Husband Sentenced to Five Years in Prison, Wife Destitute and Homeless

My name is Yu Zaihua. I am 39 years old and I live in Dongrulai Village, Mengyin Town, Mengyin County, Shandong Province. Because I became pregnant right after I got married to my husband, Sun Peijin, my in-laws suspected me of adultery and forced me to have an abortion. From then on I harboured hatred toward my in-laws.

I suffered from headaches from a very young age. After I eventually gave birth to my daughter, I developed lower back pain and eye disease. My daughter was sickly from birth. My husband, Peijin, also often took a lot of medicine. We lived a poor and stress-filled life, which made me lose hope. I also almost completely lost my sense of right and wrong. Just as I was contemplating murdering my in-laws, I was fortunate to be introduced to Falun Gong. I now understand the principles involved in being a human being. Now I always follow "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" and have changed my bad temper. After we started practising Falun Gong, our illnesses disappeared. My family was filled with joy.

I used to often curse my mother-in-law and beat my husband. If somebody offended me I would fight fiercely with them. All my neighbours were afraid of me. But Dafa changed me. Because of the way Dafa changed me and other practitioners, Falun Dafa spread rapidly and widely in Dongrulai Village.

However, on July 20th, 1999, Jiang Zemin's regime started persecuting Falun Gong. Because I refused to renounce my belief, I was detained in a brainwashing centre. I was also held in a detention centre and a forced labour camp and even sentenced. I am presently destitute and homeless. My husband was detained several times and was sentenced to five years in prison. He is still incarcerated in Weifang Prison.

Being Detained; Home Searched and Ransacked for Appealing for Dafa in Beijing

On December 10th, 1999, our fellow villagers and Falun Gong practitioners Wang Fucheng and Sun Peihong went with me to Beijing to appeal for Dafa. Plainclothes agents deceived us, making us believe they were practitioners. We rode in their car. Later, Linyi City police took away my identification card and detained us at the Linyi City Liaison Office in Beijing. Then they sent us back to Mengyin. We were detained at the No. 2 Police Division in Mengyin County. Police chief Wang Zhijian confiscated my 540 yuan¹. Two days later I was transferred to the Mengyin Detention Centre and stayed there for a month. After I returned home, I was required to report weekly to the No. 2 Police Division. They did this to prevent us from going to Beijing again to appeal for justice.

While I was detained, Politics and Law Committee secretary Gong Peibao in Mengyin Town and Zhang Zhijian, the chief at the No. 2 Police Division, came to search and ransack my home. They confiscated our freezer and colour television and all the valuables from our shop. Later on Gong Peibao even mentioned in the brainwashing centre, "We did not even leave half a bag of laundry detergent when we searched Yu Zaihua's home."

Both My Husband and I Were Tortured in the Brainwashing Centre

On February 22nd, 2000, the Mengyin Town officials notified 24 practitioners who either went to Beijing to appeal for Dafa or were registered with the town's Party committee to come to the town hall for a meeting. On arrival we found that the so-called meeting was actually held to attempt to force practitioners to curse Dafa and to write the so-called "Statement of Repentance²." Mengyin County Politics and Law Committee secretary Li Zhiye and Propaganda Bureau head Lei Yancheng publicly slandered Dafa during the meeting.

They ordered the practitioners to go there at 8:00 a.m. and sent everyone home at noon. This lasted for two months. It was the spring planting season. My husband and I were in the brainwashing centre, so we missed the spring planting of crops.

When they saw that they could not "reform³" us, they started torturing us in the township government office. They made us write materials "exposing" Falun Gong and compelled practitioners to specifically tell whether they would continue to practise or whether they would go to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. I wrote, "Before I practised Falun Gong, I suffered from headaches. I had a bad temper, and my family suffered. After I learned Dafa I got rid of the bad temper. My illnesses also disappeared. I do not understand why the government does not want us to learn this great practice. We are being forced to listen to daily lies and slanders regarding Dafa. We are prevented from doing our own farm chores." After Lei Yancheng read my statement he said, "Lock her in the garage for two days. Do not let her out until she understands." Jiang Huaizhong, an official in the Propaganda Bureau, berated me and made me sit on the concrete floor.

Practitioners kept talking to the people working in the brainwashing centre about how they benefited mentally and physically from practising. The personnel there knew Dafa is good. They said that they had to do their jobs. Later on many of those personnel chose to work in the village rather than on "reforming" practitioners. They said, "Quit 'reforming' them. Let's practise as well if we get a chance."

On April 20th, 2000, the township government officials detained those practitioners who refused to renounce their beliefs in a shed and started to isolate people. They did not let practitioners go home. In the afternoon on April 21st, I asked to go home for my father-in-law's birthday. Gong Peibao said, "You Falun Gong practitioners do not want your parents, do not want your sons and daughters. If you do not write the repentance statement you are not allowed to go home."

