Ms. Du Zhiheng, in Her 70s, Persecuted for Practising Falun Gong

Name: Du Zhiheng
Gender:Female
Age: 77
Address: Dengzhou City, Henan Province
Occupation: Retired head of District Women's Federation, Head of the Commercial Bureau Warehouse and Head of Party Committee Office of the Dengzhou City Chemical Fertilizer Plant
Date of Most Recent Arrest: End of April 2009
Most recent place of detention: Unknown
City: Nanyang
Province: Henan Province

Due to an accident on the job, Ms. Du Zhiheng's 11th dorsal vertebra was fractured, causing blockage in her nerves which resulted in her inability to stand erect. Her back was bent at a ninety-degree angle. Paralysis in her lower limbs contributed to an accumulation of various conditions such as cervical spondylosis, sciatic nerve paralysis, left arm fracture sequelae and gallstones.

When she was overwhelmed with sorrow, a friend introduced her to Falun Gong. After she practised Falun Gong, her back straightened up and the rest of her diseases disappeared. In addition, her white hair returned to black. She became so healthy that it saved her company from spending more than ten thousand yuan¹ for her medical expenses.

Since July 20th, 1999 when Jiang Zemin, the then head of the Chinese Communist Party started persecuting Falun Gong, Ms. Du Zhiheng has been arrested twice for adhering to her practice of Falun Gong. In September 2007, officials from Nanyang City and Dengzhou City ransacked her home and took away many of her personal belongings, including cash and deposit books. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had considered Ms. Du Zhiheng a leader of the local practice group and wanted to sentence her to prison for seven years.

Ms. Du Zhiheng's relatives were also subjected to serious harassment. The police kept all of their phones tapped which brought them great pressure, not allowing them to live in a normal way of life. In addition, the CCP sent people to follow Ms. Du's daughter.

At the end of April, 2009, Ms. Du Zhiheng was arrested by the police in Nanyang City. On August 18th, 2009, a court session began at the Dengzhou City Tobacco Hotel.

Li Yaqin, Head of the Dengzhou City Court: 86-13603773986(Mobile)
Ding Jianmin, Head of the Dengzhou Police Department: 86-13503777777(Mobile)
Du Haiwan, Head of the Dengzhou City Procuratorate: 86-13938988999(Mobile)

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/2009/8/23/206912.html