Persecution of Falun Gong: Crimes Committed by the Former Deputy Minister of Justice Liu Zhenyu

(Minghui.org) Around the 23rd anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) suppression of Falun Gong in 1999, Falun Gong practitioners from 38 countries submitted an updated list of perpetrators to their respective governments, urging that those on the list (and their family members) be barred from entry and their assets frozen.

The 38 countries are: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Czechia, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Croatia, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, Malta, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Israel, Mexico, Chile, and Dominica.

Please refer to “New List of Perpetrators Submitted to 38 Governments on the 23rd Anniversary of the Persecution of Falun Gong” for details.

Former Deputy Minister of Justice Liu Zhenyu is on the list.

Perpetrator’s Information

Full Name of Perpetrator: Liu (last name) Zhenyu (first name) (Chinese language: 刘振宇)Gender: MaleCountry: ChinaEthnicity: HanDate/year of Birth: September 1959Place of Birth: Gongzhuling City, Jilin Province

Liu Zhenyu

Title or Position:

December 2015 – December 2019: Vice Minister and member of the Party Group at the Ministry of Justice

January 2015 – December 2015: Director of the Prison Administration at the Ministry of Justice

December 2010 – February 2015: Director of the Correctional Labor Administration and Drug Rehabilitation Administration at the Ministry of Justice

January 2008 – December 2010: Director of Jilin Provincial Department of Justice, Secretary of the Party Committee, First Political Commissar of the Provincial Prison Administration, Member of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee

August 1999 – January 2008: Deputy Director at the Jilin Provincial Department of Justice

Main Crime Committed

1. Persecution of Falun Gong During Liu’s Tenure in Jilin Province

According to data collected by the Minghui website, during the 13 years between July 20, 1999 and 2012, a total of 18,589 Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted in Jilin Province. Among them, 846 practitioners were sentenced, with 110 receiving sentences between 10 and 15 years, 14 between 15 and 19 years, 2 sentenced to 19 years, and another 2 sentenced to 20 years. For the 3,999 Falun Gong practitioners who were held in labor camps, some were given labor camp terms of as many as 5 years. Thousands of other practitioners were illegally held in brainwashing centers.

From July 20, 1999 to the end of 2003, 100s of Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted to death in Jilin Province, of which at least 12 died while in prison.

The vast majority of these persecution cases occurred during Liu’s tenure as Deputy Director and Director of the Jilin Provincial Department of Justice, Political Commissar of the Provincial Prison Administration, and member of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee. During his tenure, Jilin Province invested huge sums of money into the construction, renovation and expansion of police stations, detention centers, lockups, prisons, reeducation-through-labor camps, and brainwashing centers. In 2001 alone, the Jilin Provincial Finance Department allotted 174.89 million yuan to the persecution of Falun Gong.

Many of the detention facilities were praised and rewarded for their persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, including Jilin Provincial Women’s Prison, Jilin Provincial Prison, Siping Prison, Gongzhuling Prison, Jilin Provincial Women’s Labor Camp (also known as Heizuizi Women’s Labor Camp), Yinmahe Labor Camp, Chaoyanggou Labor Camp, Weizigou Labor Camp, Fenjin Labor Camp, and Huanxiling Labor Camp.

In order to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their faith, dozens of torture methods were employed, including violent beatings, electrocution, solitary confinement, suffocation by smoke, being pricked with needles, scalding with boiling water, sexual abuse, stretch torture, hanging, tying up, forced feeding, drug administration, and sleep deprivation.

Illustrations of torture methods used in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

As the person in charge of the Provincial Department of Justice, the Provincial Prison Administration, and the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee, Liu Zhenyu bears unquestionable responsibility for the use of these torture methods.

The following are some of the persecution cases that occurred while Liu served in official capacity in Jilin.

