2000 - Liu Haitou

(from our February 2001 newsletter)

October 15, 2000

Liu Haitou was born on June 24, 1979, in Liufanglou Village in Xiayi County, Henan Province. He died on the night of October 15, 2000, as the result of severe beatings given to him by the local Public Security Bureau. Liu’s parents, despite being threatened by the authorities to remain silent, gave permission for his story and picture to be distributed around the world, hoping the martyrdom of their beloved son would be used to glorify God.

The 21-year-old Liu Haitou was arrested on September 4, 2000, when the police raided a house church meeting he was attending. After being interrogated and held by the authorities in Qinyang, before being transferred to Xiayi County Prison, where he was charged with participating in illegal religious activities. Facing daily beatings from the prison authorities, and weakened by the prison’s poor hygiene and barely-edible food, Liu’s condition quickly worsened. He developed a high fever and started vomiting, partly because of an existing kidney condition.

Liu’s parents were first notified of their son’s arrest on September 28th, three-and-a-half weeks after he was taken into custody. They were told to come down to the local PSB office and pay 5,000 Yuan (approximately US$ 600) for his release. Being a poor farming family they had no way to raise this sum, which is more than one year’s income for most families in this part of China. Liu Haitou was harshly beaten with different kinds of sticks and tools. Because of the brutality, his kidney disease relapsed, causing him to faint several times. Liu and the other Christians who had been imprisoned pleaded with the authorities to give him medical treatment, but their requests were ignored.

Realizing that Liu was dying, the authorities took him to the prison hospital on October 15^th, but refused to remove the iron shackles from his ankles until 5 p.m. When they realized that Liu would not recover, the prison tried to distance themselves from responsibility and signed his release papers. One report said,

“When Haitou’s father carried him for emergency medical treatment, the weighty leg irons still bound him, right up to six hours before his death. Haitou never complained. There were no struggles with death. He left quietly and peacefully in the middle of a dark night, amidst his mother’s tearful prayers.”

That night Liu died in the arms of his loving mother. His face had the peace and joy of the Lord on it as he told her, “Mum, I am very happy. I am fine. Mum, just persist in our belief and follow Him to the end. I am going now, Mum. Pray for me.” As he reclined in his mother’s arms, his final words as he departed this world was a weak but clear “Amen.”

Liu Haitou had only been a Christian for 18 months, yet had gained a reputation as one who served God with all his heart. In prison he shared his meagre food rations with his fellow prisoners, hoping they might see the goodness of Jesus through his life. Liu Haitou’s commitment is summarized by this excerpt from a letter he wrote:

“By His unlimited great love, the Lord saved me. He leads me to eternal life and entitles me to become a son of God. How can I ignore His salvation and freely accept His grace without doing something for Him in return? More than 90% of people in China don’t know God. My heart is broken. If the Lord is going to use me, I am ready to give my life to Him and start the journey of serving Him.”