All practitioners, including my husband and I, endured brutal torture in that shed. They also made us sit under the burning sun for long periods of time. They made us sit on the concrete floor and pulled on our toes. They made us bend over at a 90-degree angle, with our hands touching the floor. They made us stand for a long time and beat us ruthlessly.

In early May 2000, Mengyin Town Party secretary Wang Shixin used hypocrisy to "reform" practitioners. I explained the facts about Falun Gong to him. In the afternoon, thug Wang Xin called practitioner Liu Zhaolian to the office and slapped her and verbally abused her, saying, "Show off! Who do you think you are to talk to the Party secretary like that? The secretary said we did not do our jobs well." Later on, Wang Xin realised he had beaten the wrong person and wanted to call me over to beat me. I stopped him.

Once Wang Xin held a wooden stick and yelled at the practitioners to get in the room. He brutally beat Sun Peijin, Sun Peihong, Liu Zhaolian, Zhang Aijun, and me five to six times each. All of us had bruises. Wang Xin's arms hurt as he was beating us. He asked the practitioners, "My arms even hurt. How come you are still will not change your minds?" Practitioners told him, "You are doing the wrong thing by beating us. You are receiving retribution, that is why your arms hurt now." Wang Xin was shocked and said, "I will no longer beat you." Gong Peibao pretended to be nice to us and said, "These young men do not even want to take responsibility for watching you anymore. If you write something to promise that you will no longer practice, we will not demand money from you and you can go home." We all said, "We are just being good persons. We want unconditional release."

Urged by Wang Shixin and Gong Peibao, 18 to 19 thugs came to brutally beat practitioners. The one beaten the worst was Sun Peijin. He was beaten to the ground. Two thugs stepped on his head and pushed his body. He could not get up. They tortured him and beat him, resulting in a large, hard swelling on his arm.

On July 2nd, 2000, I was detained in the 610 Office⁴ located in the Mengyin County Professional College. One night, the then Political and Law Committee Secretary Li Zhiye, presently the head of the Party Organisational Department in Yinan County, as well as a section chief surnamed Liu (close to 60 years old) from the police department urged a thug to beat practitioners after he got drunk. I was the first one beaten. I was forced to squat in stinky sewage. After beating me for a while in the sewage they pulled me up, kicked my head and neck, and then stepped on my head and neck. They used their leather shoes to rub my face until my nose, mouth, and ears were bleeding. I could not open my eyes. My face was severely swollen. I did not recover until two weeks later. Li Zhiye and Lei Yancheng, the then head of the 610 Office, now chief of Mengyin County Travel Bureau, did not admit that my injuries were due to the brutal beating. They said it was because of a lack of sunshine. A week later my eyes started hurting. Fang Simin asked doctor Wu Di to check my eyes. Later they let me go home.

Policeman Wang Wei Broke My Collarbone with Three Kicks

On September 23rd, 2000, Li from the 610 Office and another policeman entered my house and tricked me into going to the village office. Once I got there they pushed me into a police car and took me to the No. 2 Police Division. Policeman Wang Wei interrogated me and tortured me. I realised that somebody had reported me. He kicked me. With three kicks he broke my collarbone, which was very painful. At last he said viciously, "You refuse to admit. Wait and see. With electronic batons, you will have to tell."

Nine days later I was transferred to the county 610 Office. I had a headache. County 610 Office head Lei Yancheng forced me to raise my hands in the air and put my face against a wall and stand for two mornings. On November 18th, I was unconditionally released. I was locked up for 19 days this time in the county 610 Office.

Going to Beijing to Appeal Dafa again; Sent to Three Years of Forced Labour

On January 16th, 2001, practitioner Zhang Aijun and I went to Beijing to appeal for Dafa. At Tiananmen Square we opened up our that read "Falun Dafa Is Good." Police arrested us. Zhang Aijun and I were held in the Tiananmen Square Detention Centre. Officers beat Zhang Aijun with rubber truncheons. His face was swollen. On January 21st, Sun Peiquan, Dongrulai Village Party secretary, and Zhang Zhijian, chief of the No. 2 Police Division, sent me home.

On February 11th, Gong Peibao, Political and Law Committee Secretary, went to my mother's home to look for me and did not find me. On February 14th, Jiang Huaizhong, Mengyin County Party Propaganda Head, came to my home and took me to 610 Office. I escaped out the toilet.

The night of February 14th, Gong Peibao and Jiang Huaizhong climbed over the wall and jumped into my yard. They brutally beat Sun Peijin, my husband, who shouted in pain. They were afraid of letting the neighbours hear, so they took him to Beihuan Road to continue beating him. They also attempted to force him to help them locate me at a relatives' home. Sun Peijin was able to escape when they were distracted.

