Mr. Gong Fangli, 37, Dies Suddenly While in Custody of Huadian City Detention Center

Name: Gong Fangli (公方利)
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Address: 1^st Brigade, Xihezi Village, Huadian City
Occupation: Pedicab driver
Date of Death: December 28, 2011
Date of Most Recent Arrest: October 26, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Huadian City Detention Center (桦甸市看守所)
City: Huadian
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Unknown

(Clearwisdom.net) On October 26, 2010, Mr. Gong Fangli was arrested by Huadian Domestic Security Team chief, Yu Xiaoqiang, and Badaohezi Town Police Station officers. Mr. Gong was taken to the Huadian Detention Center and detained for 14 months. He was deprived of family visitation the entire time. At 2:30 a.m. on December 28, 2011, Mr. Gong's family was notified that Mr. Gong had been taken to Huadian Hospital. The family arrived at the hospital around 3:00 a.m., and Mr. Gong died at 5:00 a.m. Mr. Gong's death was devastating for his wife. She held their four-year-old child as tears covered her cheeks.

The next day, December 29, the detention center called Ms. Gong's wife in for a meeting. The detention center authorities claimed that Mr. Gong died of a heart attack resulting from natural causes. However, Mr. Gong was healthy before the arrest and had been supporting the family by pedaling a pedicab. When Mr. Gong's family wished to pursue compensation, the director of the detention center said, “Compensation is impossible. But since his family is worse off, we could help a little.” If the family agreed to cremate Mr. Gong's body, the detention center would cover the medical costs and the funeral expenses. They would help Mr. Gong's wife, who is unemployed, receive social welfare support and would pay her 10,000 – 20,000 yuan (1,587 – 3,174 USD) in cash. It was reported that Mr. Gong's body was cremated on January 2, 2012, and that his body was placed in the Huadian Funeral Home.

Mr. Gong was born in Xihezi Village, Huadian City. He began practicing Faun Gong in 1998 and saw improvements to his health and general well-being. He followed the moral principles of the practice and was regarded as a very good person by others. In December 1999, Mr. Gong went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. He was arrested and sentenced to one year of forced labor, and he was incarcerated at the Huanxiling Forced Labor Camp in Jilin City.

At 8:00 p.m. on October 26, 2010, Mr. Gong and seven other practitioners were reported while distributing informational materials about Falun Gong in Badaohezi Town. The practitioners were arrested by Huadian Domestic Security Team chief, Yu Xiaoqiang, and Badaohezi Town Police Station officers. More than 1,000 copies of informational materials were confiscated. Mr. Gong and Mr. Liu Libo were taken to the Huadian Detention Center. Six other practitioners were taken to the Jilin City Detention Center.

The next day, October 27, a group of officers, including Yu Xiaoqiang and Liu Gang, went to Mr. Gong's home and ransacked it. Chief Yu asked Mr. Gong's wife, “Where did your husband go?” Mrs. Gong said that she did not know. Chief Yu replied, “Your husband was arrested last night. He is being detained at the Huadian Detention Center. He might be tried later.” The officers did not find anything they were interested in. Chief Yu took out two forms and asked Mrs. Gong to sign them. One was a search warrant without a signature, and the another one Mrs. Gong did not see clearly.

Mr. Gong had been detained at the Huadian Detention Center since his arrest. His family was not allowed to visit him during his detention and had no knowledge of his situation.

On October 12, November 4, and November 10 of 2011, the Huadian City Court held three secret sessions to try the arrested Falun Gong practitioners. The tried practitioners' names are unknown. The practitioners' families were not notified before the trials. Some families learned of the trials but were prohibited from attending the session.

At 2:30 a.m. on December 28, 2011, Mr. Gong's family was notified by the detention center that Mr. Gong had been taken to Huadian Hospital. The family arrived at the hospital around 3:00 a.m. The doctor said that Mr. Gong was having a heart attack and needed an injection of thrombolytic (a medicine used to dissolve blood clots). The hospital needed the family's consent, so Mr. Gong's family signed the consent form. However, Mr. Gong's condition worsened shortly after the injection. At 5:00 a.m., Mr. Gong passed away.

The officers asked the family's permission to send Mr. Gong's body to the funeral home. Mr. Gong's family refused, saying that some family members had yet to arrive. The director of the Huadian Police Department later came and persuaded Mr. Gong's family to send the body. Mr. Gong's family finally gave in, and Mr. Gong's body was taken to the funeral home.

Personnel involved in the persecution of Mr. Gong:
Huadian Detention Center: [phone], [phone]
Li Guangjun, director: [phone] (Cell)
Yang, instructor: [phone] (Cell)
Guard: [phone] (Cell)

Domestic Security Division of the Huadian Police Department: [phone]
Yu Xiaoqiang, chief: [phone] (Cell), [phone], [phone]

Huadian City 610 Office: [phone]
Yang Baolin, head: [phone] (Cell), [phone] (Home)
Li Xiangting, officer: [phone] (Cell)