A Poor Villager Regains His Health Practising Falun Gong, then is Tortured to Death at the Weiyuan County Detention Centre

Mr. Zhang Congming, 57 years old, was a kind villager in the No.7 group in Xiaowan of Gaoshi town, Weiyuan County, Sichuan province. He was repeatedly detained and beaten because he refused to give up his practice of Falun Gong when coerced by the town government. He was beaten by someone in the Weiyuan detention centre until he was disabled. After he became physically incapacitated, he sent home, where he died on August 11, 2003. This event caused a lot of indignation in the local area. The unlawful persons in the Gaoshi town government gave his family 300 yuan as a bribe for their silence.

Zhang's family consists of 6 poor people who live in a village. Before practising Falun Gong, Zhang suffered from incurable diseases such as a cerebral hemorrhage and enlarged kidneys. He went to Neijiang City hospital for treatment but could not be cured. He did not have any money to pay for treatments, and thus he became more ill as he aged. He lost the ability to work and felt pained in his heart.

In 1997, Zhang Congming was lucky to obtain the precious Falun Gong cultivation book. From then on, he studied the Fa and cultivated diligently. Within three months, he regained full health. His incurable diseases disappeared without the use of any medication. His physical body underwent dramatic changes. He looked younger and could do heavy work such as carrying 100-pound items without feeling tired. When such miraculous things happened to him the local citizens were greatly impressed by Falun Gong's great healing effects.

In the year 2000, Zhang Congming wanted to tell more people about the benefits he had received, the great benefits he experienced through the practice, and to say some fair words for Falun Dafa. Therefore, he decided to go to Beijing to validate Dafa's greatness to the government. On the way to Beijing, he was intercepted by the town government people and severely beaten, especially by Liao Yongli, Deputy Director of the Gaoshi town Communist Party committee. Liao kicked Zhang, beat him with a belt, and cursed Zhang while he was beating him, until Liao became too tired to continue. Zhang was then sent to Weiyuan Detention Center and illegally detained for 15 days. He was released after suffering many types of torture. When Zhang died, his body still bore the scars from the Deputy Director's kicking and beating with the belt.

One day in 2001, right after Zhang Congming returned from buying 100 plus pounds of sugar cane, the Gaoshi town people who persecuted Falun Gong went to his home. Kind Zhang Congming shared his sugar cane with each of them. After eating his sugar cane, those people asked Zhang Congming whether he was still practicing Falun Gong. Zhang replied, "Yes." Just because of his reply, he was grabbed and illegally held in a detention center for 15 days.

One day in February 2002 (Lunar Calendar), while Zhang Congming was busy taking care of his farm, the staff from the town government arrested him, took him to the Weiyuan County Detention Center and detained him for nearly four months. In the Jail, Zhang endured severe torture. The guards tried to force him to give up Falun Gong but he would not. The jail guards incited other inmates to cruelly torture him. Zhang Congming's health rapidly deteriorated. The detention center, not wanting to accept responsibility for his condition, transferred him to another detention center. The jail guards there also incited criminals to brutally beat Zhang until finally, he became disabled. The persecutors feared being held responsible for his condition and so in June 2002 asked Zhang's family (Lunar Calendar) to take Zhang home. When the family first saw him, they were shocked at his emaciated condition and the number of wounds and cuts that covered his body. His family wanted to protest the jail guards' inhuman deeds, but they worried the guards would treat Zhang more viciously and might even kill him if they protested. The family finally had to take Zhang home without registering a complaint, hoping that he would live a little longer at home.

When Zhang Congming left the detention center, he could not move or walk normally. He only had the strength to move a short distance. His upper body was in such pain that he could not straighten up. He had constant pain in his abdomen, he had stabbing pains in his legs, there was blood in his urine and feces, and he coughed up and vomited blood. He had sustained severe internal injures from the jail guards and criminal inmates beating him. Zhang's family was very poor and could not afford to pay for a doctor. Zhang had to suffer the pain without any medical treatment. His health continued to deteriorate and on August 11, 2003, he passed away in complete agony.

Zhang's family and relatives are extremely distraught and angry about Zhang's death. They went to the Gaoshi town government seeking justice and said that if the government refused to solve the problem, they would bring Zhang's body to the government office. Out of fear of future reprisals, the Gaoshi town government sent Lao Yongli, CCP Secretary, to the village to conduct a show investigation on whether Zhang was disabled when he was sent back home and what caused his death. The village officials and villagers all said, "A healthy person was taken away by you and tortured to death." Secretary Liao asked the Gaoshi town government to give 300 yuan [500 yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China.] to Zhang's family for burial expenses. He also said that the amount was not negotiable.

A staff member of the Gaoshi town government (86-832-8122001) recorded the facts that Zhang Congming was a farmer from Xiaowan brigade at Gaoshi Town, Weiyuan County, that Zhang was detained many times for practicing Falun Gong, and that Zhang's health gradually deteriorated until he finally died.

The amazingly detailed records kept by the Gaoshi Town government about a farmer's death in its administrative area clearly verified what the source said -- the Gaoshi town government was directly involved in torturing Zhang Congming to death.

An honest farmer who believed in Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance was brutally murdered by officials who followed Jiang's regime. Instead of being prosecuted, the persecutors did not acknowledge their guilt in Zhang's death. This happened during the time Jiang Zemin (former leader of China) claimed was "The best period of Human Rights in China!" We call for all kind people to make note of this case, support righteousness, and punish the murderers.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/12/17/62700.html