Case 1: Mass Arrests and Heavy Sentencing of Falun Gong Practitioners for Tapping into the Local TV System to Broadcast Information about Falun Gong

In order to expose the persecution of Falun Gong, some practitioners in Changchun City tapped into the local TV system on March 5, 2002, and played two videos for about 40 minutes with information about Falun Gong.

This incident led to the arrest of 5,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun and nearby regions. At least five died shortly after the arrests, including Liu Haibo, Hou Mingkai, Liu Yi, Li Shuqin and Li Rong.

Fifteen practitioners were sentenced from 4 to 20 years in prison. Zhou Runjun and Liu Weiming were each given 20 years. Liang Zhenxing and Liu Chengjun were sentenced to 19 years each.

After suffering 21 months of brutal torture in prison, Liu Chengjun died in prison. Years later, Liang Zhenxing and Lei Ming, who were sentenced to 17 years, were also persecuted until they died in the prison.

Case 2: Mr. Liu Ziwei Persecuted to Death in Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp

Mr. Liu Ziwei, a native of Baishan City, Jilin Province, was detained at Chaoyanggou Labor Camp in Changchun on December 10, 2004. Before he was taken to the labor camp, he was extremely weak, as he had held a 5 day hunger strike in the detention center to protest his arbitrary detention. After arriving at the labor camp, he continued to be tortured. He was gagged, tied up, force fed, deprived of sleep, and hung up by the wrists. He was tortured to death within three days. He was only 29.

Case 3: Ms. Wang Kefei Dies in Heizuizi Women’s Forced Labor Camp

Ms. Wang Kefei was from Changchun City, Jilin Province. She was taken to the Heizuizi Women’s Forced Labor Camp in early August 2001 for appealing for her right to practice Falun Gong in Beijing. She was tortured to death in the labor camp on December 20, 2001. She was 35.

Case 4: Mr. Dong Fengshan Beaten to Death in Jilin Siping Prison

Mr. Dong Fengshan, from Songyuan City, Jilin Province, was sentenced to 9 years and taken to Siping Prison on October 23, 2008. He was beaten to death by eight inmates, who were goaded to commit torture by the guards Li Haifeng and Hao Yulin six days after his arrest. Those who saw his body said that the right side of his chest was smashed and cut by a shovel handle.

Case 5: Mr. Zhang Hui Persecuted to Death in Gongzhuling Prison

Mr. Zhang Hui was from Antu County, Jilin Province. While serving an 8-year term at Gongzhuling Prison, he was kept in solitary confinement, tied to a bed, and shocked with electric batons, and harmed inside his anus. The intestines near the anus later festered due to the burning. When the guards finally took him to the hospital in April 2009, his intestines had rotted and could no longer be treated. He passed away in the hospital weeks later. He was 30.

Case 6: Mr. Yu Lianhe Dies in Siping Shiling Prison

Mr. Yu Lianhe was from Tonghua City, Jilin Province. He was sentenced to three years in prison by the Tonghua City Court on September 17, 2009, and taken to Shiling Prison in Siping City on October 2, 2009. Within two months of his imprisonment, Mr. Yu was beaten to death on November 22, 2009, at the age of 41. An autopsy found blood in his right ear, bruises in both eyes, and signs of beatings. His chest cavity was filled with about 1,500 mL of blood. His spleen was lacerated in three places, and tissue near the spleen showed injuries.

Case 7: Mr. Wang Qibo Dies in Jilin Province Prison

Mr. Wang Qibo was persecuted to death in Jilin Provincial Prison on March 28, 2007, when serving a 7-year term. The following day, the prison authorities transported his body to the funeral home. The prison authorities refused to allow his family to see his body and cremated it without his family’s consent. People saw Liu in the funeral home, giving orders to the prison authorities.

2. Crimes Committed While Serving as the Director of the Department of Correctional Services and the Director of the Department of Drug Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Justice

The persecution of Falun Gong continued to escalate after Liu was promoted to head of the Ministry of Justice’s Labor and Rehabilitation Administration. At least 14 Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted to death in labor camps nationwide between December 2010 and December 2013, when Liu was in office.

