(Minghui.org) Before Human Rights Day, December 10, 2024, Falun Gong practitioners in 45 countries submitted to individual governments another list of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials who have persecuted Falun Gong and practitioners. Because these officials participated in this persecution, practitioners requested that they, along with their family members, be barred from entry and that their assets be frozen.

These 45 countries include The Five Eyes (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand), all 27 countries in the European Union (EU) and 13 countries on other continents. The EU countries are Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Romania, Czechia, Finland, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Croatia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, and Malta. The remaining 13 countries are located in Asia, Europe, and the Americas: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Israel, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Paraguay. This was the first time Paraguay has joined the list.

The CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong has continued for 25 years, and the regime recently escalated its control overseas. According to a report published by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), the CCP highlighted a goal in a May 2024 meeting organized by the Ministry of Public Security: “Pay special attention to the cooperation between Falun Gong and Western politicians to sanction high-level Chinese leaders. Stop such behavior at all costs.”

Among the perpetrators listed was Cui Yonghong, Party secretary and director of Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Justice.

Perpetrator Information

Full Name of Perpetrator: Cui (last name) Yonghong (first name)Chinese Name: 崔永洪Gender: MaleDate/year of Birth: September 1966Place of Birth: unknown

Title or Position

November 2016–December 2017: member of the Standing Committee and secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Daqing Municipal Party Committee of Heilongjiang Province

December 2017–November 2021: member of the Standing Committee, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, and director of the Municipal Supervisory Commission of Daqing Municipal Party Committee of Heilongjiang Province

December 2021–Present: Party secretary and director of Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Justice; first political commissar of the Provincial Prison Administration Bureau

Main Crimes

Heilongjiang Province is one of the top provinces with most severe persecution of Falun Gong. The Heilongjiang Provincial Prison Administration Bureau, which is managed by the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Justice, has 18 prisons under its jurisdiction. Among them, Heilongjiang Women’s Prison, Tailai Prison, Hulan Prison, Mudanjiang Prison, Daqing Prison, Jiamusi Prison, and several others were notorious for their brutal treatment of practitioners.

Since Cui Yonghong became the director of the Heilongjiang Department of Justice and the political commissar of the Prison Administration Bureau in December 2021, he continues to implement the CCP’s eradication policy of “ruin their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically,” against Falun Gong practitioners.

In January 2022, the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Justice issued the notice “Detailed Implementation Rules for the Scoring Assessment of Prisoners in Heilongjiang Prisons (Trial Version).” These newly-revised regulations grouped Falun Gong practitioners with cults members. Item 5 in Article 23 of the regulations slanders Falun Gong and considers the practice of Falun Gong to be a demerit in the assessment—an act that warrants the intensification of the persecution of practitioners illegally incarcerated.

To earn credits for term reduction, many inmates actively help the guards try to “transform” Falun Gong practitioners. As a result, these practitioners have been subjected to various torture methods and some became disabled or even died.

On September 23, 2022, Cui went to Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison to talk to mid-level prison managers and their supervisors. This is the only women’s prison in the province, and it is one of the prisons in China with the highest number of incarcerated practitioners. According to available information, as of December 2021, at least 37 Falun Gong practitioners died as a result of the brutal treatment in this prison. It was estimated that 90% of the imprisoned practitioners were injured, with many of the injuries permanent.

In Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison, practitioners were subjected to all kinds of inhumane treatment, resulting in a wide range of physical and psychological torment.

Torture reenactments

The images show some of the torture methods used in the prison, including the tiger bench, beatings, the death bed (or stretching bed), electric shocks, being suspended in the air by handcuffs, force-feeding, and drug administration.

Other frequently used forms of torture include: being hung up, being handcuffed in excruciating positions, exposure to extreme weather, being forced to sit on a small stool without moving for long hours, sleep deprivation, sexual assault, and being stabbed with needles on the face or sensitive parts. Sometimes the inmates humiliated the practitioners by stuffing their mouths with rags, dirty mops, smelly socks, and underpants.

Many practitioners lost their lives due to the cruel treatment they endured in this prison. At least 90% of the practitioners detained at this prison were tortured to the point of severe injury, and most were left with chronic impairments or side effects.

Tailai Prison has been a centralized location used by provincial officials to persecute practitioners. Those who refuse to renounce Falun Gong in other prisons were often transferred from other detention facilities to Tailai Prison. There, they were subjected to long-term torture and high pressure from the guards and inmates.

