German Practitioners Appeal to Rescue Jiang Renzheng: Little Benny Wants His Dad Back

Jiang Renzhen’s elder son Benny is only two years old and looks very bright. When he lived in Germany, he liked to play with his Dad. When his father played the Falun Gong music, he also practised the five sets of Falun Gong exercises. He sat and gestured when his father sat in meditation. He would also put his palms together with two eyes closed. Benny’s mother said that Benny is so healthy that he never gets sick. His mother said that it’s because he practises the Falun Gong exercises with the adults.

Benny is so lovable when he smiles with his two big eyes. Once when he was waiting with his mother at the train station, several German old ladies walked by. He was so sweet and smiled at them that they came over to give him a hug and a kiss. Little Benny, however, becomes terribly disturbed when he cries. He would bend his body and knock the ground with his head when he cries too hard. His mother feels anguished when seeing him like that. He would kick up an awful racket to go with his dad when his dad went out alone.

In March this year, Benny and his brother left Germany with their parents for his father’s hometown, Benxi City in Liaoning Province. Their bad luck followed hard at heel ever since. On April 8th, when Benny and his brother were playing at their grandparents’ house in Shenyang, seven people suddenly came to take his father away. When Benny saw his Dad taken away, he ran after them to the front door. He was frightened and cried out. Ever since, his often cries for his dad and he knocks at the ground with his head when he cries too hard. He could not say a complete word but continuously cries for his dad.

Since his dad was imprisoned, his one-year-old brother stays at his grandparents’ house in Benxi. At first, Benny stayed with his mother but their life was unstable as his mother has to move all the time to avoid being caught by the public security bureau. Benny gradually did not eat much and became much thinner. He often gets sick and gets a temperature, and his grandparents have no choice but to send him to have intravenous drips at times.

Every time when he and his mother go to see his grandparents and his little brother, Benny’s grandmother cries when she sees such a broken family. His mother once hid in a place far away as she was threatened with arrest if she refuses to write down a promise to give up practising Falun Gong. Benny then started to stay with his grandparents. It has been hard for Benny to see his mother again after that.

After Benny’s Dad had been in prison for a couple of months, his grandparents were allowed to take him and his little brother to see their Dad. On entering the visiting room, Benny was so happy and ran over to hug his father. Jiang was very touched to learn that Benny can say a complete sentence. He held Benny in one hand and his little brother in the other. He continuously played with them. Seeing Benny laughing and talking, his grandparents could not stop themselves from crying.

How could Benny understand his grandparents’ mood? Their grandparents felt terribly sorry to see their son and grandchildren. Four years ago they sent their son to Germany for further studies. Now their son has came back with two lovely grandchildren. A fine man is locked up in a labour camp for three years.
When Benny is with his grandmother, she usually tells him with tears that she misses his Dad. Benny also cries for his Dad. When his grandfather feels sorry, he takes him for a walk. As his grandfather looks forward to taking him to see Jiang, he makes enquiries about his son. He’s afraid that his son will be punished. He was told by someone who knows the inside story in the prison that those who practise Falun Gong are cruelly treated in the prison. Whoever does not write letters of penitence is to be cruelly abused with all kinds of methods. There are cases of Falun Gong practitioners who have been beaten to death in the labour camp where Jiang Renzheng is locked up.

One time Benny’s grandfather asked why the country security bureau has his son locked away, and he was told that the Chinese Government prohibits people from practising Falun Gong. “Jiang was not allowed to practise Falun Gong when he returned to China. He cannot be released if he does not give up." Jiang’s father sighed that he has no idea which rule of law his son violated. “My son is a good person. If unexpected misfortune happens to my son, I really have no desire to live any more. Where can I go to ask a third party to judge which side is right? My son is innocent!”

When Benny is able to see his father, he is so happy. When he and his little brother had to leave his Dad for his grandparents', and turned to leave, he immediately shook off his grandfather and ran to his father. He tightly pulled at his Dad’s hand and said, “Dad, let’s go home. Let’s go home.”

Reference information: The loss of freedom and the three-year sentence to be locked up in the labour camp

Jiang Renzheng and Guo Rui, a couple who once stayed in Germany, failed the application for refugee status. They were sent back to China together with their two little children on March 7th this year. One month afterwards, Jiang Renzheng was sentenced to forced labour for three years, which caused concern to the German Government and the international human rights organisations about human rights issue in China.

The reason why the German authorities rejected Jiang Renzheng and his family’s application for refugee status was: They did not believe that the family practised Falun Gong. They thought that they were safe as long as they practised Falun Gong in their homes. On the second week when Jiang Renzheng after back to China, however, the Benxi country security bureau interrogated him for ten hours. They claimed that the country security bureau knew all about him and about all Falun Gong activities he had participated in overseas. They asked him to give up Falun Gong. On April 8th, seven policemen arrived at Guo Rui’s parents' house in Shenyang to take him away. Without any legal procedure, he was sentenced to a forced labour in Benxi for three years. His wife thus left home to hide from the persecution. Two families’ parents now suffer a lot both physically and spiritually.

It concerned the International Human Rights Organisation and International Amnesty that Jiang Renzheng’s immediate sentence for three-years to a forced labour camp on arriving in China was only because of practising Falun Gong. The Bureau of the Domestic Affairs in the Bavarian States claims the arrest of Jiang is unfortunate. The relevant departments in Germany have realised the severity of the persecution on Falun Gong in China. A couple of MPs wrote letters to express their concerns about Jiang. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continuously negotiates with the Chinese authorities to immediately release Jiang Renzheng. The largest press agency in Germany also reported on Jiang’s sentence and his being forcibly brainwashed.