Fengrun District Court in Tangshan City secretly tried Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Zhang Mingfeng and Ms. Zhang Guizhi and sentenced them to three years and four years in prison, respectively.
Ms. Zhang Mingfeng
Ms. Zhang Mingfeng is a 60-year-old resident of Shawuzhuang, Laozhuangzi Township, the Fengrun District, Tangshan. All her diseases, including serious arthritis and neurasthenia, were cured after she started practising Falun Gong in 1998.
Ms. Zhang Mingfeng and Ms. Zhang Guizhi were distributing Falun Gong materials in Xiazhengzhuan on April 4th, 2012, when local police picked them up and took them to Fengdengwu Police Station. They were later imprisoned in Fengrun Detention Centre for 15 days and then transferred to Tangshan City First Detention Centre. Without notifying Ms. Zhang Mingfeng's family or allowing her to find an attorney, Fengrun District Court tried her secretly and sentenced her to three years in prison on August 20th. The court also deprived her of her legal right to defend herself. The court-appointed attorney, Gao Lina, worked with the court and misled her to “confess.”
Ms. Zhang Guizhi
Ms. Zhang Guizhi, 68, is a retired teacher from Wangzhuang Village, Laozhuangzi Township, the Fengrun District. Her heart disease was cured after she started practising Falun Gong in 1998. She enjoyed improved health and a better mental outlook by cultivating Falun Gong.
On May 25th, 2001, the Chinese Communist Party in her village tried to force all practitioners in her village to give up cultivation. Ms. Zhang Guizhi refused and was taken to Laozhuangzi Police Station. She was later transferred to Fengrun Detention Centre, where she was hung up, beaten, force-fed, and shocked with electric batons. Two of her teeth were knocked out while she was being force-fed. While she was being tortured by being hung up and beaten, she was denied access to the toilet and soiled her trousers. The director of the local Culture and Education Bureau brought Ms. Zhang's family members to the detention center and strongly encouraged them to force her to give up her cultivation. When she refused, the director ordered officers to beat her. One officer grabbed Ms. Zhang's hair and threw her out. After her family members left, an officer struck her ankle with a baton. After three days of continuous torture, Ms. Zhang become totally incontinent and her entire body was covered with injuries from the beatings.
Ms. Zhang Guizhi was sentenced to three years of forced labour and taken to Kaiping Forced Labour Camp in the autumn of 2001. As a result of being tortured she was unable to walk, and the camp authorities finally released her on medical parole. She was in such poor condition when she was released that she was entirely dependent on her family for her care. After resuming doing the Falun Gong exercises and studying the Falun Gong teachings, she gradually recovered.
A plainclothes police officer arrested Ms. Zhang Guizhi and took her to Fengdengwu Police Station on April 4th, 2012. She was transferred to Fengrun Detention Centre.
Without notifying her family or allowing her to find an attorney, Fengrun District Court tried her in secret and sentenced her to four years in prison on August 20th. The court attempted to appoint an attorney for her, but she refused and insisted on defending herself. During the trial she said that every citizen should have freedom of belief and that by conducting herself according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, she was a good citizen. Her defence statement was cut off, and the trial was hurriedly ended.
Persecutors involved:
Song Dianchun, head of Fengrun Detention Centre: +86-315-2534781, +86-13832985269, +86-315-5163060 (Home)
Zheng Ruixue, head of the Fengrun District 610 Office: +86-315-3081055, +86-13623333068
Chang Rongshuo, head of Fengdengwu Police Station: +86-315-2534718, +86-13832982279
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