In early April 2001 I returned home. Zhang Zhijian and Sun Fuli from the No. 2 Police Division came to my home and took me to the police division. Zhang Zhijian handcuffed me and sent me immediately to the Shandong Province Women's First Forced Labour Camp. They sentenced me to three years of forced labour, but due to my poor health the labour camp refused to accept me. Thirteen days later the Mengyin Police Department officials had to send me back.

My Husband Was Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

On February 3rd, 2002, when making Dafa banners, my husband was reported. Zhang Zhijian was on his way again to arrest my husband and me. Fortunately, a kindhearted person sent us a message: "Police are coming to your house to arrest you. Leave now!" My husband and I were able to get away. The police ransacked our house and took away a Dafa book and made the house a mess. My husband and I became destitute and homeless. Our young daughter had to stay with my 70-year-old parents.

On March 12th, 2003, my husband was arrested in Xintan while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and tapes. He was transferred to the Mengyin Detention Centre and was eventually sentenced to five years in prison. He is being persecuted in Weifang Prison.

Emerging from the Evil Den after Countless Tribulations

On January 31st, 2004, while practitioner Wang Fucheng and I were making books in a rented room in the Xiwa section of Mengyin Town, police officer Sun Fuli led a group of policemen who barged into the room. They arrested Wang Fucheng and me and sent us to the No. 2 Police Division. Practitioner Wang Fucheng lost consciousness from the brutal beating. I saw five obvious marks from the beating on his face.

On February 4th, 2004, police took me from the prison ward to the office and then sent me to the hospital for a physical exam. 610 Office head Lei Yancheng waited for me in the hospital and said, "She is her critical condition. We have to force-feed her." The doctor did an electro-cardiogram on me. I still suffered greatly. A doctor said, "She is not vomiting. She is faking it!" Lei Yancheng started poking my legs with needles. As he was poking he said, "I'll see if you are faking!" Lei Yancheng and Fan Simin said, "You want to die? Go ahead die on this bed. Zhang Dezhen died on this bed. Sun died on this bed..." At last, they took me out and sent me to the county 610 Office.

At the 610 Office I had a headache. I could not eat. I was so weak. Around February 5th, 2004, the authorities photographed me. I tried to escape but was unsuccessful. After they took me back, Lei Yancheng whipped me on my back, arms, legs and face with a rubber truncheon and left bruises on my face. Even until now, my face still has not recovered.

Several days later I was taken to the Chinese Hospital to get some unknown injections. Wang Xin from the 610 Office said I was responsible for his name showing up on the "List of Perpetrators." He took the chance for revenge. He handcuffed me and pulled me out. After we got into a car he started to beat me brutally and had another thug hit my head using handcuffs. My whole body was numb. When we returned to 610 Office I could no longer move.

One day Li Baoyuan from the 610 Office came to my cell and said, "You have got the injections and lied for this long. It is time for you to talk." He saw that I was really weak and unable to move, so he left. Five days later he asked doctors from the county hospital to give me a physical exam. The doctor's diagnosis was: "Lower legs atrophied, which will cause paralysis." They still wanted to get some money from my family. They did not let my mother-in-law take me home until I lay there for ten days.

After I returned home, agents from the court often harassed me at home. On July 2nd, 2004, officials from the court and from the 610 Office tried to arrest me again and send me to the Jinan Forced Labour Camp. While they were searching my house I escaped. I again became destitute and homeless.

A Special Agent's Deceitful Tricks

On April 16th, 2003, a special agent went to my in-laws' home and said, "I am a Falun Gong practitioner. I heard Yu Zaihua is destitute and homeless now. I am here to pick her up." My mother-in-law said, "I do not know where she is." The agent asked again, "Doesn't she have a daughter? Where is she?" My mother-in-law said, "She is at her other grandmother's home." At around 6:00 p.m. the special agent went to my mother's home and told my mother, "I am from the Northeast area. My name is Sun. I am Peijin's uncle. I heard he is in prison. I picked him up from there. Peijin is doing some carpentry work in the Northeast area now and asked me to pick up his wife and daughter. I will leave you the phone number." My mother was fooled and said voluntarily, "When my daughter comes back, I will contact you." In fact, Peijin was arrested on March 12th, 2003.

In the spring of 2005 the same special agent who had previously deceived my parents went to their home again. This time he said he was a practitioner. My mother recognised him, "Last time, you said you were Peijing's uncle. This time you say you are a practitioner. You were the one who took my son-in-law away!" The special agent said, "It was not me." My mother said, "You think I can not recognise you. You scared my daughter away. I want to make you pay for this!" My father said, "You people always bully good people. Why don't you catch the corrupt ones? Is it that you need money and want to get it from Falun Gong practitioners?" The special agent left hurriedly.

Note

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

2. Repentance Statement: In this statement the practitioner is forced to admit remorse for practising Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

3. "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")

4. "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/2007/7/2/158012.html