Mr. Yu Zhou (??)

[Refer to points D, F, on Beijing map]

Status: Tortured to death

Gender: Male

Age: 42  

City: Beijing

Former Workplace: Percussionist for the popular folk music ensemble “Xiaojuan and Residents from the Valley”

Date of Most Recent Arrest: January 26, 2008

Date of Death: February 6, 2008

Last Place Detained: Tongzhou District Detention Center [point F, Beijing Map]

Known Acquaintances Overseas: Angel (Jie) Li, currently residing in Los Angeles; Marianne Lefebvre, Belgium.

Other information: Yu Zhou’s wife remains in detention. Her profile follows on the next page.

Details:

Fans adored Yu Zhou for his melodies and his humble, down-to-earth personality. His folk band frequently topped the charts, capturing the hearts of countless Chinese citizens.  Although Yu Zhou had practiced Falun Gong for 13 years, his fame had granted him a certain degree of protection amidst the persecution. Yet with the government’s efforts to clean up Beijing ahead of the Olympics, Yu Zhou and his wife were arrested on January 26, 2008 on their way home from a concert. He was taken to the Tongzhou District Detention Center [point F, Beijing Map].

Eleven days later, Yu’s family was told to go to the Qinghe Emergency Center. When they arrived, they found him already dead. Yu’s death was mourned in the Chinese blogosphere and reported in The London Times.

Yu Zhou’s family requests for an autopsy have been denied, and officials have refused to hand over Yu Zhou’s remains, which are believed to still be held at the Qinghe Emergency Center. Qinghe Emergency Center is located within walking distance of the Beijing Institute of Technology, set to host Olympic volleyball matches [point D and Olympic symbol, Beijing Map]

Additional references:

• The London Times: “Yu Zhou dies as China launches pre-Olympic purge of Falun Gong,” April 20, 2008 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/china/article3779899.ece
• Online video: Yu Zhou playing the drums in video of “Xiaojuan and Residents of the Valley”: http://www.youmaker.com/video/sv?id=571f7e4d385e4dfd86cb89fa573c6a2d001
• Falun Dafa Information Center: “Falun Gong Deaths Escalate as Olympics Approach,” April 8, 2008: /article/581/?cid=84