In Liaoning Province Mr. Cao Guangfu's Family of Three Persecuted--Son Unjustly Sentenced to 10 Years In Prison

Mr. Cao Guangfu, 57, is from Xinmin City, Liaoning Province. Mr. Guangfu's family of three has been cruelly persecuted for many years for practising Falun Dafa. His son, Cao Yang, was initially sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, and the sentence was later changed to ten years. Currently he is in Huazi Prison, and is forced to do hard labour for more than ten hours every day.

Mr. Cao Guangfu originally worked for Xinmin Hospital along with his wife, Ms. Zhao Min. On September 25th, 1999, Ms. Zhaowent to Beijing to appeal for Dafa, and was arrested. Four days later, the Xinmin Public Security Bureau and Health Department agents arrested her and took her to the Fifth Detention Centre in Shenyang City, where she was held for 15 days. She was then taken back to Xinmin Hospital for a week, where agents attempted to force her to write a guarantee statement promising not to go to Beijing and not to practise Falun Gong any longer. She refused to cooperate, and they threatened to send her to Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. Later, the authorities extorted 500 yuan¹ from her in exchange for her release. Ms. Zhao Min again went to Beijing to appeal and was arrested and taken back to Xinmin Detention Centre.

On October 28th, 1999, Mr. Cao Guangfu and his son went to Beijing to appeal. On October 29th, they were arrested in front of the Appeals Office by the police. They were later detained in the "14 House" in Beijing. They were then handcuffed to a heater pipe for four days and nights and released only to eat and use the toilet. Shenyang Public Safety Bureau agents monitored them closely to prohibit any conversation. They were later taken to Xinmin Detention Centre.

After leaving Xinmin Detention Centre, all three of the Caos were then locked in a ward in Xinmin Hospital. There were no beds or quilts, only a straw mat on the concrete floor and a toilet in the room. They were there for seven days, and were not allowed to go home until they paid 5000 yuan.

On May 2nd, 2001, a fellow practitioner from Shenyang City who could not bear the intense pressure revealed the place where leaflets exposing the persecution were produced and stored. Police from the Tiexi-Qinggong area came in two vans, storming Cao Guangfu's residence and not only arresting the entire family, but also taking away a computer, a printer, three big copiers, and two small copiers. The pillagers included police captain Chen, policemen Wu and Fan, Tiexi Substation police, and Liu Qing, Liu Bo, and policeman Xing from the National State Security. They brutally tortured Mr. Cao's whole family to the brink of death. Mr. Cao Guangfu and his son, Cao Yang, were badly beaten while they were suspended. The authorities hit them with electric batons and other types of torture devices. The evildoers yelled, "If you die, we'll say you committed suicide."

Afterwards, both Mr. Cao Guangfu and his son were taken to Tiexi District Prison in Shenyang City. After spending two months in the detention centre, Ms. Zhao Min was sent to Longshan Forced Labour Camp for two years. In the labour camp they tried to force her "transform²". Upon her refusal to transform, she was forced to squat on her heels and was deprived of sleep. She was brutally beaten for not complying. Her feet and legs became so swollen that she could not get a wink of sleep for eight days and nights. Under these extreme conditions of constant coercion and threats, she was, against her will, "transformed." On September 23rd, she was released after labouring long hours, until midnight every day, making poisonous candles.

Mr. Cao Guangfu was sentenced to Zhangshi Forced Labour Camp for 18 months. After only two months, the persecution was unbearable for Mr. Cao Guangfu. Skimpy meals were allotted every day, trips to the toilet were not allowed, talking was not permitted, and detainees were forced to sit next to each other without moving. July was very hot, but he was not given any water. Within two months, Mr. Cao was near death. On May 3rd, 2002, he was released.

Mr. Cao Yang, 30 years old and a college graduate, was detained in Tiexi District Detention Centre for over a year. In July 2002, he was sentenced to a seven-year term and was detained in Huazi Prison in Dengta County, Liaoyang City. During that time, he was transferred to Dabei Prison for over two months. Because prison officials discovered that Cao Yang had brought Teacher Li's [Teacher Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa] lectures for fellow practitioners to read in the prison, he was confined for over three months to a one-square-metre room, handcuffed, and shackled. He was also given three additional years in jail.

Those responsible for persecuting the Cao family:

Xinmin Hospital: Zheng Fengcai, Duan Chenggang.

Qingong Detention Centre: captain Chen, policemen Wu and Fan.

Public State Security agents: Liu Bo, Liu Qing.

Shenxin Labour Camp: Shi Fengyou, Guan Feng.

Note

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

2. "Reform or Transform" Implementation of brainwashing and torture in order to force a practitioner to renounce Falun Gong. (Variations: "reform", "transform", "reformed", "reforming", "transformed", "transforming", and "transformation")

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/11/15/142497.html