Liaoning Man Suddenly Dies While Serving a 7-year Term for His Faith

(Minghui.org)

Name: Di Yongchi Chinese Name: 翟永池Gender: MaleAge: 69City: Huludao Province: LiaoningOccupation: Power plant engineerDate of Death: December 17, 2022Date of Most Recent Arrest: May 14, 2017Most Recent Place of Detention: Shenyang No. 1 Prison

Mr. Di Yongchi’s daughter suddenly received a call from the Shenyang No. 1 Prison in Liaoning Province on December 17, 2022 and was told that her father had died after the hospital failed to resuscitate him.

Mr. Di, a 69-year-old retired power plant engineer in Huludao City, Liaoning Province, was serving a seven-year prison term for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. His death came only 1.5 years before the end of his term.

Mr. Di’s daughter saw his body at the hospital mortuary. She has hired a lawyer to seek justice for her father. Due to the Chinese regime’s strict information censorship, it’s not clear whether Mr. Di was subjected to any torture that could have caused his death.

Sentenced to Seven Years for Practicing Falun Gong

Mr. Di used to suffer many ailments, including a heart condition, stomach problem and anemia. He was also hit by a three-ton machine at work. Although he survived, he suffered a severe brain injury and significant memory loss. Shortly after he took up Falun Gong, he regained his health and returned to work. 

On May 14, 2017, Mr. Di, then 64, was arrested at home after being deceived into opening the door for the police, who claimed to be from the property management agency. 

During Mr. Di’s hearing on June 26, 2017, Wang Baomin, head of the Suizhong County Domestic Security Office, stood outside of the Suizhong County Court and forbade other local Falun Gong practitioners from attending the hearing to show their support. Only three of Mr. Di’s family members were allowed to go in.

When Mr. Di’s two lawyers entered the court, Wang verbally abused them and falsely accused them of smearing the Chinese Communist Party. Wang also threatened to beat the lawyers. 

The lawyers entered a not guilty plea for Mr. Di. They argued that no law has ever criminalized Falun Gong in China. They also pointed out that the police fabricated Mr. Di’s answers during the interrogation, including the fabrication that he spent all of his savings on Falun Gong. 

Mr. Di testified in his own defense. He recounted how he suffered from various medical conditions before practicing Falun Gong and how he regained his health after taking up the practice. He said he had blood in his stool at the detention center. He asked to be allowed to do the Falun Gong exercises in order to recover his health. A guard said that he would believe in Falun Gong’s health benefits if Mr. Di could recover simply by doing the exercises. Mr. Di did the exercises and recovered in 15 days.

The judge announced on July 3 that Mr. Di had been sentenced to seven years. Mr. Di appealed with the Huludao City Intermediate Court, which ruled to uphold the original verdict.

Related report:

Mr. Di Yongchi from Liaoning Province Illegally Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison