Married Couple Ms. Li Mingyan and Mr. Meng Xianwu's Experiences of Being Persecuted

On the morning of June 17th, 2008, Mr. Meng Xianwu, an internal medicine doctor at a factory hospital, was arrested by officers from the Xijie Police Station in Huludao City, Liaoning Province. At noon, three policemen knocked at Ms. Li Mingyan's door, (Li is Meng's wife), and claimed that they were there to collect the electricity fee. Li Mingyan refused to open the door. The officers threatened, "If you don't open the door, we'll break into your house through the windows. Once we are in, we are going to beat you to death."

At 4:00 p.m., Li opened the door. She said to the neighbours, "Please remember Falun Gong is good. You will know it." Li was taken away by the police and jailed at Huludao Detention Centre. She is facing a trial by the court in Lianshan District, Huludao City, in the next few weeks.

Ms. Li lives in Fengle residential area, Bohai St., Lianshan District, Huludao City. Before the persecution, she worked for the Gangtun Town government in the Lianshan District. During the last nine years, she has been arrested and jailed many times because she practises Falun Gong. Her house was searched three times, and she has had to move many times.

Li Mingyan married Meng Xianwu after the persecution was launched. They had their own families before the persecution, but both of their families were broken up by the persecution. Li's daughter works in another city, and Meng's daughter was ten-years old when they were married. Due to the persecution, Li and Meng have been jailed many times, and they have not had many chances to be together.

Ms. Li was arrested on October 23rd, 1999, and was jailed at Huludao Detention Centre for almost six months. She was also dismissed by her employer. In the detention centre, she was tortured. Guards put a 38-pound chain on her and they forced her to walk around with the heavy chain on her feet while they cursed her. She had to hold the heavy chain with her teeth when she used the toilet. The police left the heavy chain on her for several days. Her family spent more than 100 thousand yuan¹ to get her out of the detention centre.

On August 1st, 2000, Li was given one-year of forced labour and sent to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. She was released on August 20th, 2001.

The police and local government continued harassing her after she was released, and she had to move to a different apartment. On April 23rd, 2003, the police broke into Li's house. She escaped through a window and her house was searched. She has since been homeless.

On May 23rd, 2003, Ms. Li was arrested and jailed at the city detention centre. She held an eight-day hunger strike, and was released when she was very weak.

On April 21st, 2004, Ms. Li was arrested. Two police officers, one being Qi Jianming from Huludao Security Bureau, took her into custody on the street by covering her head with a jacket and then pushing her into a car. They took her to a room and searched her. They took 1300 "yuan" in cash, a cell phone and other belongings. Later they called agents from the National Security Bureau in Huludao City and Lianshan District. The agents recognized Li Mingyan and took her away. Two apartments where she stayed were searched. In the one in Hongyuan residential area, Shuinijie St. Lianshan District, all the Falun Gong books and an eleven-thousand yuan bank deposit book were taken. The police made a big mess of the house. In the other apartment at Digong subdivision, Zhongyang Ave., a computer valued at 4000 yuan, and a printer were taken away. The police also made a big mess there.

Ms. Li was jailed at the National Security Bureau in Lianshan District. She was locked to a chair until she was taken away by officers from the Jijiaoxiang Police Station in Lianshan District at 8:00 p.m. The second morning, Li Yajie, chief of the police department in Lianshan District (female, 50 years old), and officer Wang Yan took Li Mingyan to Masanjia Forced Labour Camp.

Ms. Li was taken to Masanjia Forced Labour Camp without informing her family. She was sentenced to three years in the labour camp. Li Yajie took Ms. Li Mingyan to the labour camp. Since Li Mingyan didn't pass the physical exam, the labour camp refused to take her. Li Yajie convinced the labour camp to take her anyway. By then, Li Mingyan had been on a hunger strike for seven days.

Ms. Li refused to eat or drink anything in the labour camp. Thirteen days later, doctors at the labour camp found that her blood pressure was abnormal and she had stones in her gallbladder. So the labour camp demanded 5000 yuan from her family and let her go.

Ms. Li could not go home, due to police harassment. On June 17th, 2008, she was arrested again and now faces a trial.

Mr. Meng Xianwu was chief of the hospital at Lianhuashan Metal Machine Factory. He was dismissed from his job and sent to a forced labour camp because he went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

Mr. Meng worked a steady, part-time job. In 2008, after working at a hospital for six months, he was arrested again.

On the morning of June 17th, 2008, officers from the Xijie Police Station came to Meng's workplace. They claimed that Meng had talked about Falun Gong at his workplace, so he was arrested. Since Meng refused to tell police where he lives, he was badly beaten.

At 11:45 a.m. on June 17th, Liu Xingcheng, an agent from the Lianshan National Security Bureau, along with about twenty policemen in four or five cars from Xijie Police Station in Longgang District, broke into Mr. Meng's house through the windows on the fifth floor in Digong residential area in Lianshan, Huludao City, and searched the home.

At 6:30 p.m., Mr. Meng was sent to Xingcheng Detention Centre. At this time, Mr. Meng's face showed obvious signs of beatings. On the way to the detention centre, Mr. Meng clarified the truth to the police officers, and he did the same at the detention centre. Many officers were touched and made friends with him.

On July 1st, the Xijie Police sentenced Mr. Meng to one year at the Huludao City Forced Labour Camp.

During the Beijing Olympics, thirty practitioners in Huludao City were arrested, one was tortured to death, and 17 were sentenced. Many of these practitioners were forced to become homeless.

Wang Jun, a deputy chief from the Lianshan District Procuratorate, is in charge of Li Mingyan's case. Another practitioner, Li Yanqun, is also facing a trial.

Wang Jun: 86-13898963330 (Mobile), 86-429-2659629 (Office)
Wei Aijun, judge at the Lianshan District Court: 86-429-2163962 (Office)

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/2008/8/28/184896.html