The Persecution of Qu Lianxi and His Family Over the Past Twelve Years

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Qu Lianxi from the Zhongshan District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, was imprisoned and brutally persecuted for 10 years, after being arrested on August 29th, 2001. He was released on August 28th, 2011, but his previously happy family had already been torn apart due to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong.

During Qu Lianxi’s imprisonment, his wife Shi Guifen was arrested and detained five times, and also sent to a forced labour camp. His second oldest sister Qu Ping was arrested and detained six times, and sadly, in 2008, Qu Ping died due to the long term persecution. In early August, 2001, Qu Lianxi's father passed away in grief and anger. At that time, Qu Lianxi was forced to become homeless and destitute. His wife, Shi Guifen, had also been detained. Qu Xiulan and Qu Ping had been imprisoned. Qu Lianxi's father could not see his children before he passed away. Mr. Qu's mother, who was over 80 years old and unwell and weak, had to take on the responsibility of supporting her broken family. In addition, Qu's sister, Shi Guixiang, had also been sentenced to two years forced labour because she practised Falun Gong. Qu Lianxi’s family situation reflected that of tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in China who have endured similar grave circumstances.

Qu Lianxi Imprisoned for Ten Years and Experienced Brutal Persecution

Mr. Qu Lianxi, 51, went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practise Falun Gong with his wife Shi Guifen on October 3rd, 1999. They lived in Tongzhou County, Beijing, together with many other practitioners from all over the country. Later, all the practitioners who lived there were arrested by police from Dalian City Police Department and the Domestic Security Division. Qu Lianxi and his wife were detained at the Dalian Development District Detention Centre. During the detention, Qu Lianxi was handcuffed to an iron chair by police from Two Seven Square and was beaten with electric batons and wooden sticks to get him to give up his practice of Falun Gong.

Later, the couple was transferred to the Yaojia Detention Centre. Just after Shi Guifen was released, Qu Lianxi was transferred again to the Dalian City Forced Labour Camp and imprisoned there for a year. After his release, he was frequently harassed by the police. He was also forced to report to the police and was asked if he still practised Falun Gong. The police also forced him to write a guarantee statement saying that he would give up Falun Gong. In January, 2001, he was forced to become destitute and homeless.

On August 29th, 2001, Qu Lianxi was arrested by the police from Shahekou District Police Department in Dalian City. The police extorted 1,700 yuan¹ from him, took mp3 players, two copiers, a set of printing tools, dozens of paper packs, and two bank ATM cards totalling over 10,000 yuan. In the detention centre, Qu Lianxi went on a hunger strike to protest his persecution and he was forcibly fed a high concentration salt solution.

Thirteen months later, Qu Lianxi was sentenced by the local court and imprisoned at Wafangdian Prison. He refused to do forced labour and was forced to sit on a small bench about 25cm long, 5cm wide and 20cm high for a long time. The police also sent a prisoner to watch him. He was then transferred to the Huazi Prison in Liaoyang.

Qu Lianxi continued his hunger strike after he was transferred to Huazi prison. The guards dragged him to the clinic and forced-fed him. They handcuffed his hands and shackled his feet onto two sides of the bed and tied a rope to both sides of the bed to restrain him. He was forced-fed two to three times a day, and two prisoners were sent to watch him. He could only sleep for two to three hours a day. He was not allowed to go to the toilet to urinate and had to use a container. Only when he needed to have a bowel movement was he allowed to go to the toilet. He became extremely thin. This lasted for about three months. During this time, he developed scabies that spread all over his body and were painful and itchy, but he could not move as he was restrained.

Later, the guards tried to force him to do hard labour but he refused. They incited the prisoners to lift and drag him out while beating and kicking him. He also refused to call his assigned prison number. The guard gave the order to beat him so badly that he could not walk. Because of this brutal treatment, he went on another hunger strike to protest. The guards incited prisoners to make him do very dirty work in a very bad environment to punish him. They also put an iron plate on top of hot cinders and dragged him to stand on it, which caused large blisters on his feet.