After they arrived, practitioners were ordered to write statements renouncing Falun Gong. Those who refused to would be subjected to many kinds of torture: being hung up, having to stand or squat for long periods of time, sleep deprivation, having ice water forced down their throats, being made to stand in icy water in the winter, solitary detention, and the tiger bench, among others.

Mr. Zhong Guoquan of Mishan City, Heilongjiang Province, was arrested on March 4, 2020, for distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. He was sentenced to three and half years in prison in August. Mr. Zhong was taken to Jixi City Prison on November 17, 2020, and was later transferred to Tailai Prison, where he was tortured to death on February 6, 2022. He was 72 years old.

Since December 2021, numerous practitioners have passed away due to torture in prisons across Heilongjiang, including Mr. Ren Changbin, Ms. Li Yuzhen, Ms. Guan Hongyan, Ms. Mou Yongxia, Ms. Fei Shuqin, Ms. Teng Shuli, Mr. Ge Zhenhua, Mr. Li Min, Ms. Zhang Chunyu, and Mr. Zhang Yaoming. Many others became disabled or suffered mental disorders. Some were separated from their families and forced to live away from home to avoid the persecution.

Select Persecution Cases

Case 1. 60-Year-Old Man Dies Five Days After Prison Admission

Mr. Ren Changbin, 60, of Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province, died five days after being admitted to the Shuangyashan Prison to serve a three-year term for his faith in Falun Gong. He had multiple bruises and injuries, and there were dark circles under his eyes and several stitches in his head.

Mr. Ren Changbin

According to Mr. Ren’s sister, she received a call from the prison at around 8 a.m. on September 28, 2024, telling her that Mr. Ren had died from a medical emergency. She demanded to know the cause of death, but the caller refused to provide any additional information, except that Mr. Ren’s body had been taken to a funeral home.

Mr. Ren’s sister informed other family members of the tragic news, and they rushed to the funeral home, where they saw Mr. Ren’s bruised body.

When the family asked if Mr. Ren had been tortured to death, the guards claimed that he was very weak when he was admitted to the prison, and they arranged two inmates to “look after” him. They also said that Mr. Ren fell in the shower, thus causing the injuries to his head and body.

Mr. Ren’s family argued that he was very healthy when he was arrested and asked how he could become so weak after one week of detention. If the prison had indeed arranged two inmates to “look after” him, why did they fail to prevent him from falling in the shower?

Mr. Ren, a former glass factory employee, was arrested during a police sweep on September 14, 2024, and sentenced to three years on July 25, 2024. He was transferred to Shuangyashan Prison on September 23 and died five days later.

Case 2: 63-Year-Old Heilongjiang Woman Tortured to Death While Serving 7.5 Years

Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison notified Ms. Guan Hongyan’s family on November 6, 2023, that she had died of “an illness” that day. According to insiders, however, she succumbed to injuries sustained after being repeatedly tortured by the guards and inmates.

Ms. Guan, 63, of Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province, died about 16 months into her 7.5-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong.

Ms. Guan was arrested on July 11, 2022, and sentenced to 7.5 years by the Qiezihe District Court in late December 2022. After she was admitted to Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison, the guards ordered her to renounce Falun Gong. She held firm to her faith and was subjected to various forms of torture, which eventually claimed her life in November 2023.

Case 3: 75-Year-Old Retired Teacher Dies in Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison

Ms. Mou Yongxia, a 75-year-old retired teacher, died from ongoing abuse in Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison on July 13, 2023. The guards cremated Ms. Mou’s body before they notified her family that she’d died.

Ms. Mou was arrested in September 2019 and sentenced to a six-year prison term by the Ranghulu District Court in May 2020. Guards at the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison instigated the inmates to beat and verbally abuse her. Years of torture and abuse took a toll on her health and she could barely move.

After Ms. Mou suffered bowel incontinence in August 2022, an inmate beat her and poured cold water on her. She also subsequently suffered a mental disorder, yet the guards and other inmates continued to beat her routinely.

In late December 2022, a prisoner complained that Ms. Mou walked too slowly and pushed her from behind. Ms. Mou fell down and bruised her face. That night she developed frequent urination, and she had to get up over ten times each subsequent night. The inmates assigned to watch her often verbally abused her and beat her because of this.

