Ms. Yang Liu and Her Family are Persecuted in Henan Province - Her Disabled Brother is Imprisoned Four Times

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Yang Liu lives in Wuwan Village, in Huanyang County of Henan Province. She is in her thirties. Before practising Falun Gong, she suffered from severe tracheitis and was very weak. After her husband passed away in 1997, she and her four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son moved back to her parents' home. Her father was a farmer in his sixties. Her older brother, Yang Dezhi, is disabled and mends shoes on the streets. She also has a younger brother, Yang Chao.

That same year, Ms. Yang's entire family started practising Falun Gong. They came to understand the true meaning of life and disciplined themselves according to "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" to cultivate their minds. Soon Yang Liu's illness disappeared, her older brother became healthy and happy, and her father became happy too. Her little brother became hardworking and filial, and her children were lovely and lively as well. For two years, her family was full of peace and happiness.

For eight years now, since the persecution started in July 1999, Yang Liu's family has been subjected to barbaric and cruel torture. As a result of the persecution, her father passed away, and both of her brothers have been imprisoned many times. Currently they are still being tortured in jail.

Her Disabled Older Brother has been Imprisoned Four Times

Although Mr. Yang Dezhi is disabled, he has been telling people about how he has personally benefited from practising Falun Gong. .

In November 2000, when Mr. Yang Dezhi was telling customers the truth about Falun Gong while mending their shoes, the chief of Xiangcheng National Security Division, Ma Zhefeng, and team leader Jin Hairu suddenly came and arrested him. They held him at Xiangcheng Detention Centre. The police purposely took away his crutches so that Mr. Yang had to crawl to get his food and go to the toilet. After his father learned that Yang Dezhi had been arrested, he went to the National Security Division to ask about his son. Although Ma Zhefeng knew that Yang's family was poor, he took the chance to blackmail them. Yang's father finally borrowed 200 yuan¹ to give to Ma Zhefeng. In March 2001, Yang Dezhi was released.

In June 2001, Yang Dezhi and Yang Chao were reported. Officers from Doumen Police Station, Li Xizhi (chief), Yan Min (deputy chief), and Zhang Zixi, arrested them. Their father followed them to the police station. Right in front of their father, Li Xizhi punched Yang Chao in the eye, and immediately the eye swelled up. Then the police extorted 800 yuan from Yang's father and released Yang Dezhi, but Yang Chao was kept in the detention centre for three months. The evildoers extorted another 3000 yuan from Yang's family before releasing Yang Chao.

In 2004, Yang Chao was arrested in Zhoukou City. Before that, he had been forced to become destitute and homeless to avoid arrest. That night the police broke into his home. They arrested Yang Dezhi and held him at the detention centre for two weeks.

In November 2006, Mr. Yang Dezhi was telling people the truth about Falun Gong in Shuizhai Town while mending shoes for people. He also was helping people quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its associated organisations. Because of this, Chen Haijun, chief of the Zhenbeiguan Police Station, arrested him. Chen Haijun also took Yang Dezhi's Falun Gong books and materials. He then let Ma Zhefeng, head of the National Security Division, take over Yang Dezhi's case. Ma Zhefeng learned that Yang's family had nothing left for him to take, so after a short while, he transferred Yang Dezhi to the Huaiyang Police Department. The police in Huaiyang held Yang Dezhi in the detention centre.

When Yang Dezhi was detained, Ms. Yang Liu went to Xiangcheng and Huaiyang to ask for his release. However, the officers in both places lied to her. When she asked officer Chang Yijun from Huaiyang National Security Division to release Yang Dezhi and told him the truth about Falun Gong, Chang Yijun not only didn't listen, but wanted to hit her. In addition, Chang threatened Yang Liu, "I'll detain you. I've received calls from America. The practitioners over there can speak better than you do, but I won't listen. I just want to follow the CCP." He screamed, "If you dare to try to change my mind, I'll kill you." Yang Dezhi was detained for nine months this time.

A Fragile Young Woman is Tortured

On May 8th, 2001, Ms. Yang Liu, Yang Chao, Ms. Dai Mei (alias), and Mr. He Feng (alias) went to distribute Falun Gong materials. Police officers Li Xizhi, Yan Min, and Zhang Zixi discovered them in Hongshan Temple in Doumen Township. Yang Chao jumped into a ditch by the side of the road and started to run to avoid being arrested. Policeman Zhang Zixi fired at him twice, but missed both times. Yang Chao got away.

Yang Liu and the other practitioners were put in the police vehicle, and handcuffed by officer Lixizhi. He tied Yang Liu and He Feng together. It was already midnight when they arrived at the police station.

Li Xizhi immediately started to interrogate them. He asked where they were from, but none of them answered his questions. Ms. Yang Liu asked to use the toilet, but Li did not let her. Yang Liu said, "I can't hold it any longer. If you won't let me go, I'll have to relieve myself here." Hearing this, Li Xizhi went crazy, and started slapping her face. He did not stop until he was exhausted. Yang Liu was dizzy and her teeth were loose (she lost four teeth while being detained). Her face was swollen and totally misshapen.

