Mr. Liu Gang and His Wife Ms. Zong Yinqin Suffering from Persecution

Mr. Liu Gang, 40, and his wife Ms. Zong Yinqin were arrested for practising Falun Gong, and have been detained in the Pingdingshan City First Detention Centre for more than 10 months.

Before Mr. Liu Gang began to practise Falun Gong, he was addicted to drinking, smoking and playing cards. He was hot-tempered, and once pulled his wife's hair to beat her. He did not work hard, his health was not good, and he ended up contracting tracheitis. After he began to practise Falun Gong, he totally changed. He got along harmoniously with his family members, worked diligently, did not struggle for fame and fortune, and became healthier. Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20th, 1999, he was arrested seven times.

In October 1999, he went to Beijing to turn in an appeal letter for Falun Gong. He was first detained at the Tiananmen Square Police Station, and taken back by the 610 Office¹ of his workplace. He was extorted out of 400 yuan² and detained in Pingdingshan City First Detention Centre for 40 days.

In 2000 Mr. Liu called fellow practitioner Mr. He Zhuang at home. The agents of the "610 Office" at his workplace claimed that they received a report on him and took him to a detention centre, where he was extorted out of 300 yuan and detained for around 40 days.

In 2000, he was taken to a brainwashing centre in Pingdingshan City, where he was subjected to physical abuse. One time, the guards stood on his legs when he was sitting in the meditation position. This time he was detained for around six months.

In 2001, CCP agents launched a large-scale arrest in Pingdingshan City. Mr. Liu was arrested and taken to Bailou Forced Labour Camp for one year. During this period, his father died, and he was forced to attend the funeral with handcuffs on. His aged mother had no choice but to go to her daughter's home far away.

In November 2005, he was taken to a brainwashing centre by police officers from Pingdingshan Coal Company, where he was detained for 15 days. Frequent persecution disrupted his normal life. From time to time his family was also harassed. His wife could not tolerate the constant harassment and divorced him.

In March 2007, Mr. Liu's colleague found a Falun Gong CD in his toolbox at his workplace and reported him to the police. They seized 1000 yuan in cash from him.

Before the Olympic Games, the CCP intensified the persecution of Falun Gong. At 1:40 p.m. on May 18th, 2009, Han, deputy director of the Weidong District Police Department, and Han Haisheng, director of the local "610 Office," led a group of police officers to break into Mr. Liu's mother-in-law's home. They arrested Mr. Liu and his new wife, Ms. Zong Yinqin. Some witnesses claimed that the police officers beat him to the ground and stomped on his face.

To date he has been detained in the Pingdingshan City First Detention Centre for nearly ten months. He was injured by the guards and taken to the 152 Hospital last summer. He has appealed twice since then.

His wife, Ms. Zong Yinqin, 39, lived in Daying Community, Weidong District, Pingdingshan City. Ms. Zong went to Beijing around July 20th, 1999 to appeal for Falun Gong. After she returned from Beijing, her ex-husband divorced her under pressure from his workplace.

In 2001, the authorities of Pingdingshan City set up a brainwashing centre. Ms. Zong was taken to a mental hospital, where she was detained for around 20 days and subjected to brutal persecution. In 2003, she was arrested for promoting Falun Gong in Xiangcheng County and detained for four months.

After the divorce, she lived a hard life with her child. At the end of 2007, she married Mr. Liu. Since May 18th, 2008, she and Mr. Liu have been detained in a detention centre for nearly 10 months.

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. "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/2009/2/18/195679.html