Li Runhui - 李润会
(Minghui.org) Mr. Li Runhui, 68, a retired worker from the Huabei Oilfield, was arrested seven times because he practiced Falun Dafa. He was sentenced to a seven-year term in 2009 and held in Jidong Prison. He was later released on medical parole after he developed heart disease and pulmonary edema (excess fluid in the lungs) and was on the verge of dying. The 610 Office officials kept harassing, pressuring, and threatening Mr. Li while he was on medical parole. Unable to recover under such torment, Mr. Li passed away on August 21, 2013.
Below is an account of the persecution Mr. Li experienced.
Illness Cured after Practicing Dafa
Mr. Li was born in 1945. The living conditions in China were extremely rough back then. Overwork reduced him to a physical wreck. He developed heart disease and suffered from it for nearly 20 years.
Mr. Li started practicing Falun Dafa in July 1997. His illnesses disappeared shortly after that. He lived by Dafa's principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and worked hard on keeping himself to a high moral standard.
Detained for Appealing for the Right to Practice Falun Dafa
Mr. Li and two other practitioners went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999, at the start of the persecution. When a police officer questioned them, they replied that they were Falun Dafa practitioners. The officer said, “You are here to appeal. I can lead your way.” He then took them to the police department and detained them for a week. Mr. Li returned to work and his company reduced his pay and bonus.
Mr. Li went to Beijing again on October 28, 1999. A plainclothes officer asked him, “What's up?” He replied, “I'm here to call for justice for Falun Dafa.” Mr. Li was illegally arrested and taken to the Changping Detention Center. He was released several days later. His company removed him from his post, causing a major financial loss to Mr. Li and his family.
Multiple Arrests and Detention
Mr. Li and his wife did the Falun Dafa exercises outdoors on March 1, 2000. They were arrested and Mr. Li was held for 20 days at the Huabei Oilfield Detention Center.
Mr. Li was arrested again in 2001 after the police found informational materials about Falun Dafa in the local area. He was taken to a detention center. He held a hunger strike for 24 days to protest the illegal detention. A police officer beat him and his teeth became loose. Mr. Li was later sentenced to one year of forced labor and taken to the Shijiazhuang Forced Labor Camp.
At the labor camp Mr. Li was forced to do hard labor. He was also beaten, and tortured by being forced to squat for a long period of time and deprived of sleep.
Mr. Li was taken to the Langfang Brainwashing Center in September 2007, where the staff took turns tying to “transform” him. Mr. Li later found that his food had a bitter taste. He became suspicious that he was drugged. However, it was too late. He started to lose his memory. His mind became unclear and he wrote a guarantee statement.
Sentenced to a Seven-Year Prison Term
More than a dozen officers from the 610 Office and local police department broke into Mr. Li's home on March 11, 2009, arresting Mr. Li and his wife.
Mr. Li's wife was taken to the Langfang Brainwashing Center. Mr. Li was taken to a detention center and was later sentenced to a seven-year prison term. He was taken to the Jidong Prison (also called Tangshan Prison).
Mr. Li's heart disease reoccurred due to torture and the severe living conditions in prison. He had several heart attacks and developed pulmonary edema. He was dying. The prison authorities released him on medical parole.
However, 10 months later, on July 6, 2011, Mr. Li was arrested again and taken back to prison. His health deteriorated further and he was transferred to a military hospital. He was tied to a bed and the prison guards took turns monitoring him. His symptom of auricular fibrillation (heart rhythm disorder) didn't improve after one month of treatment. The prison authorities released him again on medical parole.
About eight officers went to Mr. Li's home on July 6, 2012, and took him to prison again. By this time, Mr. Li was dying because of his heart problem. The prison authorities had to release him again on medical parole on January 21, 2013.
The ongoing persecution greatly injured Mr. Li both physically and mentally. Even while he was out on medical parole, the 610 Office personnel constantly harassed, pressured, and threatened him, claiming that they would take him back to prison. Mr. Li could not recover his health under this environment of severe oppression, and he passed away on August 21, 2013.
