Victim:
Li Xiaorong, male, 41, an employee of the Daqing Petroleum Company, Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province

Location:
A detention center of Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province

Perpetrator:
1. Head and policemen of the Daqing City Police Department, Heilongjiang Province
2. Head of Daqing Petroleum Company, Heilongjiang Province

Description:

On March 8, 2000, Mr. Li Xiaorong was sent to attend an 18-day anti-Falun Gong brainwashing class by his work unit, the Daqing Petroleum Company. After the class was over, Mr. Li was demoted and expelled from the Party. He was only paid 350 Yuan RMB each month when his normal monthly salary plus bonus was over 1,500 Yuan RMB before the demotion. On December 1, 2000, Mr. Li left for Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. On December 4, shortly after he unfurled a banner and shouted, "Falun Dafa is Good," on Tiananmen Square, Mr. Li was arrested by the police. Later he was escorted back to a Daqing police station, where he was illegally detained for over 100 days. During the detention, Mr. Li went on hunger strikes several times in protest. Before Mr. Li was arrested, he weighed about 166 pounds and was very healthy. By the time Mr. Li was released on March 21, 2001, he weighed only 66 pounds and had lost the ability to care for himself.
Because Mr. Li's wife Ms. Xu Shufen (also a Falun Gong practitioner) was placed in detention at the time, Mr. Li's 72-year-old mother had to take care of Mr. Li, in addition to looking after Mr. Li's son, a 6th grader. Mr. Li never recovered, even after coming home. He lost his appetite and had difficulty breathing. Moreover, he had scabies all over his body. Even so, the local police wouldn't leave him alone. They frequently called Mr. Li and forced him to report to the local police station. In addition to enduring enormous physical pain, Mr. Li had to bear huge mental pressure as well. On December 14, 2001, Mr. Li passed away in a hospital. Now Mr. Li's wife, Ms. Xu Shufen is still under detention in the Drug Rehabilitation Center although her term had already expired. Ms. Xu's elderly mother-in-law took the grandson to the police station to ask for Ms. Xu's release, but without success. The elderly woman and the young child currently do not have any income on which to subsist.

type=Case, Death; location=Heilongjiang, Daqing