66 Year Old Mr. Zhang Mengye, the Chinese President's Former Classmate, Suffered Severe Abuse at Forced Labour Camp in Guangzhou City

Mr. Zhang Mengye, is a 66-year-old Falun Gong practitioner, and former assistant professor at the Guangdong Provincial Electric Power Institute. He was a fellow classmate of the current President of China, Hu Jintao, in the Department of Hydraulic Engineering of Tsinghua University, Class of 1959. Since Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong began on July 20, 1999, Zhang Mengye has been detained for 2 years and 37 days. He was "re-educated" in a forced labour camp which caused him tremendous mental and physical trauma. When Mr. Zhang was released on February 10, 2002, he was thin as a skeleton, weighing less than 77 pounds (35kg).

In the beginning of 2000, Zhang Mengye was illegally sentenced by the Public Security Bureau of Guangzhou City to 2 years of forced labour. He was detained in Guangzhou City No. 1 Forced Labour Camp.

He was forced to do slave labour for over twelve hours a day until midnight or the early morning hours.

During October and November 2000, Zhang Mengye was transferred to the "Special Brigade," Brigade 2. In addition to the hard slave labour, practitioners were also subjected to an intensive "transformation" programme carried out by collaborators--former practitioners who have gone astray due to brainwashing, torture and agents. The steadfast practitioners were not allowed to speak to each other; otherwise, they would be beaten up or their detention terms would be extended by the guards on duty. The agents tried to force Mr. Zhang to write the "Guarantee Statement," (1) but Zhang Mengye was unyielding in his belief. The labour camp authorities used all possible means to force Zhang Mengye to write the Guarantee Statement to "not practise Falun Gong in the labour camp." Zhang Mengye was betrayed and set up by the labour camp authorities. He thought that he should not cause difficulties for them, and later wrote the Guarantee Statement to not practise Falun Gong in the labour camp.

Zhang Mengye later realized what a big mistake he had made. He decided to renounce his statement as being null and void, by openly practising Falun Gong again.

On the morning of December 29, 2000, Zhang Mengye tried to do the Falun Gong exercises when he woke up. He started with the sitting meditation, sitting in the lotus position with his legs crossed one on top of the other. A guard on duty found out and tried to separate his crossed legs by force so that he could not practise the meditation. The guard reported this matter to his superior, who ordered the guard to handcuff Zhang Mengye to the metal bars of the door. During one 6:00 a.m. morning roll call, Zhang Mengye was handcuffed to a big tree in front of the gate of Brigade 2. His hands were shackled at the same height as his shoulders around the big tree. Since his arms were not long enough, the guards forced the handcuffs tight to make him "hold onto the tree." It was extremely painful as the tight handcuffs cut into his flesh and he was forced to hug the rough tree bark with its sharp growths. During the noontime roll call, Instructor Li Guoming and Assistant Brigadier He Xinjiang yelled at Zhang Mengye for "not being truthful, compassionate, and tolerant." They forced collaborator Fu Wei to read aloud Zhang Mengye's Guarantee Statement and claimed that Zhang "was not keeping his promise." Li Guoming and He Xinjiang cursed Falun Dafa and its founder. They also required other labour camp staff to show their support by carrying out the brutal torture tactics and forcing the collaborators to verbally abuse Zhang Mengye.

Zhang Mengye is over 60 years old, yet he was handcuffed for 3 consecutive days to a big tree. His handcuffs were released only when he ate. At night, he was handcuffed to a metal gate on the second floor without being allowed to sleep on a bed. During the coldest days of winter on December 29, 30, and 31, Zhang Mengye was extremely weak and drained from the brutal torture. The handcuffs were not taken off until 9 p.m. on December 31, 2001, New Year's Eve. The police pretended to call a medical staff member to show the other inmates that the authorities were concerned and considerate of Zhang Mengye's condition. He was then handcuffed again. Zhang Mengye's detention term was extended by more than a month for practising the Falun Gong exercises. He was put in a rigorous "re-education" programme with a red board on his chest to distinguish him from the labour camp staff and other Falun Gong practitioners. Mr. Zhang was not allowed to walk around freely and was always escorted by "monitoring agents." The detention terms of Zhang Mengye and the other steadfast practitioners were extended by 10 days each month. While in the labour camp, they could neither prepare nor buy their own food, and they were not allowed to see their family members who came to visit them.

In April 2001 at the "Reward and Punishment Meeting," the detention term of Zhang Mengye was extended by 2 months. They were barred from the meeting and did not receive an official notice of their terms being extended. Later, the Bureau of Labour Camp Administration of Guangdong Province issued a document stating that "Detention terms of unyielding practitioners must be extended."

In March 2001, Zhang Mengye was transferred to Brigade 7, where he started a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention of Falun Dafa practitioners.

From April and May 2001, Guangzhou No. 1 Forced Labour Camp ordered Zhang Mengye's wife, Luo Muluan, to help "transform" Zhang Mengye. She visited him day and night at the labour camp every week, but Mr. Zhang was very determined to continue practising Falun Dafa and clarified the truth to his wife. After becoming clearheaded, she is now regretful for having collaborated with the authorities.

Zhang Yudong, the director and party secretary of Guangzhou No. 1 Forced Labour Camp, came to directly "help re-educate" Zhang Mengye.

In May and June 2001, the Tianhe District Political and Legal Committee of Guangzhou City and the "610 Office" (2) proclaimed that anyone who "transformed" Zhang Mengye would be rewarded with 30,000 yuan.(3)

In October 2001, Zhang Mengye stood on the basketball court of Brigade 7 and said loudly, "Falun Dafa is good. Falun Dafa is a righteous way. Restore Teacher Li's good reputation! Restore the good reputation of Falun Dafa!" His words effectively resonated through the evil environment.

One morning in December 2001, all practitioners were called to Brigade 2 and were forced to listen to an official from the Huadu District Court explain the so-called "judicial articles" from the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Zhang Mengye was also present but was held by several monitors. He spoke out loudly to expose the persecution. Later, Mr. Zhang was taken away. At that moment, Falun Dafa practitioners' righteous minds and actions were spectacular. The police did not achieve their goal and the court officials quickly disappeared.

Officials Involved in the Persecution of Zhang Mengye

Zhang Yudong, Director and Party Secretary: 86-20-86717141, 86-13926296088 (mobile), 86-20-83847294 (Home)

Chen Yaoguang, Political Committee Member, Deputy Party Secretary: 86-20-86717143, 86-13802903025 (mobile), 86-20-83847294(Home)

Note:

(1) "Guarantee Statement": A statement to declare that one is remorseful for practising Falun Gong and guarantees not to practise Falun Gong again, not to go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and never again associate with any Falun Dafa practitioners.

(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.

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

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/1/3/92749.html