Mr. Zhang Zenggui, from Changyi City, Shandong Province, Passes Away After Years of Persecution

Name: Zhang Zenggui
Gender: Male
Age: 67
Address: Zhangjiabu Village, Zhangling Town, Changyi City, Shandong Province
Occupation: Farmer
Date of Death: April 13th, 2011
Date of Most Recent Arrest: April 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Unknown
City: Changyi
Province: Shandong
Persecution Suffered: Detention, forced labour, brainwashing, extortion, home ransacked

Mr. Zhang Zenggui was a resident of Zhangjiabu Village, Zhangling Town, Changyi City, Shandong Province. He was persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime for his belief in Falun Gong for over 11 years, until his death.

The police broke into Mr. Zhang's home in April 2010, and arrested him. They also confiscated his personal belongings, including a TV, a tape recorder, and 5,400 yuan¹ in cash. The police subsequently extorted 3,000 yuan from his eldest son for his release.

Upon returning home, Mr. Zhang was no longer able to bear the pressure of the persecution. He could not eat much, became very weak, and subsequently became bedridden. On April 13th, 2011, Mr. Zhang passed away at the age of 67.

Entire Family Persecuted

Mr. Zhang began practising Falun Gong on March 27th, 1997. After four days of practice, his body felt cleansed. His illnesses disappeared shortly thereafter, and he regained his ability to work in the fields. By following Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, he became a better person. After witnessing these changes, his wife, Ms. Liu Yuxiang, his second son, Mr. Zhang Zunyu, and his youngest son, Mr. Zhang Zunliang, also began practising Falun Gong in the winter of 1998.

After the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Falun Gong on July 20th, 1999, Mr. Zhang's family suffered many tribulations. The local police often came to his home to harass and threaten his family, and Mr. Zhang was sent to a detention centre and a brainwashing centre during the so-called sensitive dates.

On October 8th, 2000, officers from the Changyi Police Department arrested Mr. Zhang and sent him to a forced labour camp to serve a three-year term. In the labour camp, he explained the facts about Falun Gong to the labour camp officials and told them how he had benefited from the practice. He was released after eight days of detention.

Several officers from the Zhangling Police Station broke into Mr. Zhang's home at 5:30 p.m. on February 15th, 2006, and arrested his wife, Ms. Liu Yuxiang. Mr. Zhang managed to escape. The police extorted 7,000 yuan from his eldest son, including 2,000 yuan paid to Chen Xiaodong, an agent from the Changyi 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong), for Ms. Liu's release. After her release, the couple was forced to temporarily leave their home to avoid further persecution.

Mr. Zhang's second son, Mr. Zhang Zunyu, and his youngest son, Mr. Zhang Zunliang, were sentenced to seven and eight years in prison, respectively, for practising Falun Gong.

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.org/mh/articles/2011/6/15/242485.html