Heilongjiang Province TV Station Employee Zhao Xidong Persecuted for Persisting in His Belief in Falun Dafa

Zhao Xidong, male, was born in Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province on August 27th, 1962. He has a bachelor's degree and worked at the Russian Translation Centre in Heilongjiang Provinces' TV Station.

In 1980, when Mr. Zhao was only eighteen years of age, he was accepted as an undergraduate student majoring in Russian at the People's Liberation Army Nanjing Foreign Language College. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1984, he was assigned to work in the 3rd Section of the Detective and Investigations Bureau, Shenyang Military Area.

He was accepted at the Russian Translation Centre of Heilongjiang Provinces' TV Station in 1993. He was the top talent there, with unique and valuable skills. Because Heilongjiang Provinces' TV Station desperately needed someone with this talent, Shenyang Military Area was forced to transfer Zhao Xidong there. At the Russian Translation Centre of the Heilongjiang Province TV Station, he put his talents into action. He was an editor, reporter, anchor, etc. He was able to photograph, interview, edit, and do voice dubbing.

In 1995, Zhao Xidong collaborated on a documentary film called Solemn and Stirring Path, which won the highest award in its category in Northeast China.

In 1999, he independently produced a documentary called Jia Wu Holy Land ¡V Liugong Island. [Jia Wu refers to "Jia wu" (year 1894); Liugong Island was a significant locale during the Sino-Japanese war in 1894] This film entered the "Touring Qilu [refers to Shandong Province] Land, Visiting Mountains, Lakes, and Sages" interview contest, which had eighteen TV stations competing against each other. His film placed third.

In 1998, Zhao Xidong's upstanding character led him to choose to practise Falun Dafa.

Spurred by a jealous rage, Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese dictator prior to Hu Jintao, began a merciless nationwide persecution against Falun Gong practitioners on July 20th, 1999. The Heilongjiang Province TV Station put Zhao Xidong and his wife (who also worked at the TV station) under house arrest. They were detained at the broadcasting station of the Provincial Administration of Radio and Television for months. In the same year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials at Zhao Xidong's company ordered him to withdraw from the Party.

In January 2000, Zhao Xidong received the following punishment from his employer: he was laid off from his government job, kept under surveillance for a year, lost three levels of salary, and had to work as a janitor in a branch station of the State Administration of Radio and Television.

In November 2000, Zhao Xidong went to Beijing to appeal and request the government to give back practitioners' freedom to practise Falun Gong. The Nangang District Police Department in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province detained him. Wang Songjiang (a policeman from the Wenhua Police Station, Nangang District) and Li Wei (Party Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee from the Heilongjiang Province TV Station ) took him to a detention centre. Han Xiuwen and others from the Political and Security Section of Nangang District Police Department conducted an illegal trial of Mr. Zhao Xidong's case.

In January 2001, Heilongjiang Province TV Station followed the Chinese Communist Party's instructions to the letter. They trampled laws and used their power at will. Zhao Xidong was kept in a detention centre and the TV station discharged him for absenteeism. Officials at the TV station even refused to sign a release form after a 15-day detention. As a result, Zhao Xidong was detained for nearly six months.

On September 23rd, 2005, under 610 Office¹ head Luo Gan's direct instructions, many cultivators in Harbin were suddenly arrested. Because of the vicious torture interrogations, the police obtained information about Mr. Zhao Xidong. On the night of November 4th, 2005, around 8 p.m., instructor Luan and three other policemen (from the Haping Road Police Station, Dongli District Police Department in Harbin City), Chen Qi and officer An (from Wenhua Road Police Station) broke into Zhao Xidong's home and arrested him. They also ransacked his place, taking his computer, camcorder, blank video tapes and other items.

The police even harassed his teenage daughter. They went to Zhao Xidong's daughter's school and harassed his daughter and her teacher.

Zhao Xidong's wife brought the "withheld item list" issued by the police to the station to ask for the items back. The team leader of the National Security Team, Yang Shouyi, told her that they had decided to keep those items, and he refused to issue a withholding document.

On November 4th, 2005, Zhao Xidong's family requested to visit him. Their request was denied without cause. Zhao Xidong's wife was unable to find out if her husband had been detained at the Dongli District Police Department Detention Centre.

On December 12th, 2005, the Dongli District Police Department sentenced Mr. Zhao Xidong to a labour camp for eighteen months. But the bureau didn't send him away, nor did they notify the family.

On July 19th, 2006, Dongli District Police Department made a request to the procuratorate for the arrest of Zhao Xidong. Mr. Zhao refused to sign. The so-called case materials were transferred to the Prosecution Section of the procuratorate.

On the afternoon of September 21st, 2006, at 1:30 p. m., Dongli District Court began the trail of Zhao Xidong. His family and lawyer were not notified ahead of time.

The Dongli District Court originally decided to try him on September 27th. However, because the lawyer wasn't able to defend him, and Zhao Xidong's family strongly requested the lawyer's presence for Zhao Xidong's defence, the judge said that he had to get a permit from a higher authority before proceeding. The trial date remains undecided...

Responsible parties:

Heilongjiang Province TV Station, Communist Party secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee: Li Wei

Nangang District Police Department, Harbin City, Political Security Section: Han Xiuwen

Wenhua Police Station, Nangang District Police Department, Harbin City policeman: Wang Songjiang

Dongli District Police Department, Harbin City, director: Zuo Weidong

Haping Road Police Station, Harbin City, political head: Luan

Haping Road Police Station, Harbin City, police officers: Chen Qi and An

National Security Team of Dongli District Police Department, Harbin City, team leader: Yang Shouyi

Detention Centre, Dongli District Police Department, Harbin City

Dongli District Procuratorate in Harbin City, Prosecution Section Chief: Gu, 0451-82917013.

Dongli District Court in Harbin City

Note

1. "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.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/10/3/139242.html