Nine Years of Persecution for Zhao Ting and Her Family in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province

My name is Zhao Ting. I am a staff member at Linxia Road Street Office in the Chengguan District of Lanzhou City, Gansu Province. My husband Wang Yuqing is 45 years old. He is a physical education teacher at the Experimental Middle School of Northeast Normal University. We live in Anning District, Lanzhou City. We have not had a peaceful family life in the last years since the persecution of Falun Gong began.

In 1987, my husband contracted hepatitis B. After visiting many hospitals, his condition did not improve, instead in 1992, his illness became worse and worse. In 1994, it turned into liver cirrhosis. Almost every year, he spent a half-year lying in hospital beds. In July 1994, he had an operation due to a burst appendix. In May 1995, he had five operations because of an anal fistula. My husband suffered greatly. I had to take care of my husband and my young child and could not go to work. Heavy financial stress made survival difficult for us. I even thought about committing suicide several times.

Under such desperation, with a friend's' help, in March of 1996, my husband luckily learned about Falun Gong. One year later, my husband recovered from his illnesses. He began to work again. He worked diligently and his temper changed a lot. He became nice to others and we lived a happy family life.

However, on July 20th, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime led by Jiang Zemin began the brutal persecution of Falun Gong. On July 20th and 21st, my husband went to the provincial government to appeal for Falun Gong. He was detained. On July 22nd, the police ransacked our home. Later, local police, the street office, and my husband's work unit constantly came to our home to harass us. On August 3rd, my husband refused to write a so-called guarantee letter (guarantee to renounce Falun Gong) and the police ransacked our home again.

On October 1st, 1999, my husband went to Qingyang, Xifeng to visit an old classmate. He was arrested by Xifeng police and detained in a detention centre for one week. During that time, criminals beat him up and physically abused him. He was brought back by Zhang Qigang, the principal of No. 45 Middle School, and Niu Weimin, a policeman from Shilidian police station. They deducted over 5,000 yuan¹ from my husband's salary to cover their expenses and he was sent to Yuan Taizi police station in Anning District, Lanzhou City, for fifteen days.

In February of 2000, my husband was detained at the Lanzhou Resident Administrative Office in Beijing because he went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. Later on he was taken back to our home town by Niu Weimin, Zhang Qigang, and five other people. They deducted over 7,000 yuan from my husband's salary to cover their expenses, and the police ransacked our home again.

On August 26th, 2000, the political instructor whose last name is Deng, from Shilidian Police Station, brought over twenty people to our home and turned it upside down. When we asked them to show us the search warrant and warned them that they should not break the law, Deng responded with a loud curse. They arrested my husband and took him to Shilidian Police Station and detained him there for 15 days.

On September 29th, 2000, I carried a letter addressed to Jiang Zemin and went to Beijing with my husband and child to appeal for Falun Gong. We were arrested before we arrived at the Appeals Office in Beijing. My nine year old son and I were detained at Fangshan District Detention Centre. There, police brutally beat up my nine year old son. I then clearly realized who was good and who was bad. I began to see how wonderful Falun Gong is from practitioners' behaviour. They would not fight back even though police beat them, and would not verbally retaliate, even though the police were shouting curses at them. I saw the hope of the Chinese nation. Since then I decided that I would also begin practising Falun Gong. After coming back from Beijing, I was detained at the Taoyuanping Detention Centre in Chengguang District for 15 days.

On December 19th, 2000, my husband was again arrested by Niu Weimin and other police from Shilidian Police Station and sent to Pingantai Forced Labour Camp. They did not accomplish their goal this time. My husband was then sent back home.

On December 26th, 2000, my whole family went to Beijing to again appeal for Falun Gong. On our way, we were arrested by Chen Zhigang and other police from the political department of the Anning Branch Police Station. I was detained in the Anning Branch Police Station for 15 days. I went on hunger strike there to protest such unreasonable persecution; I was released seven days later.

On January 16th, 2001, while I was working in the office, I was arrested by the Taoshuping Detention Centre in Chengguan District and suffered persecution there for nearly half year. I was released on June 4th, 2001.

On December 3rd, 2001, I was once again arrested by Dong Jianmiin, secretary of the political and law committee, Lu Fuquan, secretary of Linxia Road Street Office, and Zhang Sanjie, the head of the Comprehensive Management Office. They wanted to send me to the infamous Gongjiawan brainwashing centre in Lanzhou City for further persecution. But they were not successful. I ran away and since then I have been homeless.

In September 2002, the Political and Law Committee of Anning District and the City's Police Station once again arrested my husband and sent him to Gongjiawan brainwashing centre. During that time, Qi Ruijun, secretary of the facility, and Luo Yucheng, the director of the facility, brutally persecuted my husband. They handcuffed him for about one week. They forced my husband to tell them about my whereabouts. They released him after persecuting him for over 15 months. During that time, my 11-year old son lived alone and barely had enough food to eat. He spent every night in fear.

On the morning of June 17th, 2008, using the security of the Beijing Olympic Games as an excuse, City police arrested my husband while he was working. At the same time, the police broke into our home and arrested my son Wang Haowei who was taking a rest at home and my husband's younger sister who does not practise Falun Gong, but lives in the same building. They ransacked both homes and stole over 9,000 yuan, a computer, a printer, Falun Gong books and other personal property. Later on, they released our son and my sister-in-law, both of them are non-practitioners. After they arrested my husband, nobody informed our family. Our family did not find out about my husband's whereabouts until June 24th, 2008.

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/2008/7/29/183026.html