Practitioner Mr. Geng Jinzhu Dies After Years of Persecution

Mr. Geng Jinzhu, a Falun Gong practitioner from Bailou Village, Xianyu Township, Dingxing County, Hebei Province, died on July 5th, 2008 after being tortured into disability and suffering years of harassment and extortion at the hands of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities. He was in his 40's.

After the CCP started the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in July, 1999, Geng Jinzhu was detained many times and received brutal treatment due to his persistence in practising Falun Gong and his efforts to expose the persecution. In 2000, he went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practise Falun Gong. He was sent back home, accompanied by officials from his township. They stripped him naked and whipped him with a wet wicker lash for 5 days. The severe beating left bruises all over his body. He was detained for 4 months, during which time he was forced to do heavy labour. During that time, he never received a full meal and was forced to beat other practitioners. He was released after paying the authorities 4,000 yuan¹.

In September, 2001, he was detained and brutally tortured at the Liyuzhuang brainwashing centre in Dingxing County. One time, several policemen from the brainwashing centre used rubber batons to beat him. The beating went on all night long until the policemen were so tired that they were out of breath. As a result of the severe beating, Geng Jinzhu's whole body turned black and blue. His flesh was separated from the bone and his body was so swollen that his clothes didn't fit any more. His internal organs were injured, and foreign matter discharged from his mouth.

Most of the practitioners detained at the brainwashing centre had been arrested or tricked into going there by government officials. They were forced to give up their belief and were forced to pay 1,000 Yuan for living expenses and the "transformation² fee." The brainwashing centre was headed by a person named Li Ping and manned by over 10 so-called "policemen", most of whom were veterans waiting to get civilian jobs. They were told that the government would provide them with job opportunities only if they did "an outstanding job" at forcing practitioners to give up their belief. So, these people used all kinds of torture on practitioners, saying that they were just following instructions from higher authorities.

In September 2001, they started the "strict management" process. First, they used various physical punishments on practitioners, then they forced practitioners to write statements against Falun Gong. If they were unhappy about anything a practitioner did, they would give that practitioner a heavy beating. As a result of their beating, one of practitioner Lu Yuhui's fingers was broken and one of her legs was hurt too. She walked with a limp for over a month. In the cold winter, practitioners were only allowed to wear underwear and had to sleep on a wooden board with no blanket. They were handcuffed and shackled continuously for half a month.

Geng Jinzhu received the most severe beating. The policemen said: "Geng Jinzhu is pretty tough. He took over 1,000 hits by rubber batons and quite a few hits by iron chains." The head of the brainwashing centre, Li Ping, shouted: "I am a devil. This is a devil's lair."

As a result of the persecution, the previously healthy and kind-hearted Geng Jinzhu became disabled. Even in this condition, the authorities would not leave him alone. They went to his home and threatened his family saying that he was still a key person being watched by the government. Since money was extorted from him every time he was arrested, he and his family had to sell all of their belongings. His wife was afraid that their son, who is in the army, might be affected by his father being a Falun Gong practitioner. She monitored Geng Jinzhu and didn't allow him to study the Falun Gong teachings or practise the exercises.

Geng Jinzhu's health continued to deteriorate and he died on July 5th, 2008.

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://minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/7/11/181814.html