Elderly Zhang Zongsu and Her Husband, Li Guocai, Arrested and Held for Thirteen Months in Tangshan City, Hebei Province

Two elderly Falun Gong practitioners, Ms. Zhang Zongsu and her husband, Mr. Li Guocai, were arrested by plain-clothes police in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, on April 26th, 2007. Six months later, on October 20th, 2007, Ms. Zhang was sentenced to seven years in prison and Mr. Li Guocai to four years in prison in the Lubei District Court in Tangshan City. Until recently, they were detained at the Tangshan City First Detention Centre.

For more information about the couple between their arrest in April 2007 and their sentencing in October 2007, please see: http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200801/42883.html

In the beginning of January 2008, practitioners held in the detention centre began a group protest. Ms. Zhang was beaten and cursed. She was made to wear 22-pound handcuffs and shackles. On January 8th, 2008, her hands trembling uncontrollably, Ms. Zhang fainted. Afterwards, she could not take care of her own personal hygiene, she could not feed herself, and she could not clean her own clothes for two weeks. The guards in the Tangshan City First Detention Centre were afraid of her condition being made public, so they did not allow her go to the hospital for a physical examination. Ms. Zhang wanted to meet with a laywer, but they denied her request, claiming that no one was allowed to visit a laywer during the New Year. In reality, they want to delay revealing her situation to the public so soon after the incident.

Meanwhile, Communist Party officials secretly pressured lawyers to not take the case, thus helping to postpone it. Finally, on March 26th, 2008, the family was told that they could visit the couple for the first time, eleven months after these two elderly people were arrested. The family was told that the two would be transferred to Tangshan Jidong Prison and Shijiazhuang City Prison separately, so the family could see the couple before the transfers. At first, the guards said that family members could visit them twice before the transfer, but later that was changed to only once.

While they were detained at the Tangshan City First Detention Centre, not only were the cells searched monthly, but the prisoners were also strip searched several times. It was very humiliating.

In April 2008, Mr. Li Guocai was transferred to Tangshan City Jidong Prison. At present, Mr. Li has serious symptoms of an inguinal hernia. Guards in Jidong Prison notified his family so that they could give their permission for him to have an operation. When the family members arrived, they were told that Mr. Li was couldn't have the operation because the preliminary test results showed his health was too poor and he would have to wait. The article mentioned above explained that Mr. Li had practised Falun Gong for ten years and had been energetic and healthy. He had never claimed any reimbursement for prescriptions during the time that he practised Falun Gong.

Ms. Zhang Zongsu was transferred secretly from the Tangshan First Detention Centre. Where is she now? It is unknown. Her family has not even received a letter from her.

The way the CCP deals with Falun Gong is illegal. Explanations are random, and officials can manipulate trial outcomes. The laws are observed only as it suits those in charge.

Tangshan City First Detention Centre: 86-315-2824452-8011/8051
Tangshan City Diaoyutai Police Station: 86-315-2824632, 86-315-2026324

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/6/3/179622.html