Sentenced to Six Years in Prison, Mr. Zhang Deming Repeatedly Persecuted

Name: Zhang Deming
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Address: Xiaoying Village, Baigou Town, Gaobeidian City, Hebei Province
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 10th, 2008
Most Recent Place of Detention: Jidong Prison
City: Nanbao
Province: Hebei

Since 1999, Mr. Zhang Deming has been arrested, detained, and sent to brainwashing centres several times. On February 13th, 2009, the Baobeidian City Court sentenced him to a six-year prison term, and on July 15th, 2009, he was sent to Jidong Prison.

Arrested, Extorted and Home Searched Several Times

On July 21st, 1999, Meng Fanliang, chief of the Gaoqiao Police Station in Baigou Town, stopped Mr. Zhang at the Dingxing Highway Exit. He was detained at the police station for 43 days. Since then, on every so-called "sensitive day," Meng Fanliang went to Mr. Zhang's home at all hours with other officers to harass him and his family. They sometimes banged on the door in the middle of the night until it was opened, disturbing the neighbours.

On the eve of October 1st, 2000, Mr. Zhang was taken to the Gaoqiao Police Station under Meng's order. He was detained several days with a dozen other Falun Gong practitioners.

On November 28th, 2000, Meng searched Mr. Zhang's home with officers Xiao Xuzi and Gu Yongtao. Since Mr. Zhang was not home, the officers took Mr. Zhang's son Zhang Wenqing, and daughter Zhang Wenjuan to the Public Security Department Baigou Branch. Zhang Jingying, director of the Baigou Branch, threatened Mr. Zhang's daughter that if she did not tell them what they wanted to know, they would strip her and throw her into the men's cells. The officers later extorted 3,000 yuan¹ from Mr. Zhang's family.

When the officers searched Mr. Zhang's home, they confiscated a TV set, a DVD player, several Falun Gong books and other related Falun Gong informational materials.

At noon on November 29th, 2000, Wang Zhiyong, deputy chief of the Gaoqiao Police Station, along with other officers, tricked Mr. Zhang into going to the Public Security Department Baigou Branch. After Mr. Zhang had been detained in the Baigou City Detention Centre for over a month, Meng Fanliang sent officer Gu Yongtao to Mr. Zhang's home. They forced Mr. Zhang's daughter to sign the post-dated arrest warrant. They threatened that if she refused to sign the warrant, the family would not be permitted to see Mr. Zhang.

At approximately 2:00 p.m. on November 30th, 2000, Mr. Zhang and five or six other practitioners were taken in a police car to the Gaoqiao Police Station. Several other Falun Gong practitioners were already detained there. One by one, Meng Fanliang tried to force the practitioners to slander Falun Gong. He then took Mr. Zhang and the group of practitioners to the Bachang Brainwashing Centre in Baobeidian City.

Brutally Beaten in the Brainwashing Centre

At 4:00 p.m. on November 30th, 2000, Mr. Zhang was taken to the interrogation room where various torture devices hung on the wall. Two police officers, each holding a police baton, were waiting in the room. They were officer Shi Jiapei from the 610 Office² and Li Jianguo, deputy chief of the Fangguan Police Station. Shi slapped Mr. Zhang several times. Blood instantly came out of the corner of Mr. Zhang's mouth. The two officers then struck Mr. Zhang with the police batons about 40 times. Mr. Zhang almost passed out from the beating.

Another practitioner later carried Mr. Zhang to his cell, as he could not move on his own. His shoulders, back, thighs, legs, and hips were bruised, swollen, and black and blue. In the ensuing week, Mr. Zhang was delirious and could not remember anything. His brain was not functional and he was incontinent. About 25 days later when he was in the detention centre, he urinated on his own.

On December 1st, 2000, the day after Mr. Zhang was brutally beaten, officers Zhao Kejun, Shi Jiapei and several others forced the practitioners to run, regardless of their age. If they could not keep up, they were beaten or kicked by the officers.

