Ms. Peng Donglian, Hunan

Name: Ms. Peng Donglian (???)
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 9, 2010
Date of Death: November 20, 2010
Province: Hunan
City: Changde
Most Recent Place of Detention: Li County Detention Center

Case details:

Peng, a retired accountant from Changde in Hunan province, was abducted by police without a warrant on November 9, 2010 for practicing Falun Gong. She was taken to Li County Detention Center and her family was denied the right to visit her. Nine days later, her family received formal notification acknowledging Peng’s detention. Two days after that, on November 20, police informed Peng’s family that she had died that afternoon.

After rushing to the detention center, the family saw black and blue bruises on the soles of her feet and one inside observer reported Peng had been tortured. Police told the family she had died of a heart attack, but she had no history of heart disease and was in good health when taken into custody. It is common practice in both Falun Gong and other cases for the Chinese authorities to claim that an individual who died from abuse in custody had died of natural causes despite clear evidence to the contrary. In an effort to limit a public outcry over Peng’s death, four hundred security officers reportedly surrounded the detention center and funeral home and ordered her body cremated on November 26.