The Persecution of Ms. Zheng Yafeng from Changling County, Jilin Province

Ms. Zheng Yafeng, 37, is a teacher from the No. 1 Middle School in Liushui Town, Changling County, Jilin Province. She has been sentenced to labour camps three times in the last ten years because she practises Falun Gong.

Ms. Zheng has benefited from Falun Gong both physically and mentally. She went to Beijing to appeal for the practice on January 1st, 2001. She was arrested and sentenced to one year in a forced labour camp. Her mother, elder sister Zheng Liping, and younger sister Zheng Yaxin were also each sentenced to one year in a labour camp. Her younger brother Zheng Fushi, who does not practise Falun Gong, was also arrested by the Liushui Township police. He was tortured until he was in critical condition. The police forced him to confess falsely that his taxi was purchased by the “Falun Gong Organization.” Town Party secretary Wang Wen forced all Falun Gong practitioners to the Liushui Middle School and demanded that they give him twenty five hundred yuan¹ as a “guarantee.” If they didn't have money, they had to turn in corn or rice instead.

In July 2002, Ms. Zheng Yafeng was sentenced to one year in a labour camp because she posted banners exposing the persecution of Falun Gong. From 2001 to 2002, her school withheld her salary, totaling twenty thousand yuan.

Before the Olympic games in 2008, Changling County National Security leader Li He and others arrested many Falun Gong practitioners, and sent them to brainwashing centres. Ms. Zheng Yafeng spoke up, saying, “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She and her father, Zheng Lianyin were both sentenced to one year in a labour camp. Her father was held in the Changling County Detention Centre, and was released only after being extorted of thousands of yuan. Thirty to forty practitioners were sentenced at that time.

On November 8th, 2010, Changling County National Security leader Li He, and 610 Office director Ma Li, along with Liushui Town Party secretary Li Yanming, went to Liushui Middle School and attempted to take Zheng Yafeng to a brainwashing centre. They threatened her, saying that if she didn't go she would be fired. She was then held captive in the Songyuan brainwashing centre.

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://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/11/30/90383.html