(1)
On April 11, 2001, a piece of shocking news was spread: Liu Lanxiang, who had been missing for several days, was persecuted to death by debased individuals from the Lanzhou City police unit. Here are the details: at about 8:20pm on April 3, Liu Lanxiang and other practitioners went out to distribute Falun Dafa truth-clarifying materials. She did not come back after that and was missing. On the second and third day, other practitioners inquired all over, but they could not get any information regarding her whereabouts. On April 11, Liu Lanxiang's family suddenly received a message from the Lanzhou City police stating that, "Liu Lanxiang has died after failed emergency treatment." Nobody can believe how a woman in good health and normal psychological condition could suddenly die and be declared "dead after a failed rescue attempt," after several days' stay at the police station.
(2)
Liu Lanxiang was a 39 years-old female employee at the Minqin City Chinese Medicine Hospital of Gansu Province. She began to practice Falun Dafa in the beginning of 1999. She cherished Dafa [the Great Law of the Universe] as if she had found a treasure. She studied and practiced diligently. Dafa purified her body and spirit over and over again. The sufferings brought on by the disease from which she suffered for many years vanished very quickly. She renewed herself to a fresh, new, vigorous life and strictly behaved according to Dafa requirements, no matter where she was--with her family or her work unit. She worked hard without any complaints and was considerate of others at all times and everywhere. She looked after her parents-in-law, gave support and understanding to her husband and took good care of her two daughters. She arranged everything in good order for her family. She displayed intelligence in her work, as the person in charge of the Western medicine pharmacy at the hospital. In the beginning of 2000, she did not complain about anything in her changed work environment, even though she was demoted. Because she practiced Falun Gong, the authorities sent her to work in the Chinese medicine pharmacy, in an unsanitary environment and with a heavy-duty workload. On her own initiative, she cleaned up and organized all the Chinese medicines, which had piled up for many years. For all these unselfish deeds, her family members and neighbors all took her into their heart. Her colleagues and leaders knew her diligence very well. Everybody praised her as a good wife, a good mother, and a model employee. Affected with the great compassion of Dafa, and sparing no efforts, Liu Lanxiang spread Dafa. She lived a simple and frugal life. To benefit other people as well, she spread the miraculous and sacred news about Falun Dafa to lots of places, such as to the Minqin, Wuwei, Jinchang and Lanzhou areas.
(3)
After July 20, 1999, Dafa began to encounter the unprecedented persecution. She at first practiced at home. At the beginning of 2000, after exchanging experiences with other practitioners, she realized that it was every practitioner's responsibility to step forward to validate Dafa. In March 2000, she went to appeal in Beijing and was detained for 30 days at the Wuwei City Detention Center. After being released, she was under constant house arrest. In July 2000, she was again illegally detained at the Wuwei City Detention Center for another 30 days because she had sent Dafa materials to a practitioner in Wuwei City. In August 2000, she was once more illegally imprisoned for 30 days, this time at the Minqin City Detention Center. Additionally, she was fined 3,000 Yuan [about $275; $60 is the average monthly salary in China.] because she was suspected of distributing Dafa truth-clarifying materials. Police from Wuwei City and Minqin City tortured her brutally during her three detentions.
During the first detention period, common criminals and members of the police department cruelly tortured Liu Lanxiang. One method they used was to force her to sit on a "tiger stool" [covered with splinters] and hold a position called "earth airplane" [a torture method which forces the victim into a posture whereby both arms are extended extremely high over the head and the head is forced down extremely low], and other vicious tortures. During the second detention period, she realized that she should create a cultivation environment. Therefore, she persisted in studying the Fa [law or universal principles] and practicing Falun Gong exercise. When she sat in meditation, the common criminals pushed her down several times. If she had no alternative, she only did the Falun Standing Stance exercise [holding arms up]. The criminals whipped her arms with leather belts, but she still continued the posture. Then, the criminals took brooms and ruthlessly beat her arms until they themselves were tired and the brooms broke. In the face of witnessing her great compassion and tolerance, the criminals did not want to beat her any more. But the guards insisted, and forced the criminals to continue torturing her. The inmates held up her arms and kicked her ribcage with high-heeled leather boots, which caused her ribs to fracture. These atrocities were all monitored by closed-circuit television in the detention center.
No matter how ruthless the prison guards and the criminals treated her, she never lost her compassion and did not complain about anything. Even though it was difficult for her to breathe, due to the fractured ribs, she was still considerate to others. She gave her own clothes and food to the common criminals, washed their clothes and bed sheets for them, and cleaned the toilet. Her great compassion and tolerance moved the vicious people and awakened the criminals' kind consciences. Her triple detention fully exposed the vicious persecution of the Wuwei and Minqin police against Dafa practitioners and painted the true picture of the "living hell" of the Wuwei and Minqin Detention Centers.
