(Minghui.org)
Name: Wang XuemingChinese Name: 王学明Gender: MaleAge: 52City: ChengduProvince: SichuanOccupation: AuthorDate of Death: September 21, 2022Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 20, 2020Most Recent Place of Detention: Hohhot No. 1 Prison
A well-known author and educator died six days after he was admitted to prison to serve a 4-year term for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Wang Xueming, a native of Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, was arrested on November 20, 2020, while he was in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia to give lectures on traditional Chinese culture. An insider revealed that he was reported by a student’s parent for talking to him about Falun Gong. The Qingshan District Procuratorate in Baotou City approved his arrest in December 2020. He was later sentenced to four years.
On September 21, 2022, Mr. Wang’s family was suddenly informed of his death, only six days after he was taken to the Hohhot No. 1 Prison in Inner Mongolia. While the prison refused to reveal any details, his family suspected that he died from torture, as he had always been healthy before being arrested.
Mr. Wang, who used the pen names of Yun Xiao and Tang Ming in his writings, held a bachelor’s degree in Chinese language and literature from Sichuan Normal University and a master’s degree in education from Southwest Normal University. He was a member of the Sichuan Writers Association and a director of the Longquan Writers Association. He was also awarded “Top Ten Outstanding Writers on Sohu.com in 2007.”
Mr. Wang went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong on December 19, 1999 and was arrested at Tiananmen Square. During the three-day detention in Beijing, he was handcuffed with his arms behind his back and suspended from a pillar for a day, with his feet barely touching the ground. He was also beaten and kicked by the officers. By the time he was let down from the pillar, his hands had become severely swollen. The police soon took him back to Chengdu and detained him for 40 days. The middle school he worked at fined him 10,000 yuan and fired him shortly after.
Mr. Wang was arrested again on December 12, 2001. The police interrogated him for 27 hours. He was forced to wear shackles weighing over 30 pounds. The officers also shined a strong light into his eyes and subjected him to prolonged sleep deprivation.
After Mr. Wang was taken to the Longquanyi District Detention Center, the guards instigated the inmates to strip off his clothes and pour cold water over him, despite the freezing temperature. The inmates also beat him and caused him to vomit blood. Other horrific tortures included piercing his palm with a sharp bamboo stick and burning his face with cigarettes.
Mr. Wang was sentenced to three years by the Longquanyi District Court in August 2002. After he was taken to the Yaan Prison, he was held in solitary confinement and monitored by the inmates around the clock, prohibiting him from talking or walking around. He was also forced to watch videos smearing Falun Gong. A manuscript on education he had was confiscated by the guards.
After Mr. Wang was released, he moved to Wuhan City, Hubei Province and founded a school focusing on teaching traditional values. He published several books on traditional culture. Because of his growing influence, the police arrested him on October 27, 2011, charging him with “operating an illegal business.” After over three months at the Wuhan City No. 2 Detention Center, he was transferred to the Wuchang Detention Center. The Wuchang District Court later sentenced Mr. Wang to one year. His school and education company were forced to close. More than 6,000 of his books were confiscated or burned, resulting in a financial loss of over 1 million yuan.