Seven Years in Prison: The Persecution of Mr. Luo Yingping from Xiangtan City, Hunan Province

Name: Luo Yingping
Gender: Male
Age: 49
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Xiangtan City Construction Materials and Steel Company
Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 11th, 2003
Most Recent Place of Detention: Wangling Prison
City: Xiangtan
Province: Hunan
Persecution Suffered: Beatings, imprisonment, extortion, fired from workplace, interrogation, detention

The son of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Luo Yingping from Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, called a taxi on his way to pick up his father who was supposed to be released from Wangling Prison, several hundred kilometres away on March 10th, 2010. However, the prison officials refused to release Mr. Luo. They claimed that they could not let Mr. Luo go until the local 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) officials came.

The son hadn't seen his father for seven years. When he saw his balding father behind the bars, his eyes were full of tears and he sighed, "I do not want to let my father go to work any more." When the taxi driver heard that the father was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment merely because he was a Falun Gong practitioner, he was shocked and said, "This communist party is so brutal," and he wiped tears from his eyes.

Mr. Luo Yingping is 49 years old. Until March 10th of this year, Mr. Luo has been mistreated in prison for seven years. He was finally taken back home by Xiangtan City 610 Office and his employer. His wife has divorced him. He doesn't have a home to return to.

Mr. Luo Yingping was a former employee of Xiangtan City Construction Materials and Steel Company. He started practising Falun Gong in 1998. Mr. Luo Yingping and his brother Mr. Luo Xiangjiang have been persecuted for a long time.

Mr. Luo Yingping was arrested by the Xiangtan City National Security Bureau in 2001 when he was distributing Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution. He was blindfolded and sent to an unknown place. After being interrogated for two days straight, his brother was forced to pay 6000 yuan¹ and Mr. Luo Yingping was then released. Mr. Luo Yingping was arrested again on March 11th, 2003. After being detained at Xiangtan City Detention Centre, he was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment.

Mr. Luo Yingping's brother, Mr. Luo Xiangjiang, was arrested by a dozen officers from Shuyuan Road Police Station of Xiangtan City and Xiangtan City National Security Bureau. He was detained at Xiangtan City Detention Centre. (Find more about the persecution of Mr. Luo Xiangjiang at http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/8/3/88265.html)

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/2010/3/25/220400.html