Chunrong was a resident of Duzhou Township, Changshou District, Chongqing City. On April 11, 2004, Ms. Peng died in police custody in the courtyard of the Duzhou Township government building. After Ms. Peng's death, the Changshou District "610 Office" and the township government rounded up local Falun Gong practitioners and ransacked their homes, to intimidate the practitioners as well as their friends and neighbors in the community.

On February 19, 2004, Ms. Peng Chunrong was walking on the street when she met someone she knew. The person asked her, "You were very sick before. How did you get well?" Ms. Peng replied, "I have practiced Falun Gong for a few years." As she talked to her friend about the truth of Falun Gong, someone overheard the conservation and reported her to the police. Duzhou Township Party Secretary Huang Zhengqiao and the mayor, Tang Xianming, abducted Peng Chunrong and took her to the local government office. Officials ransacked her home without following any due legal process. They even stole over 1,000 yuan (1) from Ms. Peng's house.

When the local police station refused to admit Ms. Peng, Deputy Mayor Cheng Yi interrogated Ms. Peng and tortured her. On April 9, the township government told the Party Secretary of her village and her relatives to pick her up. When her relatives arrived, they were ordered to pay 10,000 yuan before Ms. Peng would be released. They did not have the money, so they left without Ms. Peng. On April 11, Ms. Peng died inside the courtyard of the Duzhou Township government building.

The local government claimed that Ms. Peng committed suicide by hanging herself, but no coroner's report was available. Before Ms. Peng died, her relatives were not allowed to see her. Even her daughter and the school's teacher and classmates were not allowed to see her. Furthermore, Ms. Peng's remains were taken for cremation right after her death without the consent of her family. Under pressure from local residents, the township government compensated the family with 6,000 yuan. Then, in order to intimidate the local residents, they rounded up all Falun Gong practitioners in the Duzhou Township and ransacked their homes.

When news of this was exposed inside and outside of China on Clearwisdom, the responsible officials received many phone calls and mail condemning their actions. They started to take revenge on practitioners by ransacking their homes. They also sentenced practitioner Ms. Liu Shulan to four years in prison and practitioner Mr. Zhang Quanming to one and a half years in forced labor camp.

Phone numbers of those responsible:

Huang Zhengqiao (Party Secretary of Duzhou Township) home phone: 86-23­6408330

Cheng Yi (Vice Mayor who beats up practitioners) cell phone: [phone]

Tang Xianming (Mayor and Party Secretary) home phone: [phone]

Notes:

(1) yuan -- Chinese currency; the monthly salary for an average Chinese urban worker is about 500 yuan.