The Persecution of Ms. Zhang Yingji, an Ethnic Korean Practitioner from Yanbian

Ms. Zhang Yingji, an ethnic Korean practitioner from Laotougou Town, Yanbian City, Jilin Province, began practising in 1997, and all her illnesses disappeared. Since the persecution began on July 20th, 1999, however, she has often been harassed by the police and she was once sentenced to a year of forced labour.

Ms. Zhang was the caregiver of her paraplegic husband and her mentally ill brother-in-law. During her detention, her brother-in-law passed away because there was no one to take care of him.

The Laotougou police have been frequently harassing and closely monitoring Ms. Zhang. They have broken into her home, supposedly to to conduct "an investigation," many times, both day and night. Once, seven or eight officers (some from the city police department) came in and demanded to know if she still practised Falun Gong. Ms. Zhang told them that she wouldn't even be able to get out of bed if she didn't practise Falun Gong. Then they left. The Director of the Woman's Federation of the Township, Piao Fenyu, took away her identification card, the Finance Bureau of Longjing City sent people to ask her if she would continue to practise Falun Gong, and the local finance bureau also sent people to ask her if she would continue to practise Falun Gong.

In March 2003, four or five officers from local the police station broke into and ransacked her home. They took her to the station with one audiotape found in her home as evidence. They searched her home again, trying to find books, but they found nothing, so they made her do cleaning work for one week in the police station. She felt it was harmful to her, so she didn't go back after two days. The police then took her to the Longjing Detention Centre for 15 days.

In June 2005, personnel with the 610 Office of Longjing City took Ms. Zhang away to the brainwashing centre. Four or five female teachers from the Longjing 5th High School threatened her, saying that she would be sent to the detention centre if she refused to write a guarantee statement giving up practising Falun Gong.

Around 8 p.m. on January 22nd of 2007, five or six officers from the city police department and Laotougou Police Station ransacked her home again, with the permission of the director of the Woman's Federation of the Township Piao Fenyu. They took away many Falun Gong books and took Ms. Zhang Jingji to Longjing City Detention Centre. Twenty days later, she was transferred to Heizuizi Women's Forced Labour Camp in Changcun City for one year of forced labour.

In the labour camp, the guard assigned several people to monitor her, try to brainwash her, and verbally abuse and threaten her. At the beginning, she was not allowed to sleep. Later they forced her to work in the workshop but told her to guarantee that she wouldn't promote Falun Gong in the workshop. When she refused to write the guarantee statement, they forced her to sign a statement someone else had written.

Ms. Zhang was released from the labour camp after one year, but she still couldn't escape harassment. Policeman Ma called her to the police station and told her, "You need to report to the station if you leave the Longjing District." Ma later monitored and harassed her many times. Once Ma told her to come to the station and then forced her to leave her fingerprints and pictures.

When the Olympic torch passed through Yanji City in July 2008, the director of the Woman's Federation of the Village, Jin Ying'ai, told Ms. Zhang to stay in the Longjing Brainwashing Centre for two days, telling her it was an order from the town officials. Ms. Zhang refused to go. Then the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secretary called her and ordered her to go. She refused again. In the end, they took her by force to Longjing Brainwashing Centre. Policeman Ma was the one that captured her. A 610 Office member threatened Ms. Zhang, saying that she wouldn't be released if she wasn't "honest."

In September 2008, Officer Ma told her to come to station to sign her name. Ms. Zhang Yingji said, I don't have to sign anything. What's wrong with being a good person? Why do you treat me like a prisoner. I'm not going anywhere."

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2009/8/3/205812.html