Persecution Endured by a Husband and Wife, Wang Wenlai and Yang Shizhen, from Meingyin County, Shandong Province

Ms. Yang Zhizhen, 64 years old, is a Falun Gong practitioner and resides in Dongfengqiao Village, Jiepai Township, Mengyin County, Shandong Province. Before she learned Falun Gong, she had esophageal cancer and no treatment she received was effective. Now, her cancer has disappeared and her entire family knows that Falun Gong saved her life. Her husband had a hunched back due to longstanding labour. After he learned Falun Gong, his back strengthened and he is now more healthy than many young people. The people in the village have witnessed their changes and marvelled at Falun Gong. However, since the persecution of Falun Gong started, the couple has been arrested, jailed and extorted 20,000 yuan¹ and their home ransacked several times.

Persecution as a Result of Appeals

Ms. Yang went to Beijing at the end of 1999 to appeal for an end to the persecution. She was arrested at Tiananmen Square and detained at the Mengyin County office in Beijing. Zhang Wenjia, the director of the Police Station in Jiepai County, and guide Yang Xu escorted her back to the local police station in her hometown. During the day, she was forced to sit on the concrete floor and at night she was locked up in a garage that was dark and filthy.

On February 11th, 2000, the associate mayor, associate party secretary of the township, the director of the police station Zhang Wenjia, and all party secretaries of the villages within the county, a total of 100 people, attended an assembly at the local police station to condemn Falun Gong practitioners. It was market day, so the police hung big signs around the necks of the five practitioners and made them walk the street in order to publicly humiliate them. In the end, the police extorted 10,000 yuan from Yang Shizhen, Liu Changlian, Li Xiurong, Li Rongying and 5,000 yuan from Liu Xiaomei, before they were released. No receipts were given.

A few days after Ms. Yang returned home, local police officers arrested her again and detained her for another three months. Practitioners Liu Xiangyi, Zhang Yufeng, Liu Naizhi, Li Rongying, Li Xiurong, Liu Changlian, Liu Changzhong, Liu Xiaorong, and Liu Guixiang were also arrested. Gong Pidong, the party secretary of the township and Zhai Xiaolin, the associate party secretary, forced practitioners to do cleaning, plant trees and pick weeds. At night, they were locked up in the garage, and were not allowed to go to the washroom.

Both Husband and Wife were Tortured

On June 30th, 2001, a dozen people stormed Ms. Yang's home. They seized her and took her to the government complex, and held her for 11 days. One night, it was pouring rain, one man dragged her by her legs, and others kicked her all the way to the courtyard, where they continued to beat her up. Her back was black and blue with bruises, and in some areas, the skin had come off. She shouted, "I had cancer and Falun Gong saved me. I did not do anything wrong. I am just trying to be a good person. What's wrong with that?" Before she could finish her sentence, they started another round of kicking her and they laughed at the way she suffered. Dozens of people beat up Ms Yang Shizhen and other practitioners, plus they forced them to raise their arms parallel to the ground with their legs stretched out straight, while sitting on the ground in the pouring rain.

At 10 pm. on June 27th, 2005, Cui Huadong, the director of the local "610" office, led a group of policemen and arrested Ms. Yang Shizhen, Mr. Wang Wenlai, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Chunyu, Mr. Liu Xiaorong, Mr. Liu Guirong from the Jiepai School, and Mr. Liu Faqin from Peng Zhuang Village. They also illegally ransacked the homes of seven other practitioners.

At the police station, Zhang Debin directed his six subordinates to beat up Mr. Wang Wenlai. He called out, "Why don't you police the real bad guys, instead of beating up those who are trying to be good people." They were afraid that more people could hear him so they gagged him. They beat up Wang until his face was swollen and forced him to lead them to his home so they could ransack it. The police extorted 8,000 Yuan each from Wang Wenlai and Yang Shizhen before they released the couple. Mr. Wang's legs were crippled as a result of the brutal beating. It took him one month to get better.

Home Ransacked Three Times and All Valuables Taken Away

Yang Shizhen's home was ransacked three times. Wang Changshun, the party secretary of the Dong Fengqiao Village, and Zhu Chunyu, the party commissioner of the village, were actively involved in the maltreatment of Ms.Yang Shizhen and her husband.

In the spring of 2000, when the authorities first ransacked their home, they took away 2,000 kilogrammes of wheat and 500 kilogrammes of corn. In addition, they took away an armchair (valued at 170 yuan), a small bench, peanut cakes, electric fans, tricycles, bicycles, a plastic cloth (valued at 30 yuan), small oil barrels, and yards of new cloth.

In June 2001, two dozen people again came to their home and took away 250 kilogrammes of wheat, two TV sets, eight radios and a DVD player. One of them found 300 yuan under the bed and put it into his pocket.

Perpetrators:

Lou Shuqing, male, former Mayor of the Jiepai Township, current Chief of the Justice Department, in Mengyin County, 86-539-4270158, 86-539-4272585 (Home), 86-13589680699 (Mobile)
Zhai Xiaolin, male, former associate party secretary of the Jiepai Township, Mengyin County, current employee of the Water Bureau of Mengyin County, 86-539-4272830 (Home), 86-13853939286 (Mobile)
Hu Shoudong, male, party secretary of the Jiepai Township, Mengyin County, 86-539-4568308, 86-539-4821569 (Home), 86-13969901111 (Mobile)
Peng Bo, male, Mayor of the Jiepai Township, Mengyin County, 86-539-4568302, 86-539-5026362 (Home), 86-13583997936 (Mobile)
Song Shufu, male, associate Mayor of the Jiepai Township, Mengyin County, 86-539-4568301, 86-539-2166628 (Home), 86-13583990386 (Mobile)
Zhang Debin, male, Director of the Mengyin County 610 Office
Gong Peidong, male, party secretary of the Jiepai Township, Mengyin County
Zhang Wenjia, male, 42 years old, political instructor of the Police Brigade of Mengyin County (former director of the Jiepai Township Police Station): 86-539-4818723 (Home), 86-13605396760(Mobile)
Yang Xu, male, Jiepai Township Police Station Guide, 86-13853926766 (Mobile) 86-539-4815269

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://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/12/11/168185.html