Mr. Zheng Guolin, 74, Passes Away after Being Imprisoned for 3 1/2 Years

After three and a half years of incarceration, 74-year-old Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zheng Guolin was released on January 6th, 2014. He was extremely weak and thin as a result of being tortured in prison. His health deteriorated sharply at the end of October. His family took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with heart and lung failure. He passed away on November 2nd, 2014.

Tortured until He Coughed up Blood

Mr. Zheng was arrested by officers from the Daowai Police Station in Harbin City for distributing Shen Yun [a New York-based world-class traditional Chinese cultural show] DVDs with two other practitioners on July 7th, 2010. The Daowai Court sentenced him to three and a half years in prison.

He was first taken the Daowai Detention Centre, then transferred to Hulan Prison and detained for five months.

Mr. Zheng was transferred to Mudanjiang Prison on December 8th, 2010. It was very cold in December, but the guards took off all his clothes, tore them up, and had him stand motionless in the hallway for a long time.

He then ran a fever and was unable to eat anything. The guards tortured him for 12 days despite his age and his obviously fragile condition. Afterward, he was sent to the Elderly Ward and forced to do manual labour, including making mobile phone boxes. Mr. Zheng became extremely weak and began to cough up blood. The guards were afraid of being held responsible and sent him back to Hulan Prison.

On the CCP’s “Black List” for Speaking the Truth

Mr. Zheng, a former barber, used to suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, an inflamed gall bladder, and lung disease. He began practising Falun Gong in 1996, after which all his ailments disappeared, and he became healthy.

After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, Mr. Zheng went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. He wanted to share his personal experience to let people know Falun Gong is good. The police arrested him and sent him back to Harbin City.

When Mr. Zheng attended a fair in 2000, he saw posters that slandered Falun Gong and to leave. Before he could leave, however, the organisers demanded that all the attendees answer a question: “Socialism or Falun Gong, which is better?” Mr. Zheng chose Falun Gong. The officers recorded this information and passed it along to the Acheng 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong). Agents from the 610 Office subsequently arrested him and took him to the Shengli Police Station.

After the 610 Office put Mr. Zheng’s name on their black list, the police often went to his home and harassed him.

That year before the Chinese New Year, the police called Mr. Zheng and insisted he come to go to the police station. When he came in, they asked him if he still practised Falun Gong. When he said that he did, the police arrested him and took him to the Acheng First Detention Centre where he was detained for 32 days.

In the detention centre, the guards asked Mr. Zheng every day if he had agreed to stop practising Falun Gong. They told him that, if he signed a statement promising not to practice anymore, he would be released. Mr. Zheng refused to sign it and remained steadfast in his belief.

As a result, the guards severely tortured him, attempting to force him to give up his belief. The torture was so brutal that Mr. Zheng passed out. His blood pressure rose and he was taken to the hospital.

Mr. Zheng was arrested by two officers from the Heping Police Station when he was telling people the facts about Falun Gong in late April 2004. He was taken to the No. 2 Detention Centre.

The next day, the head of the police station, surnamed Sun, told Mr. Zheng’s family to hand over 3,000 yuan¹ for Mr. Zhang's "exam" in the Harbin Police Hospital. His daughter gave Sun 2,900 yuan.

On the day of the examination, Sun thought the line at the hospital was too long, so he took Mr. Zheng back to the station. He never returned the money to Mr. Zheng’s family or arranged for another exam.

Mr. Zheng appeared to have lung problems nine days later. He was released shortly afterward due to his health.

Summary of Key Persecution Facts:
Name: Zheng Guolin (郑国林)
Gender: Male
Age: 74
Address: Acheng District, Harbin City
Occupation: Barber
Date of Death: November 2nd, 2014
Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 7th, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Hulan Prison (呼兰监狱)
City: Harbin
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Forced labour, beatings, imprisonment, extortion, detention

Note

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