After the communist regime abolished the reeducation-through-labor system in December 2013, many labor camps were changed into drug rehabilitation centers, where the practitioners were transferred to, and continued to be tortured. Liu was also assigned to be the new director of the Drug Rehabilitation Bureau.

Below are a sample of deaths that happened in the labor camps during Liu’s tenure.

Case 1: Mr. Huang Wei Dies in the Sanshui Forced Labor Camp

Mr. Huang Wei was a resident of Huazhou City, Guangdong Province. Because he refused to renounce Falun Gong, he was repeatedly arrested and given three forced labor camp terms. He was force-fed, shocked with electric batons, and beaten by inmates, which was instigated by the guards.

On April 6, 2009, Mr. Huang was arrested again and taken to the Sanshui Forced Labor Camp. He was forced to sit on a small stool for long hours. Two inmates were ordered to monitor him while he was held in solitary confinement.

In March 2011, one month before his scheduled release, the guards began to put unknown drugs into his food. He felt very uncomfortable after each meal. His weight dropped quickly. On April 7, 2011, ten days before his release, the guard Guo Zhongqiang gave him an injection of an unknown drug. After that, Mr. Huang began to suffer a mental disorder; his mind was muddled, and he started to lose his memory. He also had difficulty breathing and walking. He passed away 12 days after being released. He was 44.

Case 2: Mr. Wu Ruixiang Dies in the Handan Forced Labor Camp

Mr. Wu Ruixiang, of Li County, Hebei Province, was arrested on the evening of April 23, 2012. He was taken to the Handan Forced Labor Camp on the next day. In order to force him to renounce Falun Gong, the guard Gao Fei deprived him of sleep, and ordered the inmates to monitor him around the clock. He was forced to stand or sit on a small stool. He was verbally abused and forced to attend brainwashing sessions. The guards did not allow him to take showers, change clothes, or have family visits. Only when he was on the verge of death four months later, the labor camp authorities called his family and urged them to take him home. Mr. Wu returned home on September 5, 2012, and died on January 18, 2013. He was only in his 50s.

Case 3: Ms. Zhao Ye Dies in Hebei Women’s Forced Labor Camp

Ms. Zhao Ye, of Tangshan City, Hebei Province, was arrested on February 25, 2011, and later sentenced to 21 months of forced labor. She was first taken to the Kaiping Labor Camp, and then transferred to the Hebei Women’s Labor Camp in May.

The authorities informed Ms. Zhao’s family on March 14, 2012 that she had been hospitalized, and was in critical condition. After numerous requests, the labor camp finally agreed to release her on medical parole. Ms. Zhao was in a half-conscious state, and could not take care of herself upon returning home. She had a persistent high fever, and she only weighed around 55 pounds. She passed away on December 15, 2012. She was around 40 years old.

Case 4: Mr. Pei Yanqing Tortured to Death in the Qinhuangdao Labor Camp

Mr. Pei Yanqing was from Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province. He was sentenced to 1.5 years of forced labor in September 2010. While serving time at the Qinhuangdao Labor Camp, Mr. Pei was subjected to violent beatings, prolonged sitting torture, and sleep deprivation. He became incontinent. His body swelled. He had difficulty breathing, and was unable to walk on his own. It was not until his life was in danger that the labor camp notified his family to take him home. On February 20, 2011, only four days after he returned home, Mr. Pei passed away. He was 60.

Case 5: Ms. Yin Jinmei Dies in the Jiangxi Women’s Labor Camp

Ms. Yin Jinmei was from Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. She was arrested on February 16, 2009 and was sentenced to 1.5 years, to be served at the Nanchang Women’s Labor Camp. She suffered severe torture, including solitary confinement, force feeding and drug administration. The torture caused her to develop high blood pressure, heart problems, uremia, and shortness of breath. The condition continued after she was released. She remained extremely weak, had a poor appetite and could not sleep. She died on May 9, 2012. She was 56.

