70-Year-Old Retired Teacher Detained Again, Previous Imprisonment Severely Damaged Her Health

On May 30th, 2008, nearly 20 police officers and government employees from the Congtai District in Handan City, Hebei Province, ransacked the home of 70-year-old Ms. Hou Qiaozhen and arrested her. They barged into her house unannounced and turned everything upside down before walking away with over 10,000 yuan¹ in cash, a TV, a DVD player, a notebook computer, and several other valuables. Altogether, these items were worth nearly 30,000 yuan.

They transported her to the Heping Police Station and transferred her that same day to the First Detention Centre. Back in 2000, Ms. Hou served one year of forced labour at the Shijiazhuang Labour Camp. The hard labour and torture severely harmed her health. She has been underweight and in poor health ever since.

In the days following her arrest, Chinese Communist Party agents returned to her home several times and took more of her personal belongings as if they were their own.

Ms. Hou Qiaozhen is a retired schoolteacher, a conscientious person who cared for her students. Years of hard work and an exhausting life took a heavy toll on her health. She had suffered from multiple illnesses and spent a large portion of her meagre salary on medicine. Despite taking large doses of several different medications, even expensive prescriptions, her health declined over the years. She wore an overcoat during the summer to keep warm, despite constant sweating. She was sensitive to any kind of noise; even people's conversations annoyed her. She was so weak that she could not even lift a pot of boiled Chinese medicine. Poor health forced her to retire prematurely, only a couple of years' shy of 30 years, which would have given her full salary at retirement. She had to live on a small pension. Disappointed by the ineffective medications, she took up several kinds of qigong practice and Taichi. Finally, she found Falun Gong.

Falun Gong teaches people to follow Truth-Compassion-Forbearance in everyday life and to become altruistic. Ms. Hou became a different person and quickly regained complete health and a happy mind after taking up the practice. She kissed all her medicines goodbye and stopped spending money on medical treatment. Her miraculous recovery not only saved the government a huge amount of money, but also made her family members very happy. It was an understatement to say that Falun Gong gave her a second life.

Her experience was a living testament to the miracle of Falun Gong. Far from being suspect, as the Chinese regime would like people to believe, Falun Gong teaches people to raise their moral values and gain health. It is a wonderful blessing for the government and its citizens alike. Unlike modern medicine, Falun Gong is a profound cultivation system that gives people unlimited benefits. Nevertheless, on July 20th, 1999, Jiang Zemin , [former leader of China] launched a ruthless persecution of Falun Gong, despite dissenting opinions of other senior regime leaders. Ms. Hou decided to come forward to defend Falun Gong. After all, Falun Gong had saved her life. She would have felt guilty had she not stood up on behalf of Falun Gong.

In October 2000, Ms. Hou visited a government office to tell them about Falun Gong. She wanted to convince the bureaucrats that they had made a mistake in deciding to persecute Falun Gong. But the officials had no interest in listening to her story. Instead, they called the police and had her arrested. She spent one year in Shijiazhuang Forced Labour Camp. It is ironic that no one cared about her when she was so ill for years, but when she regained her health and wanted to become an honest person, the government came after her.

Ms. Hou was brutally tortured in the labour camp. The guards forced her to leave her fingerprints on prepared documents, beat her, deprived her of sleep, brainwashed her, and tried to force her to give up her belief. Her health was ruined. She suffered from a constant fever and poor appetite and became extremely weak and skinny. Finally she was released. Once at home again her condition did not improve. She had trouble eating, had constant diarrhea, and remained dangerously thin.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials did not give her a break. Local police officers and neighbourhood management agents often harassed her. During the past seven years since her release, they harassed her on all the sensitive dates. She was forced to pay many fines. Her financial situation was not good. Now she is being held in the Handan First Detention Centre in Hebei Province.

This is her second arrest. Her family, friends, and relatives are under tremendous psychological and economic pressure. We have no information about her current circumstances. We call for all sympathetic people in China and overseas to help. We should condemn the agencies that are involved in the persecution and should help to rescue Ms. Hou Qiaozhen from detention.

Phone numbers of the responsible individuals and agencies:
Congtai District Police Department, Handan, Hebei Province.
A 43, Congtai Road, Handan City, 056002
Niu Shengmin, head: 86-310-3019568, 86-13315066566 (Mobile)
Wang Yongxiang, Political Commissar: 86-310-3019893, 86-13315066588 (Mobile)
Wen Fengli, Deputy head, in charge of persecuting Falun Gong: 86-310-3019992, 86-13315066583 (Mobile)

The following four are also deputy heads:
Guo Baozhang: 86-310-3019676, 86-13315066586 (Mobile)
Li Yanchang: 86-310-3019612, 86-13315066598(Mobile)
Sun Jianxin: 86-310-3019558, 86-13315066589(Mobile)
Liu Junhai: 86-310-3019567, 86-13315066539(Mobile)

Chen Yongsheng, Political Division Chief: 86-310-3019678, 86-13323201988 (Mobile)
Zhang Zhanwei, Chief of Staff: 86-310-3019663, 86-13315029198 (Mobile)
Li Xuezhe, Discipline Committee secretary: 86-310-3019633, 86-13315066590 (Mobile)
An Zhenzhi, Chief of National Security Division: 86-310-3019329 (Office), 86-13333007726 (Mobile)
Jia Xingli, Political Head: 86-310-3019975 (Office), 86-13831034010 (Mobile)

Heping Street Police Station:
Niu Weizhi, Head: 86-310-3228036, 86-13315065901 (Mobile) Badge #: 03-8116, Authority ID #: 4703201099
Hou Qingfeng, political head: 86-13315065902 (Mobile), Badge #: 13211905, Authority ID: 4703020534
Shen Haihong, deputy head, Badge #: 1321298, Authority ID #: 4703020608
Sun Wenhu, Police Officer; Authority ID #: 4703021100
Congtai District Police Office: 86-310-3128300
Li Fengwu, District Police

Handan City No. 1 Detention Centre

Tiexi First Alley, Renmin Road, Handan City, 056003
Operator: 86-310-4042017
Chen Nailiang, head: 86-310-4042017 Ext.8801 (Office), 86-13313303892(Mobile)
Xu Yue, Political Commissar: 86-310-4042017Ext.8802 (Office), 86-13313206886(Mobile)
The following three are deputy heads:
Gao Lianchuan: 86-310-4042017 Ext.8803 (Office), 86-13931033411 (Mobile), 86-310-6195653
Zhao Yanjun: 86-310-4042017 Ext.8000 (Office), 86-13832099188(Mobile) 86-310-6198328
Jia Baogang: 86-310-4042017 Ext.8805 (Office), 86-13931092399(Mobile) 86-310-6191565

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/2008/9/21/186267.html