Mr. Sun Changjun, Imprisoned Nine Years for Intercepting Cable TV Broadcasts, In Need of Immediate Aid (Part 2)

Name: Sun Changjun Gender: Male
Age: 35
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: August 2002
Most recent place of detention: Jilin Province Prison City: Jilin
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Beatings, solitary confinement, electric shock, brainwashing, torture

It has been nearly ten years since a small group of Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun (a large city in China's northeast) intercepted television broadcasts on March 5th, 2002, replacing them with content about Falun Gong and about the Communist suppression of Falun Gong. Five Falun Gong practitioners involved have been tortured to death. Another, Mr. Sun Changjun, only 26 years old at the time, has been imprisoned at Jilin Prison for nine years for his involvement. At one point the cruel torture nearly took his life.

Mr. Sun Changjun has endured many types of torture, including the Tiger Bench¹, electric shocks, fractured ribs and more. The long periods of torture have taken a severe toll on his health. He suffers from tuberculosis, pleural cavities as a result of his late-term tuberculosis, tuberculous peritonitis, pleural effusion and ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, causing abdominal swelling). Authorities have refused to allow his release on bail for medical attention even though he is in immediate need of medical help. We implore the people of the world to speak up and be heard so that Mr. Sun Changjun can be immediately released from prison.

The "Self-immolation on Tiananmen Square" Was Actually Staged

On January 23rd, 2001, the eve of the Chinese New Year, not many tourists were on Tiananmen Square. According to the communist regime news agency, Xinhua, at 2:41 p.m. on the northeast side of the People’s Hero Monument, a man named Wang Jindong set himself on fire. “Four police officers immediately surrounded the man with several fire extinguishers.” “In less than a minute, the fire was put out.” A few minutes later on the north side of the People’s Hero Monument, four women also set themselves on fire. A minute and a half later, the police had put out those fires. The entire scene played out in less than seven minutes. One person died at the scene, and four others were burned. China's state-run media claimed that the immolators were Falun Gong practitioners.

Following the incident, the outside world raised many questions.

Falun Gong is a Buddha School cultivation practice. Its teachings explicitly prohibit killing and suicide. Then why would genuine Falun Gong practitioners set themselves on fire? Police officers who patrol Tiananmen Square don't normally carry fire-fighting equipment, so why were over 20 pieces on hand that day? In addition, the police had quick access to fire-extinguishing blankets, which are rarely seen under normal circumstances.

Close analysis of footage broadcast by the regime's television station CCTV found significant inaccuracies. For example, in slow motion, one video sequence revealed that Liu, who in the Xinhua version supposedly died from burn injuries, actually received a sharp blow to the head with what looks like a metal bar, delivered by a man wearing an army overcoat. She was seen falling instantly to the ground and most likely died from the blow. The question arises: Did Ms. Liu willingly set herself on fire or did she die from a blow to the head?

Shortly after the self-immolation incident was staged, Washington Post reporter Phillip Pan visited Liu Chunling's hometown, Kaifeng City, Henan Province, to find out more about her. Her neighbours told him that they had never seen her practising Falun Gong. He also learned that Ms. Liu was not a Kaifeng native, that she made a living as a hostess in a nightclub, and that she beat her elderly mother and young daughter from time to time, which is not something a true Falun Gong practitioner would do.

Immolator Wang Jindong was shown to have been badly burned. Human hair burns very quickly and plastic melts, but his hair and the allegedly petrol-filled plastic Sprite bottle between his legs remained miraculously intact. A police officer held a fire-extinguishing blanket up as he walked behind Wang Jindong, but it seems that, as if on cue, he did not cover Wang with it until Wang finished calling out words implicating Falun Gong.

Letting Go of Life and Death to Uphold the Truth

The greatest fear of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) totalitarian regime is having its lies made public so that people become aware of what is really going on. With the success of Falun Gong practitioners' tapping into the Changchung City television network to broadcast programmes exposing the persecution of Falun Gong and its widespread impact, Jiang Zemin, [former leader of China and instigator of the persecution] and his henchmen were stunned, and in a frenzy of revenge, issued a secret order to "kill [those responsible for the incident] without pardon." Soon, police agents arrested more than 5,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun City, and most of them were brutally tortured. During their arrests, at least seven were beaten to death. Five of the killed practitioners' names have been verified: 34-year-old doctor Mr. Liu Haibo; 54-year-old Ms. Li Shuqin; 35-year-old Ms. Li Rong, who graduated from Jilin University; 35-year-old Mr. Hou Mingkai; and 34-year-old Mr. Liu Yi.

CCP court officials tried 15 practitioners who participated in the TV cable-tapping on September 19th, 2002. As soon as the practitioners entered the hall they began shouting, "Falun Gong is good," "Falun Gong is righteous!" The police panicked. Initially, two police officers monitored each practitioner, and later three officers monitored each practitioner. The officers were changed once every ten minutes, and then once every three to five minutes. The entire court was in chaos. The officers used dozens of high-voltage electric batons to take turns shocking the practitioners' sensitive parts. Despite the abuse and torture, the practitioners still shouted, "Falun Gong is good!"

