Mr. Li Yequan Has Been on a Hunger Strike for Fifty-six Days and Is Near Death

[Clearwisdom.net]


Mr. Li Yequan Has Been on a Hunger Strike for Fifty-six Days and Is Near Death

Mr. Li Yequan, a 38-year-old practitioner from Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, has had his wages suspended for the last six years because of his belief in Falun Gong. He had been illegally arrested numerous times and forced to move from one place to another to avoid persecution. Mr. Li is now being brutally abused at the Daqing Detention Center. He has been on a hunger strike for 56 days to protest the illegal treatment. Every day, for 24 hours, he is handcuffed, shackled, and force-fed. A guard named Wang Yingzhou, along with inmates, forced a liter of hard liquor down his throat and spit on him. They also poured cold water on Li Yequan. Due to being force-fed three times a day, Mr. Li's esophagus has been badly injured. He shows symptoms of pneumonia and mental disorientation and his body temperature has dropped. He is extremely weak, with his white cell count as high as 20,000. Mr. Li has slipped into a coma many times and is now dying.

Mr. Li Yequan enjoying happy days with his family prior to being persecuted
On November 16, 2005, Li Yequan's family went to visit him and also to talk to the authorities at the detention center. The associate director of the center, Wang Yongxiang, made excuses and refused to see them. One of Mr. Li's family members presented Wang an open letter addressed to the labor camp. On November 17, Mr. Li's father, who had suffered a stroke, his brother, and sisters traveled a long distance to see Li Yequan. In Wang Yongxiang's office, all of his family members were asked if they practiced Falun Gong. Mr. Li's wife asked, for verification, if Mr. Li had been force-fed hard liquor and spit on. The actions were denied. When his wife said she would ask Mr. Yi himself, the prison authorities got very angry and yelled, "From now on, you are not allowed to see him any more!"

Mr. Li's father asked, "Li Yequan is a good man. What law did he break? Why did you arrest him so many times?" They replied, "The government does not allow him to practice Falun Gong." "So which law did he break?" They said, "That's the business of the Public Security Bureau. Why don't you go ask them?"

Mr. Li's family went to the No. 1 Brigade, where his wife was refused entry. His brother confirmed from talking to Mr. Li that liquor was indeed forced down his throat and that he was spat upon. The head of the brigade, Lai Zhonghui, Wang Yingzhou, and other inmates stormed over and dragged Mr. Li's brother out of the room. His brother was forced to stay outside in freezing temperature for over two hours, which exacerbated his stomach problem.
When Mr. Li's father demanded his son's release, they passed the buck to the Public Security Bureau. Disappointed, Mr. Li's family had to leave.

Mr. Li Yequan worked for the Daqing City Bullet Factory. He started practicing Falun Gong in July 1996 and followed the teachings of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance in his daily life and was recognized as a good worker. His research project was so outstanding that he was going to be promoted from associate head of the workshop to the factory head responsible for technology. Since the persecution of Falun Gong first started in July 1999, the local police station and the staff in his company tried to coerce him to write a guarantee statement. He refused and remained true to his beliefs. The party secretary, Yao Dexi, worried that he might go to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Giong, so they arrested him and took him to the Chuangye Police Station, where he was detained for two months before being sent back to his company.
On July 14, 2000, Mr. Li went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong but he was escorted back to the Honggang Detention Center, where he was detained for one month and then another 15 days. After he was sent back to his company, Mr. Li was placed under house arrest. On September 25, Party Secretary Yao Dexi extorted 3,600 yuan from him before they released him. In addition, they took his two-month wages, one month's bonus for May, and other allowances totaling 100 yuan. They also took the 329 yuan in cash that he had on him. After they extorted the funds from Mr. Li, they told him that he could resume work after the National Day holidays. Unfortunately, as soon as Mr Li returned to work, he was sent to Bei'an, Daqing's 610 Office brainwashing center, for one month. From the brainwashing center, the local 610 Office sent Mr Li to one year in the Daqing Forced Labor Camp for removing slogans slandering Falun Gong from the wall. He was released on October 28, 2001.


Receipt for the fines extorted by Party Secretary Yao Dexi
After returning to work, Mr. Li was demoted to the janitorial staff. He had his pay cut by 300 yuan. From an administrative position he was relegated to a support position. Li Yechuan had barely worked for a year before he was again sent to the brainwashing center at the Hong Weixing Center between June and July, 2003 simply because they found a piece of paper in his pocket with information on a website operated outside of China. That same night, Mr. Li was sent to the Chuangye Police Station. The police station was going to send him to the forced labor camp. Handcuffed and brutally beaten, Mr. Li was sent to Honggang Detention Center three days later. As a result of the beatings and the long-term hunger strike, Mr. Li became quite weak. Only then did the detention center release him. However, he was still subject to harassment. Li Yequan was forced to leave home to avoid further persecution.


On December 13, 2004, in the Yinlang neighborhood, Mr. Li and other three practitioners were arrested by officers from the Ranghu Road Police Substation. Mr. Li shouted, "Falun Dafa is good," even as he was being gagged and blindfolded by the police and dragged into a vehicle. He continued to shout, "Falun Dafa is good" on the way to the station, and clarified the truth to the public.

Mr. Li also shouted, "Falun Dafa is good" day and night at the detention center. They punished him by making him sit on an iron chair and he was tortured in order to try to make him reveal information about Falun Gong activities and other practitioners. At some point, they sent him to the company's hospital for emergency treatment and later to a hospital at the No. 4 Refinery of Daqing Oilfield. Later on, Mr. Li was forced to become homeless.

At 5 a.m. on September 23, 2005, Li Yequan was again illegally arrested by police from Daqing City. On the night of September 27, the Daqing Public Security Bureau, 610 Office, Judiciary Bureau, and Daqing Forced Labor Camp had a meeting and sent Mr. Li to the Daqing Forced Labor Camp. When Mr. Li's white blood cell count was found to be as high as 20,000, the labor camp refused to admit him. However, Daqing Public Security Bureau Chief Cao called them to say that Ruan Dianlong, the associate party secretary for the municipal government and the legal and political commission, had approved the admission, so they had to admit Mr. Li. As a result, Li Yechuan was sentenced to forced labor for two years without any legal procedures. He is being held in the No. 1 Brigade at Daqing Forced Labor Camp.


Mr. Li has been on hunger strike to protest the persecution, and demands to be released. Ordered by Director of the No.1 Brigade Lai Zhonghui and policeman Wang Yingzhou, several inmates shackled Mr. Li's hands and ankles. He is force-fed three times a day, sometimes for more than four hours. Mr. Li's esophagus has sustained severe injuries and he has slipped into coma many times. The guards or inmates even put the portrait of Master Li on the chair and force him to sit on it and put the book, Zhuan Falun on the seat. Wang Yingzhou, who calls himself a policeman reincarnated from a devil in hell, along with several inmates, forced more than a liter of hard liquor down Mr. Li's throat. They even spat into his throat.

Mr. Li has has had his wages suspended since July 2003. His wife is struggling to support their seven-year-old son with her meager income from her cleaning job. Their life is very miserable. Their son often stares at his father's picture and weeps in private so his mother does not see him crying.

We urgently appeal to all kind-hearted people: Please help Mr. Li Yequan and stop the persecution of Falun Gong.

The front of Daqing Detention Center
Daqing Forced Labor Camp office
The No. 1 Brigade where Mr. Li is being jailed