Father and Son Imprisoned for Helping Install Independent Television Receivers in China

Name: Liao Songlin
Gender: Male
Age: 69
Address: Residential Complex in the Military Receiving Centre in Beihu District, Shanchuantang, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province
Occupation: Retired staff from the Military Receiving Centre of Chenzhou City

Name: Liao Zhijun
Gender: Male
Age: 40
Address: Residential Complex in the Military Receiving Centre in Beihu District, Shanchuantang, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province
Occupation: Employer of the Maintenance Department of the Chenzhou Train Station in Hengyang City, Hunan Province

Date of Most Recent Arrest: May 10th, 2008
Most Recent Place of Detention: Jinshi Prison in Changde, Hunan
City: Changde
Province: Hunan
Persecution Suffered: Imprisonment, home ransacked

Mr. Liao Songlin and Mr. Liao Zhijun are father and son. They are both Falun Gong practitioners from Chenzhou City, Hunan Province. The Chinese communist regime arrested them for helping local residents install receivers for NTD Television (a TV company that broadcasts programmes exposing the persecution of Falun Gong), a New York-based independent Chinese television. Mr. Liao Songlin was sentenced to four years imprisonment and Mr. Liao Zhijun to three and a half years. Both of them are currently held in Jinshi Prison in Chengde, Hunan.

On May 10th, 2008, the Chenzhou City 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) instigated the city's National Security Bureau, Public Security Bureau, the Beuhu District 610 Office and the Beihu Public Security Bureau, and the Suxian District 610 Office and Suxian Public Security Bureau to arrest Mr. Liao's family. Nineteen officials went to Mr. Liao's house and confiscated nine sets of TV receivers and installation tools. They also confiscated Mr. Liao's bankbook.

The Beihu District Procuratorate in Chenzhou City accused the father and son of “Breaking the laws with cult organisations” by helping local residents install NTD Television satellites. The father and son were tried at 3:50 p.m. on September 22nd, 2008. Mr. Liao Songlin was sentenced to four years and Mr. Liao Zhijun three and a half years in prison. The father is in the 7th Ward and the son in the 1st Ward of Jinshi Prison in Chengde, Hunan.

People who participated in the persecution

Yuan Zhangwu, division head of Beihu District Procuratorate in Chenzhou, indicted the Liaos. Those in charge of the first trial in the Beihu District Court in Chenzhou were Tian Zhongmin, chief judge; Luo Hongrong, junior judge; Li Jian, junior judge; and Chen Yang, deputy clerk. The people in charge of the second trial at the Intermediate Court of Chenzhou City were Zhao Xuejun, chief judge; Hu Chenglan, deputy judge; Zhang Bo, deputy judge; and Li Xiongxiong, clerk. The evidence included phone records;from Hunan Telecom; the Information Inquiry Form from Hunan Telecom's Chenzhou Division, and a “confession” from Tang Xiangdong, owner of Hongda Electronics Store at Majiaping Market in Chenzhou.

The Liaos often went to Tang Xiangdong's electronics store to buy satellite receivers and told Tang the facts of the persecution of Falun Gong. According to Tang, domestic security officers searched his store and confiscated his equipment in 2007. Tang lost over 80,000 yuan (US$ 12,000) worth of equipment. The officers told him that if he provided information on the Liaos, they would return his satellite receivers. From then on, Tang continued to sell his receivers and asked for Falun Gong materials from the Liaos to give to the officers.

The officers went to the Liao's house to search for the satellite receivers for NTD TV. As a result of that search, information on two sites producing Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution and a Falun Gong study group were located. Many other practitioners were arrested and their belongings confiscated. The practitioners arrested were those who had had close contact with the Liaos over the past few months.

Many Sentenced and Taken to Forced Labour Camps

In Chenzhou, Hunan, many practitioners' phones were tapped, and they were followed and arrested as a result of the Liao's satellite receiver incident. Mr. Lei Anxiang was sentenced to three years and is now in the 5th Ward of Jinshi Prison. Ms. Jiang Xilian from Chenzhou was sentenced to three years and is in Changsha Women's Prison in Hunan. Mr. Guo Minggao from Guidong County, Chenzhou, was sentenced to three years and is in the 7th Ward of Jinshi Prison (he was released in August 2010). Mr. Luo Jiabing from Huaihua was sentenced to a year and 9 months and is in Xinkaipu Forced Labour Camp in Changsh, Hunan.

The Liaos Were Constantly Persecuted by the Chinese Communist Regime

After the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, Mr. Liao Zhijun was arrested and imprisoned twice between 1999 and 2000. He was fined 6,000 yuan (US$ 890) for no reason and his employer placed him under house arrest. On March 5, 2001, he was sentenced to two years and locked in Xinkaipu Forced Labour Camp in Changsha. In 2004, Mr. Liao was arrested again in Chenzhou and put in a forced labour camp.

Mr. Liao Songlin was taken to a brainwashing centre in 2001. In August 2002, he was illegally arrested again and taken to Chenzhou City Detention Centre. In September 6th, 2003, the Beihu District Court of Chenzhou City sentenced Mr. Liao a three-year prison term and locked him in Jinshi Prison.

In the morning on October 15th, 2007, a dozen staff members and officers from the Chenzhou City 610 Office in Hunan, Chenzhou City Domestic Security Bureau, and the Domestic Security Divisions in the Beihu and Suxian Districts seized Mr. Liao Songlin and his wife, Ms. Meng Qinglian. Mr. Liao Zhijun was picked up at work and so was his wife.

During the ensuing raid of their home, the staff and officers took two television sets, a motorcycle, a DVD player, ten satellite receivers, an MP3 and an MP4 player, eight bankbooks, 4,000 yuan (US$ 600) cash, and many Falun Gong books and materials.

All of the Liaos were held in Chenzhou City Detention Centre for a month.

Those who participate in the persecution from Jinshi City Prison in Changde, Hunan:
Li Shutian from the 7th Ward: 18786690969
Prison guards Song (given name unknown): 13875097871 and Luo (given name unknown): 0736--4298006
Badge number of a captain in the 1st Ward: 4303032
Badge number of prison guard Song (given name unknown): 4303192

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/2/21/236606.html