Eleven male practitioners were sent to Jilin Prison, and four female practitioners were sent to the Jilin Province Women's Prison and the Heizuizi Women's Prison, on October 25th, 2002. Jilin Prison guards used the most heinous and brutal methods to abuse and torture the practitioners. Over the next nine years, four of the eleven practitioners died as a result of gross abuse and torture. They included Mr. Liu Chengjun, who died at age 32 in 2003; Mr. Wei Xiushan, who died in 2004; Mr. Lei Ming, who died at age 35 in 2006; and Mr. Liang Zhenxing, who died at age 46 in 2010. Mr. Yun Qingbin suffered mental problems and is currently being held in the “transformation” [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] centre in Ward No.8.

Mr. Sun Changjun was arrested in late August 2002 and tortured on a tiger bench for two days. During his trial in September 2002, much of his body was burned and charred from high-voltage electric baton shocks . When he was sent to the Jilin Prison on October 25th, 2002, that very night the inmates beat him with rubber hoses, fracturing a rib on his left side. In late 2003, the guards put him under "strict-control" for more than 70 days, which resulted in his losing 50 pounds.

In July 2005, Mr. Sun vomited blood, due to blood in both lungs, which indicated his tuberculosis was already in the late stages. From November 2007-2009, Mr. Sun suffered from fluid in his chest and abdomen and became emaciated, but the prison administration still refused to release him. It has been learned that Mr. Sun's health has slightly improved, but he is still in critical condition.

Recollections

Among the 15 practitioners who participated in the successful attempt to broadcast videos explaining the true situation about the persecution of Falun Gong over cable TV in Changchun City, five have died as a result of gross abuse and torture. Local practitioners recall their voices and smiles, and the memories are still fresh in their minds.

Mr. Liu Chengjun was well-built and had a resonant voice. He was diligent in his cultivation practice. As practitioners recall, when practitioners studied the Falun Gong teachings together, he read in a soft and easy manner, which was particularly pleasant to listen to. Mr. Liu was subjected to forced labour many times because he spoke with people about Falun Gong and the persecution, printed informational materials, and distributed flyers to help raise people's awareness about the persecution. He never yielded to the persecution. Mr. Liu was a loving father. He once brought his five-year-old son Mohan to a residence where many practitioners lived. At night, with tears in his eyes, Mr. Liu gently caressed his son's head to help him fall asleep.

Mr. Liu Chengjun was subjected to 21 months of severe abuse and ruthless torture in prison. He died on December 26th, 2003, at the Sino-Japan Friendship Hospital affiliated with Jilin University in Changchun City. (Related article: Liu Chengjun, One of the First to Broadcast The Facts of the Persecution Over Chinese State-Run TV, Dies as a Result of Torture)

Mr. Liang was friendly and always smiled. He busied himself daily in helping raise people's awareness about the persecution. He died on May 1st, 2010, in the Gongzhuling Central Hospital under the supervision of Gongzhuling Prison guards. (Related article: Another Participant in the 2002 Falun Gong Cable TV Broadcasts in Changchun City Dies in Custody)

Mr. Lei Ming was mature and capable. When selecting locations for broadcasting the programmes, one location was close to the television station on a utility pole. It was a difficult situation to handle, but it was the best location. If not done, half of the population of Changchun would have been unable to receive the signal. Despite the challenges, Mr. Lei took the initiative to get it done. During the broadcast, police agents traced the lines that were tapped into the cable TV network and accosted Mr. Zhang Wen and Mr. Kei on their way. Mr. Lei pushed Mr. Zhang aside and walked towards the police. He was arrested. After being horribly abused and tortured, Mr. Lei died on August 6th, 2006.

Mr. Wei Xiushan from Huadian died in 2004 as a result of severe torture in Ward No. 7 in Jilin Prison.

Thirty-five-year-old Mr. Hou Mingkai was arrested on August 21st, 2002, and died as a result of torture within two days. According to an eyewitness, Jilin City 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) agents and Domestic Security Division officers arrested Mr. Hou and three other practitioners on August 20th, 2002. That same night at least ten police officers were in the room with Mr. Hou, and the sounds of beating could be heard outside. Mr. Hou was very tough and didn't even moan. Some officers grew tired from beating him and went into another room to take a break. They said, "That guy endures a great deal. We couldn't break him, even after using all kinds of tortures." Officers from many other areas were later called to Mr. Hou's room. During that time, constant beating sounds and police curses could be heard. Within 30 minutes the police said, "Hou Mingkai is finished. He is dying!" That was around 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m. on August 21st, 2000.

Conclusion

The Chinese Communist regime's persecution of 100 million Falun Gong practitioners is backed up by its genocidal policies, such as, "Defame their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically," and "Beating them to death is nothing and shall be counted as suicide." Legal scholars view the persecution as "the most serious violation against human rights since World War II." It is also a huge catastrophe for the Chinese people.

Despite brutal persecution, millions and millions of practitioners still firmly believe that the world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They risk their lives to rationally and peacefully raise people's awareness about the persecution, uphold Chinese people's right to know the truth, and hope that more people will have a wonderful future.

We call upon all kindhearted people inside and outside of China to take urgent action to learn the facts and work with Falun Gong practitioners to rescue Mr. Sun Changjun and all imprisoned practitioners.

Note

1. "Tiger Bench": Prisoners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead without movement for long periods of time.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/10/21/2--248172.