Devastated Father Dies the Day after His Son Is Again Arrested

Having spent six years in prison for refusing to give up his belief in Falun Gong, a 51-year-old electrician was arrested again less than four years after his release. His father was so devastated that he passed away the very next day. The electrician's wife filed for divorce, leaving their school-age son in tears every day.

Mr. Cheng Yongyue (程永跃), who used to work at the Shanxi Steel Company, credits the practice of Falun Gong for curing his chronic ailments and teaching him to be a better person. After that, he often told people about Falun Gong to help bring the persecution to an end.

But that got him noticed by the authorities. In November 2004, he was followed, arrested, and taken to Jiancaoping Detention Centre. He was tortured so severely that the police had to take him to the hospital.

After being sentenced to six years in prison, he was transferred to Jinzhong Prison, where he was brutally beaten. It took more than a month for his swollen face to recover. For a long period of time, the police used handcuffs and shackles to restrain him on a metal bed.

When he was released, the Shanxi Steele Company fired him, and Mr. Cheng did odd jobs to support his family.

Four years later Mr. Cheng was arrested again, on September 18th, 2014, after he clarified the facts about Falun Gong to a police officer.

Right after his arrest was approved on September 26th, Mr. Cheng started a hunger strike to protest the persecution. He was transferred to the First Detention Centre in Taiyuan City on October 28th, when he was in critical condition after being on a hunger strike for more than 30 days.

Mr. Cheng's case was accepted by the Jiancaoping District Court in late December.

Parties responsible for persecuting him:

Shen Baoping (沈保平), male, 43, Beizhan Police Station officer who reported Cheng Yongyue to the police: +86-351-13383435652
Dou Chunjian (窦春健), prosecutor, the Jiancaoping District Procuratorate: +86--13623515506