(4)
In September 2000, Liu Lanxiang was released from the detention center. After her release she found out that the police decided to sentence her to a "Re-education-Through-Labor-Camp" term. In order to avoid the vicious people, she made a decision: she left home, even though she had to leave behind her 80-year old parents and her daughter, who was preparing for the National College Entrance Examination. She was forced to live the life of a homeless person and to wander about. On New Year's Day of 2001, she again went to Beijing to safeguard Dafa. Forced into a detention center in Beijing, she did not reveal her name and address and went on a hunger strike to protest and ask for her unconditional release. During the hunger strike she was forced- fed. Ten days later, as the vicious police could not get what they wanted, they had to release her.
Getting out of the detention center in Beijing, she realized that for the public to know the truth they had to become aware of the Fa. She took all possible chances to clarify the truth and expose the vicious forces' persecution towards Dafa practitioners in Lanzhou City. She did not care about her own safety. She sheltered 10 homeless practitioners in her room where they studied the Fa together, shared their experiences, and clarified the truth. In this dire situation and without money coming in, she saved every penny to produce Dafa truth-clarifying materials and help the other practitioners with their needs.
Nobody can accept the fact and imagine that Liu Lanxiang, who several times went through "living hell" was persecuted to death. Her death exposed the lies of Jiang Zemin's criminal regime, which recently declared that this is "presently the best period for human rights in China;" we are "constructing socialism, democracy and the legal system;" "we practice administration with morality."
(5)
Here is what has taken place in our great Gansu Land: Since July 1999 and up until today, because the practitioners persisted in following the truth of the universe, insisted on continuing their sacred belief in Truth, Compassion and Forbearance, we know that the vicious forces of Jiang Zemin have persecuted to death Yao Baorong, Li Faming, Yin Yongjiang and Liu Lanxiang. Moreover, several hundred practitioners have been sentenced to jail terms, sent to labor camps, and detained in mental hospitals. Additionally, several thousand practitioners are destitute and homeless. By suffering these untold miseries and tribulations, they want to jolt people's sense of justice and conscience awake. What destroys kindness is surely evil. Those vicious people, who have beaten practitioners to death and injured many more, who have tortured practitioners without just cause, along with their supporters and the manipulators and perpetrators of those evil deeds--they, in the end, will not escape their trial, punishment, and justice. Jiang Zemin and his regime cannot shirk their historic responsibility.
To those fellow practitioners who, up to now, are still following an evil way, we say this: please quickly step out of human attachments. Our great, merciful Teacher is summoning us. Our genuine fellow practitioner, Liu Lanxiang, is encouraging us with her life.
(6)
At dawn, as sunrise was breaking, our brave fellow practitioner, Liu Lanxiang, died miserably. The vicious executioner's atrocity once again aroused the wrath of Heaven and Earth. Here is what took place: On the evening of April 9, just before Liu Lanxiang died, a big dust storm blew in. The sand/ dust storm angrily swept down from the Tenggeli Desert of her hometown, swept across Minqin City, Wuwei City, Lanzhou City, and, in a little while, seemed to cover all of China. Afterwards, the temperature in Gansu plummeted to below zero (below 320 F). It began to snow. The white snow fluttered about, and the mountains and riverbanks were covered with snow, as if to show mourning.
(7)
We want to point out that Liu Lanxiang was tortured to death by the Lanzhou Public Security during the period of time when the United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva was taking place. We appeal to all the kind-hearted people in the world and to the international human rights organizations to pay close attention to this event.
We demand that the Chinese government strictly implement laws formulated to safeguard Chinese citizen's lawful rights as guaranteed under the Chinese Constitution, punish the murderers, as well as the supporters and the manipulators behind the scenes of this persecution.
We also accuse the wicked Lanzhou City police officials, such as Lu Zhibin from the First Unit of Lanzhou City Public Security Bureau; Xi, politics-security section chief of Qilihe sub- bureau, Han Ming, politics-security section chief of Anning Sub-bureau; Yang Jianzhong, politics-security section chief of Chengguan Sub-bureau, and others.
Up to now, the whereabouts of two other fellow practitioners who were arrested together with Liu Lanxiang are unknown. Their situation must be extremely perilous. We whole-heartedly expect the kind-hearted people to uphold justice; to urge the Lanzhou City Public Security Bureau's officials to immediately release all Falun Dafa practitioners who are innocently imprisoned.
(8)
Our fellow practitioner Liu Lanxiang, please go in peace!
Your rock-solid and-diamond-like determination and faith for Falun Dafa has powerfully suffocated the evil, and inspired your fellow practitioners. We will complete what you have not fulfilled. Nobody can destroy Dafa! The time will soon be here when the Fa rectifies the human world!
Dafa Practitioners from Gansu Province
April 15, 2001