Mr. Yue Zhongsheng, Associate Professor at the Civil Aviation University of China, Fired and Sentenced to Forced Labour

Mr. Yue Zhongsheng, an associate professor at the Civil Aviation University of China, has suffered severe brutal torture many times for practising Falun Gong. Because co-workers suspected him of having distributed materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong on the campus, they reported him to the police and he was arrested and sentenced to forced labour. He was tortured at the Shuangkou Forced Labour Camp in Tianjin City. Eight of his ribs were broken because of brutal beatings. Moreover, his superiors at the University fired him.

Mr. Yue Zhongsheng, born in Linzhou City, Henan Province in 1968, was an Associate Professor of English in the Humanities College of the Civil Aviation University of China (formerly the Civil Aviation College of China). Before practising Falun Gong he was stricken with many diseases at an early age, such as tuberculosis, toothache and insomnia. He used to be physically very weak. After he started practising Falun Gong in 1998, all his diseases disappeared without medical intervention. At the same time, his moral character improved since practising Falun Gong. He no longer strove for fame or profit. In 2003 he was granted the "Excellent Teacher at the Civil Aviation University of China" award.

However, after the Chinese regime started its persecution of Falun Gong in September, 1999, all University staff members were forced to reveal their attitude towards Falun Gong and sign an agreement that they would follow Chinese Communist Party dictates. Because Mr. Yue Zhongsheng could not agree to something that was against his conscience, Security Office officers at the University reported him to the police. That same day, he was interrogated by the officers of the Tianjin City Police Station and they demanded that he write a guarantee statement promising to not practise Falun Gong. Then, University Security Office staff formed a brainwashing centre to brainwash him.

In the end of 2005, Mr. Yue Zhongsheng told some students about the benefits of practising Falun Gong, giving his experience as an example. He gave them leaflets exposing the persecution of Falun Gong, but was reported. On January 13th, 2006, officials from the 610 Office¹ of the Dongli District, Tianjin City; Chang Wanqing, Chen, Sun, Liu Qiang, police from the Dongli District Police Department in Tianjin City; and police from Xinlicun Police Station arrested Mr. Yue and detained him for 15 days.

In early 2006, Liu Lujiang, director of the Security Office and Yu Jian, director of Academic Affairs, Civil Aviation University of China, suspected him of sending them materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong and reported him to Dongli District police. On February 16th, officials from the 610 Office in the Dongli District; and Chang Wanqing, Chen, Sun, Liu Qiang, police officers from the Dongli District Police Department plotted with Liu Baoqing, police officers from the Xinlicun Police Station and Liu Lujiang, Wang Changjie and Liao, officers from the Security Office of the Civil Aviation University of China, to break into Mr. Yue Zhongsheng's home. They arrested and detained him in the Dongli Detention Centre. During his detainment, Mr. Yue Zhongsheng made a request to Liu Baoqing, Liu Guangzhi and Li Wei, the police officers in charge of his case, that he wished to meet with an attorney or ask his relatives to hire a lawyer. He wanted to protect his legal rights. The request was not granted. Li Wei threatened Mr. Yue Zhongsheng, "If any lawyer dares to defend you, we will arrest him!"

Mr. Yue Zhongsheng was sentenced to one year and three months of forced labour. On February 27th, 2006, Mr. Yue Zhongsheng was transferred to the Qingbowa Labour Camp, Tianjin City. On March 7th, he was transferred to the Shuangkou Labour Camp, Tianjin City. The day when he was transferred, the labour camp guard slapped his ear because he sat in a wrong position. In the labour camp, Mr. Yue Zhongsheng discussed his case several times with the person assigned to be his personal monitor and asked for permission to appeal his detention. In response he was beaten, cursed at and harassed.

Because Mr. Yue Zhongsheng refused to write the so-called repentance statement², he was tortured. He had to sit on a small stool all day long. On March 10th, Mr. Yue demanded that he be treated humanely and he refused to sit on the stool any longer. Li Bin, his monitor, told Shi Shuze and several other monitors to beat and kick him. They beat him brutally with the stool for around twenty minutes.

Mr. Yue Zhongsheng passed out and had difficulty breathing. He noticed later that two of the stools used in the beating had been broken. Mr. Yue Zhongsheng lost feeling in one of his arms and ached all over the rest of his body, especially in his chest and back. It was extremely difficult for him to turn over while sleeping. He even needed to hold onto the wall when taking one step. Mr. Yue asked Wu Mingxing, Commander of Group 3 for a medical check-up. After being examined by Doctor Liu at the Orthopedics Department, Tianjin No. 1 Hospital and had a chest X-ray, he was told that they suspected a fracture but he would have to wait for two weeks for the result. However, no one told him the actual results. He was told, "It is OK. You will be alright after several days recovery." After Mr. Yue Zhongsheng was released, he went to the same hospital and asked the same doctor for a re-examination. He was told that eight ribs had been broken.

Mr. Yue Zhongsheng was still monitored after his release. He was forced to attend a brainwashing class. Many Falun Gong practitioners were beaten while attending brainwashing classes. To deceive the public, personal monitors often detained one practitioner in an isolated room or took one practitioner to the wash room and beat him. Mr. Yue Zhongsheng witnessed the brutal beatings of Mr. Zhang Jinzhong, a practitioner from Tianjin. As a result, Mr. Zhang grew short of breath even when walking short distances. Li Gang, his monitor, berated him while walking. Mr. Yue Zhongsheng also witnessed that monitors beat practitioners in front of the police who just watch and do nothing. For example, Li Gang beat Mr. Huang Zhiqiang's back brutally in front of Xu Peng and other jail guards and Zhang Honglu slapped Mr. Yang Yusuo's ear in front of guard Tian Zhongyu. All this happened in the prison's brainwashing centre.

Additionally, they were forced to do slave labour for more than 8 hours daily. It is rumoured that the situation was even worse in Group 1 and Group 2.

After he was released, Mr. Yue was fired, even though he explained his situation of being unjustly detained. Chen Shiyi, the chief of the Personnel Department, said "We don't care whether you were treated wrongly or not. According to the regulations of the school, anyone who has been sentenced to forced labour must be fired." Mr. Yue Zhongsheng has appealed at the Personnel Dispute Arbitration Office, the Personnel Bureau, Tianjin City, People's Court, Dongli District, Tianjin City, and Tianjin Intermediate People's Court, but was told that administrative decisions made by the school were not within their jurisdiction to overturn.

Contact information of those involved in the persecution of Mr. Yue:

610 Office, Dongli District, Tianjin City: Chang Wanxin 86-131-32226912 (Mobile)
Xinlicun Police Station, Xinli District: 86-22-24990759
Policeman Liu Baoqing: 86-137-52788978 (Mobile)

Civic Aviation University of China:
Dean: 86-22-24092520
Secretary: 86-22-24092521
Deputy Dean: 86-22-24092526 / 86-22-24092527 / 86-22-24092528

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

2. Repentance Statement: In this statement the practitioner is forced to admit remorse for practising Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/8/9/183717.html