Ms. Mou often woke up in the middle of night screaming because of the ongoing abuse. She was so loud that inmates in other cells could hear her. She was disoriented and could not even recognize other practitioners who in the same cell.

Her son demanded that the prison authorities release Ms. Mou on medical parole, but his requests were repeatedly denied.

Case 4: Ms. Teng Shuli Dies in Prison While Serving Seven Years

Ms. Teng Shuli of Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province, died on January 10, 2023, while serving a seven-year term. She was 53 years old.

Ms. Teng was arrested on October 12, 2020. She was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 80,000 yuan on June 2, 2021. After she was taken to Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison in 2021, she was forced to watch propaganda videos that slandered Falun Gong every day. She was deprived of sleep and forced to sit on a small stool for extended hours without moving.

The mental and physical torment took a toll on Ms. Teng’s health. She ate very little and became emaciated. She also developed a tumor in her abdomen, which caused severe bleeding whenever she defecated.

Ms. Teng was so weak that she was bedridden. She couldn’t get up even when the guards came to inspect the cell. Her cellmates feared that she might die at any time. She was later found to have late-stage liver and rectal cancer.

Ms. Teng’s husband was denied visits with her despite his repeated requests. The prison also denied his request to have her released on medical parole, even when she was on the verge of death.

Case 5: 74-Year-Old Woman Dies While Serving Four Years

Ms. Li Yuzhen of Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, was arrested on June 10, 2021, in a police sweep and was later sentenced to four years and fined 10,000 yuan. She was transferred to Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison on January 7, 2022, after her appeal was rejected.

In the prison’s eighth ward, two bunk beds were pushed together along the length of the walls, and most of the newly admitted practitioners were made to sleep between two other people, who each took up a bunk bed. Those who didn’t have a bed had to sleep in the hallway. Ms. Li had leg problems but was assigned to sleep in one of the upper bunk beds. However, the inmates claimed that they treated her well.

Inmate Yuan Jingfang, serving a life sentence, was assigned team leader by the guards due to her active participation in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.

Ms. Li was taken to a hospital in early January 2024, where she died a week later. It’s not clear whether she developed a terminal disease or died as a result of being tortured in prison. She was 74.

Case 6: 67-year-old Man Dies in Prison While Serving Seven Years

Mr. Ge Zhenhua of Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, died in prison on October 22, 2022. He was 67.

Mr. Ge was arrested on June 20, 2016, for putting up banners about Falun Gong and distributing informational materials. The Shangzhi City Court sentenced him to 12 years with a 50,000-yuan fine on December 2, 2016. He appealed with the Shangzhi City Intermediate Court, which upheld his conviction but reduced his prison term to seven years with a 30,000-yuan fine.

After the pandemic broke out in 2020, the authorities in Hulan Prison gave orders that the incarcerated Falun Gong practitioners be under strict managment. They force the practitioners to sit on small stools all day long and deny them family visits. The prison authorities pressure the practitioners to renounce their faith. Those who refuse to comply are brutally tortured.

Mr. Ge’s family was informed by the prison around early October 2022 that he’d suffered a stroke and was in the hospital. The prison ordered the family to pay his medical costs, which was over 10,000 yuan a day. The family couldn’t afford to pay, so the prison forced them to sign a consent to stop the treatment. Mr. Ge passed away on October 22.

Case 7: Former Prison Guard Savagely Beaten While Jailed, Spleen Ruptured and Removed

Mr. Dai Qihong, a former prison guard himself, suffered a ruptured spleen after being beaten by the inmates while serving five years in Hulan Prison.

After the pandemic broke out in 2020, the prison authorities ordered even stricter management of incarcerated practitioners. Many were forced to sit on small stools all day long and not allowed to move. Those who refused to renounce Falun Gong were held in solitary confinement and denied family visits.

Mr. Dai refused to do the night shift keeping watch on September 29, 2022, and was beaten by the inmates. He suffered severe abdominal pain and became incontinent. Around midnight, the inmates dragged him out of bed, kicked him in the chest and abdomen, and whipped him with a shoe.

The next day, Mr. Dai had intense abdominal pain. His face was pale and he went into shock. The guards took him to the hospital, where a doctor found he was in hemorrhagic shock due to a ruptured spleen. As the damage to his spleen was beyond repair, the doctor removed it. Mr. Dai was taken back to the prison on October 8.