Falun Gong women die in detention

Falun Gong is banned on mainland China

The banned Chinese spiritual movement Falun Gong says five more of its followers - all of them women - have died while in custody.

The movement's information centre, based in the United States, says it has witness reports that some were tortured before they died.

Her corpse has been cremated with the approval of her family

Chinese police spokesman

The Chinese police have confirmed the deaths of two of the women, but deny that any torture took place.

Human rights groups say more than 200 Falun Gong followers have died in custody since the group was banned in 1999.

More than 50,000 have been arrested and sent to prisons, labour camps and mental hospitals, says Falun Gong.

China has branded the group, which teaches meditation and exercise, as an "evil cult" that is trying to overthrow the Communist Party.

Confirmed deaths

A Chinese police official said one of the women who died, Chen Qiulan, had a fatal heart attack in Daqing, in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang.

She had been detained since July for posting information about Falun Gong on a website and died on 14 August.

"Coroners determined it was a heart attack," said the official. "There's no doubt.

"Her corpse has been cremated with the approval of her family."

Another Chinese spokesman said the other woman died on 20 August after falling from the window of a police office in Baicheng, in the north-east province of Jilin.

The official, who refused to be named, said the second woman, Wu Liangjie, fell after being locked up alone following her arrest for handing out pamphlets.

He said police were still investigating the incident.

But Falun Gong members in New York said the two were among five women who had been beaten to death or driven to suicide by police abuse. Chinese police refused to comment on the other cases.