3. Crimes Committed Wen Serving as the Director of the Prison Administration of the Ministry of Justice

From early 2015 to the end of 2015, Liu served as the Director of the Ministry of Justice’s Prison Administration and continued to implement the persecution policy against Falun Gong. According to statistics from Minghui, at least 878 Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced to at least 44 prisons nationwide in 2015.

In 2015, at least 8 practitioners were persecuted to death in prison, including Yun Zhengqun in Dongling Prison, Liaoning Province; Li Guixiang in Longquanyi Prison, Sichuan Province; Zou Yunzhu in Jiazhou Prison, Sichuan Province; Liu Qingtian in Gongzhuling Prison, Jilin Province; and Feng Xue in Hulan Prison, Heilongjiang Province. In Liaoning Province Women’s Prison alone, at least 10 practitioners were tortured until they were in critical condition, yet the prison refuses to release them.

There was also widespread forced blood sampling of Falun Gong practitioners in prisons to establish DNA databases, which are used for a variety of purposes, including forced organ harvesting crimes.

4. Crimes Committed While Serving as Deputy Minister of Justice

From December 2015 to December 2019, Liu served as the Deputy Minister of Justice, and continued to follow directions from three Ministers of Justice Wu Aiying (2005.07-2017.02), Zhang Jun (2017.02-2018.03), Fu Zhenghua (2018.03-2020.04), continuing to persecute Falun Gong.

On September 18, 2016, the Ministry of Justice re-revised the “Measures for the Administration of Lawyers’ Practice” and announced that they would come into effect on November 1, 2016. The newly revised measures explicitly stated that lawyers could not deny the nature of state-identified cults in their litigation, arbitration, or administrative activities, and it blatantly called Falun Gong a “cult.” This is tantamount to restricting lawyers from defending Falun Gong practitioners in court.

On November 2, 2018, lawyers Zeng Wu and Hu Linzheng had their licenses suspended for 6 months by the Changsha Judicial Bureau in Hunan Provincial, for defending Falun Gong practitioners in Yunnan Province a year ago on December 1, 2017.

During Liu’s four years as Vice Minister of Justice, a total of 4,157 Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced. Numerous Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted to death, disabled, or had their families destroyed while being incarcerated in prison.

The following are select death cases in prison.

Case 1: Mr. Hu Guojian Dies in Benxi Prison

Mr. Hu Guojian, of Fushun City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on July 7, 2015. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison by the Dongzhou District Court on December 9, 2015, and taken to Benxi Prison on May 4, 2016.

The guards poured cold water over his head and body, and kicked him in the head. His cerebral blood vessel ruptured, and he experienced severe bleeding in the brain stem. During craniotomy, a large piece of his skull was removed, causing the right half of his skull to collapse. He remained in a coma after the operation, and went into a vegetative state. He died on May 15, 2018, at the Benxi Prison Hospital. He was 48 years old.

Case 2: Mr. Li Jiechun Dies in Dalian Prison

Mr. Li Jiechun, of Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, was arrested on September 7, 2016, and sentenced to a 5 years prison term by the Beipiao City Court on December 29, 2016. He was later transferred to Dalian Prison – in July 2017. The guards once deprived him of sleep and forced him to sit on a narrow bench that was 2 fingers wide, and 15 centimeters high for 5 days. He died from the torture on December 3, 2018, at the age of 62.

Case 3: Ms. Yang Lihua Dies in the Heilongjiang Provincial Women’s Prison

Ms. Yang Lihua was a native of Sunwu County, Heilongjiang Province. She was arrested on November 17, 2017 and sentenced to a 4 year prison term by the Sunwu County Court on December 26, 2017. After she was taken to the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison in mid-February 2018, she was deprived of sleep, humiliated, verbally abused and beaten by the inmates. She went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution, only to be subjected to even more brutal torture. She died in the prison on November 5, 2019. She was 43.