Three Falun Gong Practitioners from Xiangtan Have Been Imprisoned for Many Years, Their Terms Expire Soon

Three Xiangtan area practitioners—Mr. Lu Songming, Mr. Liu Chunquan and Mr. Zhang Junjie—were each sentenced, Mr. Lu to five years, Mr. Liu to ten years, and Mr. Zhang to four years of imprisonment. Mr. Lu and Mr. Zhang have been held in Jinshi Prison, and Mr. Liu in Wuling Prison in Changde. Mr. Lu and Mr. Liu’s terms expire in early February 2012, and Mr. Zhang’s term expires in mid March. The following recounts the persecution experienced by the three practitioners over the past eleven years:

Mr. Lu Songming Subjected to a Total of Ten Years of Imprisonment

Mr. Lu Songming, in his 40s, from Xiangtan City taught history in the Xiangtan Electric Machine Factory Staff Children’s High School. He started to practise Falun Gong in 1996. He was fired from his job in 2001 because he remained steadfast in his belief.

Mr. Lu was arrested on February 4th, 2007, as he spoke with people about Falun Gong and the persecution in Xingzipu, Shuangfeng County, Loudi City. He was held in the Shuangfeng County Detention Centre for 11 months before he was sentenced to five years in the Jinshi Prison. His term expired on February 3rd, 2012.

The prison guards employed all kinds of methods in an attempt to coerce Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their belief. They informed Mr. Lu’s family in the first half of 2011 and ordered them to assist in “reforming” [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] Mr. Lu. Mr. Lu refused to be “reformed.”

Prior to his 5-year imprisonment in Jinshi Prison, Mr. Lu was sentenced to five years in prison on March 11th, 2001, for delivering materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong. He was severely abused and tortured in three prisons: Chishan Prison in Yuanjiang, Yiyang; Jinshi Prison; and Wuling Prison in Changde. He was released in 2006. After his return home, his son couldn’t recognize his father, and his wife divorced him.

Mr. Lu had a street shoeshine business and later sold peanuts to make a living. He was arrested again in February 2007 in Xingzipu, Shuangfeng County, Loudi City, one year after his release from prison. He was sentenced to another five years and is still held in Jinshi Prison.

Mr. Liu Chunquan Subjected to Severe Physical Abuse and Torture During His Ten Years of Imprisonment

Mr. Liu Chunquan, in his 50s, from Xiangtan went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong in February 2000. He was arrested and taken to the Xiangtan Liaison Office in Beijing. Police officers physically abused and tortured him. He was handcuffed the whole time when he was taken back to Xiangtan from Beijing. He was then detained for 30 days.

Mr. Liu was arrested again in February 2002 and sentenced to ten years in prison for making informational materials about Falun Gong. He was transferred to Changsha Prison, then to Chishan Prison, and, finally, to Wuling Prison, where he is now. Mr. Liu’s ten-year imprisonment term expired on February 9th, 2012.

When he was held in Changsha Prison, guard Zhang made Mr. Liu kneel and beat him. Mr. Liu was once hung up on a big metal gate in the Strictly Controlled Division until he lost consciousness. He was also subjected to many other tortures, insults, verbal and physical abuses. He was forced to do hard labour until dawn.

Mr. Liu was transferred from Changsha Prison to Chishan Prison in late 2004. He was tied up and shocked with electric batons and later hung up. Mr. Liu held a two-week hunger strike to protest the gross abuse and mistreatment. He was force-fed daily and was shackled to a bed in a spread-eagle position for two weeks.

Mr. Zhang Junjie, 79 Years Old, Held in Jinshi Prison in Changde City

Mr. Zhang Junjie, 79, is retired from the Tannery of the Xiangtan City Light Industry Bureau. A group of officers from the Xiangtan City State Security Division and the Yuhu Police Department ransacked Mr. Zhang’s home in March 2008, then arrested him and took him away. Court officials later sentenced him to four years in prison and held him in Jinshi Prison.

Mr. Zhang’s four-year term will expire in mid March 2012.

Parties responsible for the persecution of the three practitioners:

Jinshi Prison: +86-736-4298199, +86-736-4298113, +86-736-4298608, +86-736-4298220

Wang Jinshan, Jinshi Prison head: +86-736-4298220

Shen Yu, Hunan Province 610 Office head: +86-731-82219065,
Jiang Heping, deputy head: +86-731-82215011

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2012/1/19/252009.html