Mr. Zhang could not run so the officers forced him to move by holding onto the poplar trees. Every day he was forced to run and participate in the drill, and his winter clothes became drenched with sweat. Each meal consisted of one 25-gram bun, and he had to pay 20 yuan for his meals every day. Practitioners were lined up during every meal or toilet break, and were not allowed to talk to each other. They were sometimes forced to finish their meals within five minutes.

On December 20th, 2000, when officers at the Bachang Brainwashing Centre realized that Mr. Zhang still firmly believed in Falun Gong, they sent him and another practitioner to the detention centre, where they were held for eight months.

On August 20th, 2001, Li Haidong, an instructor at the detention centre, took Mr. Zhang to Jizhong Prison in Mancheng County due to his refusal to give up his belief. At 1:00 p.m., two prison guards from Jizhong Prison put Mr. Zhang into a car. They handcuffed his hands under the seat and drove him to the Second Section, Fourth Division of Jidong Prison, where he was subjected to brainwashing.

On January 20th, 2004, the day Mr. Zhang was released, the prison authorities ordered the local government and the public security branch to pick him up. He was charged 800 yuan for the taxi fare.

Forced to Leave Home, Family Placed Under Surveillance

On June 7th, 2006, Mr. Zhang was harassed by Wang Shiyong and other officers from the Gaoqiao Police Station. They confiscated 175 copies of Zhuan Falun, the Falun Gong book, over 600 materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong, one van, one motorized tricycle, one tricycle, a new bicycle, one laptop computer and close to 10,000 yuan in cash.

Mr. Zhang later managed to escape. Wang threatened that if they caught him, they would break his legs. Mr. Zhang has been homeless since June 7th, 2006. The mobile phones belonging to Mr. Zhang and his family, telephones of their relatives and friends, and several real estate properties belonging to Mr. Zhang were all placed under police surveillance.

Three officers from the Gaoqiao Police Station went to Mr. Zhang's home at 3:00 a.m. on August 5th, 2007. They pried the door open and entered the courtyard. They tried to take some of his personal items, but left when they saw Mr. Zhang's wife.

On July 30th, 2007, Wang Shiyong, chief of the Gaoqiao Police Station again went to Mr. Zhang's home to harass him and do a search. Wang confiscated Mr. Zhang's printer, satellite antenna and receiver.

Sentenced to Six Years

On March 10th, 2008, the police arrested Mr. Zhang in his home, and confiscated a large amount of his personal property, including one motorized tricycle, one bicycle, 600 yuan in cash, a computer, a DVD recorder, a flash memory card, MP3 player, a mobile phone, wireless Internet card, and a TV set. The police also extorted 3,600 yuan from the landlord.

On July 3rd, 2008, the Baobeidian City Court heard Mr. Zhang's case. On February 13th, 2009, the Court sentenced Mr. Zhang to a six-year prison term. Mr. Zhang appealed. His family hired legal counsels who submitted a written appeal to the Court on March 3rd, 2009.

On March 18th, 2009, Mr. Li Heping and Mr. Wang Yajun, two attorneys hired by Mr. Zhang's family, defended Mr. Zhang's innocence. However, on June 10th, 2009, the Baoding Intermediate Court disregarded the attorneys' appeal. The Baoding Intermediate Court upheld the lower court without trial by ignoring the unreasonable sentence, which was handed down without any eyewitnesses or physical evidence. The defendant was deprived of sleep and food for over 56 hours. Mr. Zhang's seven records were made under a dazed condition and were not consistent with one other. When the attorneys told the court that the sentence was unreasonable, the court personnel replied, "We are unreasonable to begin with!"

Mr. Zhang was sent to the First Division of Jidong Prison on July 15th, 2009. It was said that the police tried to send Mr. Zhang on July 1st, but because Mr. Zhang's head was injured, the prison refused to accept him, and Mr. Zhang was taken back and given intravenous infusions. On July 15th, he was sent to the prison wearing a helmet.

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

2. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2009/8/21/206894.html