After five years, Qu Lianxi was transferred to Panjin Prison. He once saw the guards search a practitioner and take away his printed copies of Falun Gong articles. He insisted that they be returned. The guards refused and Qu protested by going on a hunger strike. He was dragged to the basketball court where he was left to freeze for six to seven hours a day. It was a very cold winter in Panjin. The wind would have been like a knife cutting his face. His whole body trembled profusely.

In order to stop the persecution, he went on a hunger strike many times. The guards would drag him to the prison hospital and forcibly administer drugs and force-feed him. They added a large amount of salt to the solution. Qu Lianxi was imprisoned at Panjin Prison for over four years and was released on August 28th, 2011.

Since October 1999, Qu Lianxi's salary had continued to be paid to his employer. During his imprisonment, his employer sent people to the prison to terminate the labour contract with him but he did not agree and did not sign the paperwork. Twelve years later, his employer would not give him a single penny of his salary.

Wife Shi Guifen Arrested Five Times and Sent to Forced Labour Camp

Qu Lianxi's wife, Shi Guifen, 50, started to cultivate Falun Gong in October 1996. In October 1999, she went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practise Falun Gong. She was arrested in Tong County, Beijing, and taken back to Dalian City. At Kunming Street Police Station her hands were handcuffed behind her back. The police officers shouted at her, and scolded, punched and kicked her and tried to beat her down to the ground. But she stood still and did not fall down. The police then slapped her face repeatedly. Her mouth bled and her teeth were damaged. The skin inside her mouth peeled off and she subsequently had to swallow it. The police also used an electric baton to shock her, and threatened her by putting the electric baton on her temple. She was not provided with food or water and not allowed to go to the restroom. She was beaten repeatedly for a whole night. On the second day when the police removed the handcuffs, they found her eyes were so swollen that you could barely see them and her face was disfigured. She was further detained at the Developing District Detention Centre and Yaojia Detention Centre for over a month before she was released.

In March 2001, Shi Guiwen went out to buy some vegetables and was taken away in a police vehicle by plainclothes police officers who had been monitoring her. She was handcuffed and sent to the Heishijiao Police Station for interrogation where she was kept for 24 hours. The police found no evidence against her and had to release her. But shortly afterwards, police broke into her house saying she needed to come back to the police station for further investigation. However, the police took her directly to the Yaojia Detention Centre and detained her for a month.

On the evening of May 22nd, 2001, Shi Guifen was posting materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in an area where the police were hiding. She was taken to the police station where the police interrogated her violently. The next day, she was sent to the Yaojia Detention Centre and was again detained for over a month. In the detention centre, she refused to wear a prison uniform, comply with the prison rules, or follow orders. The police beat her repeatedly and handcuffed her to an iron ring fixed on the ground for the next month. Later she was sentenced to a one-year term of forced labour.

At 3:00 a.m. one morning, she was dragged to a police vehicle and taken to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. Because she could not stand or walk due to the prolonged persecution, the forced labour camp refused to accept her. However, the local police bribed the labour camp and she was finally accepted. The police handling her case ordered her to sign a paper for the return of 5,700 yuan that they had taken from her while ransacking her home. After she signed, the police only gave her 4,000 yuan. She questioned the police as to why it was 1,700 yuan less. The police said, “The transportation and food costs were all deducted from the amount.” She said, “You are robbers. You persecute me and also take my money.” The four police officers on the scene did not answer. One of them is called Liang Meng.

One morning in October 2002, Shi Guifen was returning home after grocery shopping. Police officers were waiting to again arrest her. She was kicked and dragged from the second floor to the police vehicle and taken to the Jieshan Police Station. The police fabricated lies and detained her at the Yaojia Detention Centre for a month. During the detention, Shi Guifen went on a hunger strike for a week and was subsequently force-fed. A few male prisoners held her down on the bed, pried her mouth open and used the bottom of their shoes to slap her face. Later she was detained in the forced labour room and handcuffed to the iron ring fixed on the ground for two weeks. Later, she was sentenced to two years of forced labour and was transferred to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. In the forced labour camp, the guards incited collaborators² to prick her fingers with pens and did not allow her to sleep, which resulted in her experiencing myocardial ischemia and heart failure. She could not climb the stairs for four months. Police officer Wang Xueqiu and captain Lu Yueqin incited others in the forced labour camp to beat her, drag her by the hair, kick her legs and not allow her to go to the toilet during her menstrual period.

