The Persecution of Ms. Liu Fenghou and Her Husband, Mr. Zhao Chuanwen

Eight years ago, Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Liu Fenghou and her husband, Mr. Zhao Chuanwen from Sihouwa Village, Duozhuang Town, Mengyin County, Shandong Province were arrested. Mengyin County 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) agents sentenced Mr. Zhao to thirteen years of imprisonment. He is still incarcerated at the Shandong Province Prison. Ms. Liu was subjected to three years of forced labour and has lived a very difficult life since her release in 2005.

Duozhuang Town personnel arrested Mr. Zhao and Ms. Liu and another practitioner, Mr. Zhao Chuanwu, and ransacked their homes in February 2000. The persecutors confiscated valuable personal belongings: a television set, sound system, motorcycle, tricycle, sofa, and fabric from the couple's fabric store. The police even sold the three trees in their yard and walked off with additional valuable items: several hundred yuan cash, over 2,000 pounds of rice, a dozen bags of peanuts, one barrel of oil, a rice cooker, an electric blanket, a telephone, furniture, three recorders, and other items. All that was left at home was an empty bed.

They also ransacked Mr. Zhao Chuanwu's house, also leaving only an empty bed. Everything else was taken. They detained Mr. Zhao Chuanwen for more than 100 days and extorted 20,000 yuan¹ from him. Mr. Zhao Chuanwu was extorted out of 22,000 yuan. His furniture was returned once he paid the money. The police had already sold the recorders and kept some of the fabric.

The police had unsuccessfully attempted to arrest Mr. Zhao Chuanwen twice in November 2000. At that time, they confiscated a motorcycle, tricycle and other personal property; they sold all the clothes and furniture, too, as well as dismantled all the doors and windows from all seven rooms of the home, breaking the glass. They also broke into the ceiling of the house. After they took away the main door they put rocks in front of the gate. The home was a mess. They even stole Mr. Zhao Chuanwen's father's three pigs. Mr. Zhao and his wife decided to leave their home to avoid further persecution.

After Mr. Zhao and his wife left their home, the police searched for them and listed them as "wanted."

One night in late spring of 2002, Ms. Liu Fenghou and fellow practitioners were posting and distributing Falun Gong information in Yishui County when some locals reported them. Ms. Liu was still posting posters at dawn. The police arrested her and took her to the Yishui County Detention Centre. She was then sent to the Mengyin County Detention Centre. A month later, the county 610 Office subjected her to three years of forced labour at the Shandong Province First Women's Forced Labour Camp.

Someone told Mr. Zhao Chuanwen that his site producing Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution might have been exposed, and suggested that he leave quickly. Just as they prepared to move the materials to another place in September 2002, Mr. Zhao Chuanwen, Mr. Wu Zengjian, Ms. Liu Shufen, and Shi Zenglei were arrested. Participating in the arrest were officers from the Menyin County Police Department and the 610 Office. It was said that police from Linyi, Yinan and Yishui also participated in this arrest. They called it an "important case," and the Mengyin County 610 Office had established a "special case group" to stage the arrest. Ms. Liu Shufen was interrogated and died as a result of torture after this arrest. The practitioners were detained for over six months. Mr. Zhao Chuanwen was wrongfully sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment and sent to the Shandong Province Prison.

Prison guards incited inmates to beat Zhao Chuanwen on his head with shoes and wooden sticks in 2005, resulting in Mr. Zhao suffering headaches for over a year. The family went to visit him between 2007 and 2008 but the prison guards did not let them in. The family eventually learned that Zhao Chuanwen was in a strictly disciplined section and locked in a solitary cell for one year. Last year, when he and fellow practitioners were protesting the persecution, he was beaten brutally again.

Mr. Zhao Chuanwen is 42 years old. His wife, Ms. Liu Fenghou, is 44 years old. The couple makes a living selling fabric. They started practising Falun Gong in 1996 and benefited physically and spiritually. Mr. Zhao became the co-ordinator for the local assistance centre.

After the persecution of Falun Gong began in the summer of 1999, the couple went to Beijing with other practitioners to appeal for justice on July 22nd, 1999. Agents from the township office intercepted them on their return home. They were detained, deprived of sleep and forced to watch slanderous videos. They were also made to stand under the hot sun. The persecutors ransacked their home, as well as Mr. Zhao Chuanwu's home while they were detained. Their Falun Gong materials and recorders were taken away. The persecutors extorted 3,000 yuan in cash from Mr. Zhao Chuanwen and 2,000 yuan from Mr. Zhao Chuanwu.

Mr. Zhao Chuanwen attended the Mengyin County experience sharing conference in October 1999. Local police arrested and beat him ruthlessly upon his return. Police station head Du Zhongtai led the action. They sent Mr. Zhao to detention for 15 days, followed by additional detention of a month and a 1,500 yuan fine.

The couple went to Beijing again to appeal in February 2000. Mengyin County 610 Office agents detained them for one month and then transferred them to the Duozhuang Town brainwashing centre. They forced Mr. Zhao Chuanwen and other male practitioners to do heavy manual labour, such as dismantling toilets and carrying sand. They also made Mr. Zhao's elderly mother go to the brainwashing centre every day at 8:00 a.m. If she missed a day she was fined 20 yuan.

County Political and Judiciary Committee head Li Zhiye arrived to examine the brainwashing centre and said, "If they say they will still practice Falun Gong, you need to keep teaching them lessons." Several days later, Duozhuang Town deputy Party secretary Li Xiufu and Fang Simin, Armed Police Department deputy head, led Bu Fanhai and Fang Deliang to ruthlessly torture the practitioners. They beat practitioners on the hips and legs with rubber sticks, leaving them bruised. Practitioner Lu Xingde lost consciousness from the beatings. Practitioner Wang Jianli was handcuffed and his head was covered by a cloth. Then several hired people beat him over 80 times with rubber clubs. Practitioner Liu Changzhi lost consciousness from the beatings. They forced Mr. Zhao Chuanwen to lie on the ground, face down. They beat him on his hips and legs with rubber clubs. When Mr. Zhao tried to turn around due to the unbearable pain, they stepped on his hands and feet and continued to cruelly beat him.

The family has suffered tremendously since Mr. Zhao and his wife were arrested. Their elderly parents worry daily about their loved ones' safety and well being.

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/2010/1/25/216889.html