(Minghui.org) Ms. Yu Baofang of Anshan City passed away on July 17, 2017, the day she was taken to a local hospital. Two weeks before, Ms. Yu, her husband, and their son were arrested for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
Her husband, Mr. Wang Dianguo, is still illegally detained and has not seen his wife since his arrest. The authorities never directly informed him of his wife's death, nor did they allow him to make funeral arrangements. He is currently on a hunger strike to protest.
Her son, Mr. Wang Yu, was taken to Zhangda Hospital to see his mother after she passed away. However, he wasn't allowed near her, nor was he allowed to touch her. He was released the following day, July 18.
The detention center did not have any video of Ms. Yu's emergency treatment in the hospital nor a death certificate citing the cause of death.
The detention center ruled Ms. Yu's death to be from “natural causes,” but suspicion of foul play persists.
Many questions remain unanswered. Why would the detention center accept Ms. Yu if she had diabetes, as they claimed, which would disqualify her from being admitted? Why did the detention center not contact the family in time when Ms. Yu was sick? Why did the detention center not take her to the hospital sooner?
Ms. Yu's family have cast many doubts on the official version of Ms. Yu’s death.
The hospital stated that Ms. Yu Baofang died at 3:30 p.m., 90 minutes before her son arrived at 5:00 p.m., but he noticed that her face already appeared to be ashen gray. A face turns gray only when the body is cold, which suggests that Ms. Yu had been dead long before her son arrived. Her family contends that she might have died before she was even taken to the hospital.
Her son could only look at his mother from a distance, separated by another patient's bed. He was not allowed to touch her because, the family suspects, the authorities feared their deception would be exposed and the “emergency procedures” carried out were just to avoid legal responsibility.
Mr. Wang Yu was told by a hospital physician that the cause of his mother's death was still unknown. Yet, one day later on July 18, the detention center, with no lab or hospital reports, told the family that Ms. Yu died from diabetes.
Ms. Yu was very healthy. She had to have a physical exam for the detention center to take her. She did not have any record of diabetes. How could she die of diabetes after only 12 days in detention?
When Mr. Wang first arrived, his mother seemed to be breathing and he asked the attending physician whether she was still alive. The doctor said that they'd kept the ventilator on so that he could still see his mother alive.
Did they use the ventilator to make it appear that Ms. Yu had died after their attempt to revive her failed? Were they trying to cover up the fact that Ms. Yu was tortured to death?
The detention center has not shown Ms. Yu's family any evidence of the cause of her death, including video of their rescue efforts or the hospital's report.
A doctor stated that Ms. Yu was taken to the hospital in the morning, six hours before her death. If this account can be verified, hospital staff would have had adequate time to document her emergency treatment including the patient’s room, the name of primary doctor, diagnosis reports, a rescue video in the ICU, and other relevant evidence.
Ms. Yu’s family believes that the Tiexi District Police Department, Yongle Police Station, and the Anshan Women's Detention Center owe them an explanation for her death and compensation for their financial loss. Everyone involved should be held criminally accountable for violating the following laws:
Penal Code Article 232, intentional homicidePenal Code Article 238, illegal detention of citizensPenal Code Article 239, arrest without warrantsPenal Code Article 245, illegal search and intrusion of housingPenal Code Article 247, torture, extortion of evidence, and abuse of custodyPenal Code Article 251, deprival of citizens' freedom of religious beliefPenal Code Article 254, frame for retaliationPenal Code Article 397, abuse of power
The following criminal laws have also been violated:Procedure 111, showing search warrant to the searched personProcedure 128, investigators carrying out investigation or inspection must hold supporting documents of the Procuratorate or the public security organs
It is reported that, to avoid any legal liability for Ms. Yu’s death, many who were responsible have been either re-assigned to new positions or moved to other locations.
Fan Jinwei (范金伟), chief, Tiexi District Yongle Police Station: +86-15641242391Chang Yongchun (常永春), police, Yongle Police Station: +86-15698905851Wang Dengke (王登科), captain, Tiexi District Domestic Security: +86-412-5532953Guo Jihong (郭继红), director, Anshan Women's Detention Center: +86-412-2962559
Related Report:Son Recounts Mother's Death Two Weeks After Arrest, Father Still Detained