A few moments later, Li Xizhi began to wildly slap Ms. Dai Mei and Mr. He Feng's faces. In addition, he handcuffed them behind their backs to a pillar in the room. Because Yang Liu is small and her arms are short, it was hard to handcuff her behind her back to the pillar, so Li Xizhi yanked her arms and then cuffed them. The handcuffs cut into the flesh of her wrists. It was extremely painful. Then Li Xizhi started slapping their faces. After about five minutes, the policemen unfastened one end of the handcuffs, holding on to the other end he pulled them for about ten metres into a small courtyard. The officers then pushed the three practitioners down and forced them to kneel on the concrete.

Li Xizhi ordered two police officers to brutally beat Yang Liu's buttocks. She was beaten so hard that she completely lost control of her bowels. Purple and black marks the size of two palms appeared. Her trousers were totally ripped. However, the police still did not stop beating her. Because Yang Liu was kneeling on the ground, the two policemen stood on and barbarically jumped on her feet.

Ms. Yang Liu's knees, calf, ankles, and insteps were all bruised and soaked in blood. Li Zhixi and Yan Min were present the entire time, encouraging the proceedings. The two policemen continued fiercely kicking her calves. She felt like she was going to split apart. Finally Ms. Yang could no longer stand the brutal torture, and she fell to the ground.

After torturing Yang Liu, the police used the same method to torture Ms. Dai Me and Mr. He Feng. He Feng was tortured the longest. He was whipped with bamboo sticks more then 100 times. After that, one of the policemen fiercely kicked his private parts, and He Feng immediately fainted. The police then used a small stick to poke his nostrils, but He Feng was motionless. After that, they put cotton balls in his nostrils, but He Feng was still motionless. The police then put a live toad into his underwear, but He Feng still was responsive. He was unconscious for several hours. He did not regain consciousness until dawn. Even so, the police did not cease their brutalities. They used the end of a burning cigarette to burn Dai Mei's eyebrows and her mouth. Her lips still have burn marks.

When daylight arrived, Yan Min dragged the three practitioners outside and handcuffed them to a pillar. After breakfast, he bound them to a big tree outside the police station to see if passersby recognised them. Once they were identified, Yan could send the policemen to ransack the practitioners' homes. In the end, no one identified them, so Yan transferred all three of them to Huaiyang Detention Centre. Because Yang Liu had lost the control of her bowels, the police vehicle was a mess.

Although the wounds on Ms. Yang Liu's legs and feet had not not healed, detention centre guard Wang Peidong ordered some criminal detainees to put shackles on her. The shackles weighed more than 20 kg. (44 lbs.) Two guards then made her run around the prison. As a result, she developed new wounds.

Ms. Yang Liu was sentenced to two years of forced labour. When she was transferred to Shibalihe Women's Forced Labour Camp in Zhengzhou City, the labour camp refused to admit her, due to her condition. The police then escorted her back to the detention centre. To protest the persecution, Yang Liu went on a hunger strike for 12 days. After being detained for 10 months, and after 1500 "yuan" was extorted by the guards, in March 2002, she was finally released.

Ms. Yang's Father Passes Away in His Sixties

Yang Liu and her siblings have been arrested and imprisoned repeatedly. As a result, her father suffered a heavy blow and endured great pressure. Once again, he went to look for them, but was a victim of police extortion and blackmail Once again he begged people to lend him money so that he could pay the fines to bail them out. For a long time, he lived in fear and misery.

Since his beloved daughter was detained, he had absolutely no desire to eat, and tears kept running down his cheeks. He went to visit her several times, but the guards refused to let him in. Yang Liu and Yang Chao were both imprisoned. The two children at home often asked about their mother, Yang Liu. Police officer Li Ximin also frequently went to their residence to harass them. The father's ability to endure all of the suffering had reached its limit.

One day, her father travelled over 45 kilometres (28 miles), but failed to see her. On his way back, feeling dizzy, he tripped and fell to the ground. He never recovered. On January 24, 2002, he passed away. He had not been able to see his imprisoned daughter before his death.

Her Innocent Younger Brother Brutally Tortured

After cultivating Falun Gong, Yang Chao was praised by the villagers as a good person. Those his age were eager to befriend him. Since the persecution began, he has been arrested, detained, and fined many times. Even when he was released, the police would still go to his home to interrupt his family life and ransack their personal belongings. Because of this, Yang Chao was forced to leave home and live a homeless life.

One day, the police in Huaiyang learned that Yang Chao was working in Hubei Province. Collaborating with the police from the Henan Province Police Department, they went to Hubei Province to attempt to arrest Yang Chao, but did not find him.

In 2004, Yang Chao was arrested in Zhoukou City. The authorities sentenced him to seven years and imprisoned him in Zhengzhou City. At present, Yang Chao is still being imprisoned.

We are requesting assistance from all kindhearted people to help free all the imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Contact information:
Jia Shujun, Huangyang County Party Committee secretary: 86-394-2663666, 86-13703872368
Ren Lianjun, county head: 86-394-2668866, 86-13526279966
Yang Hongxia, secretary of Political and Law Committee: 86-13839443835
Wei Xinling, Political and Law Committee: 86-394-8769868, 86-13838607002
Duan Ylin, county police head: 86-394-2660992, 86-13803941088
Zheng Yanfang, director of 610 Office: 86-394-2664769, 86-13839463086
Yao Zhenwei, 610 Office: 86-13939411086

Note

1. "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.org/mh/articles/2007/8/12/160674.html