In September 2008, when Ms. Shi went to another Falun Gong practitioner's home, she was arrested and taken to the Hutan Police Station. As she was very weak from the years of persecution, she suddenly fainted and lost consciousness. Nevertheless, the police took her to the Yaojia Detention Centre in the middle of the night and detained her for a month. Later, she was again transferred to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp and held for two years. Shi Guifen did not cooperate with the forced labour camp for the so-called “performance assessment,” and as a consequence, guards Sun Bin and Guan Lin beat and kicked her and forcibly grabbed her hand to sign the assessment paper.

On September 9th, 2010, Shi Guifen was due to be released after serving her two year term. However, the Zhongshan District 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) did not allow her family to pick her up. Instead, she was taken directly to the Luotaishanzhuang Brainwashing Centre in Fushun City and was not released until she had been detained and persecuted for 20 more days.

After Shi Guifen was arrested and sent to the forced labour camp in 2008, her 82-year-old mother-in-law had to do all the housework and take care of her grandsons. Her mother-in-law would go to the Hutan Police Station and request Shi Guifen’s release. Due to the immense pressure of the responsibility and missing her daughter-in-law, Shi Guifen's mother-in-law could not take the hardships any more. She walked hunched over and her body became weaker and weaker.

Third Eldest Sister Qu Ping Persecuted to Death

Qu Lianxi's third eldest sister, Qu Ping, born on August 11th, 1955, was from Liangjiadian, Jinzhou District in Dalian City. She was the clerk of the Liangjiadian Post Office in Jinzhou District. She started to cultivate Falun Gong in 1997. After the CCP launched its persecution of Falun Gong on July 20th, 1999, Qu Ping was arrested six times. She was persecuted to death on May 22nd, 2006 at age 51. Below is the information regarding her arrests and subsequent death.

In October 1999, Qu Ping went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practise Falun Gong and was detained. A month later, her employer fired her.

In July 2000, Qu Ping was sentenced to two years forced labour and imprisoned at the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. She was released in May 2001 and later was forced to become homeless and destitute.

In August 2001, Qu Ping went to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp to visit her sister-in-law Shi Guifen who was imprisoned there. She was reported to the authorities by the taxi driver for offering him informational materials, and arrested by the local police in Masanjia. Qu Ping went on a hunger strike to protest her arrest. A few days later, she was transferred to the Jinzhou District Detention Centre where she continued her hunger strike for over two months. When she was finally released she went back home, but in order to avoid harassment from the local police she again had to become homeless.

In May 2003 at around 10:00 p.m., police from the Liangjiadian Police Station broke into Qu Ping's home to arrest her. As she was not there, they arrested her husband. Qu Ping could not find a stable place to eat and sleep and it was very difficult for her. Sometimes she did not eat the whole day. Once she went to her 80-year-old mother's home in Kuiying Street in Dalian City; however,over ten police officers, including police officers Sun, Wang and Huang, who had hidden nearby, forcibly broke into the room. Qu Ping jumped out the second floor window to escape and injured her vertebra. Even though she was in critical condition, the police still put her into a police vehicle and took her to the police station. During the night, they realised that her life was in danger, so they drove to the building where her mother lived and threw Qu Ping out of the vehicle. Fortunately a neighbour found her. Qu Lianxi's mother and son carried her into the home. Qu Ping’s mind was still clear but she couldn’t straighten her back and had to walk with her back hunched over for a very long time.

In October 2004, Qu Ping was again arrested at a shop in town by the police from Liangjiadian Police Station. She was sent to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp but she was rejected for failing the physical exam. She was finally sent home.

On May 22nd, 2006, Qu Ping died as a result of the long term harassment and persecution.

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

2. "Collaborators" (former practitioners, brainwashed against Falun Gong, made to assist in brainwashing and torturing practitioners)

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/10/16/247827.html