(Minghui.org) A Huaiyang County, Henan Province resident died four months after he was released from one year of imprisonment for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Li Junqi was arrested by officers from the Liuzhentun Police Station on October 21, 2017, four months after he finished serving a three-year prison term for his faith. He was constantly beaten, held in solitary confinement and shocked by electric batons during his imprisonment for not renouncing Falun Gong.

Mr. Li was first held at the Huaiyang Detention Center following his latest arrest and then sentenced to one year in Xinmi Prison. His family was never allowed to visit him, and they suspect that he was tortured during his imprisonment, as his health had deteriorated and he had become mentally disoriented by the time he was released in October 2018.

He never recovered, and passed away on February 12, 2019. He was 46.

Mr. Li's death is preceded by the passing of his parents, who, along with his sister Ms. Li Yuzhi, were also repeatedly targeted for refusing to renounce Falun Gong.

Prior to Mr. Li's imprisonment between 2014 and 2017, his sister served four years in prison, from 2008 to 2012.

During Mr. Li's arrest on May 5, 2008, an officer stomped on his elderly mother, kicked her and slapped her in the face when she tried to reason with the police and protect her son from being taken away. She struggled to stand up, only to be struck and pushed to the ground again. The elderly woman was covered with bruises, her face was swollen and she had difficulty breathing.

Her health deteriorated from then on and she lost the ability to take care of herself. She later passed away on February 11, 2013. She was 81.

Her husband, Mr. Li Yanlin, died on April 21, 2009, after suffering years of harassment, and torture in custody. He was 79.

Related reports:

The Crimes of the Huaiyang County Police

Imprisoned Man Regularly Tortured for Refusing to Renounce His Faith

Mr. Li Junqi, Persecuted with His Family Since 1999, Arrested Again