Practitioner Zhang Shengquan From Chongqing City, Previously Sentenced to Prison and Forced Labour Camp, Recently Framed and Sentenced Again to a Four-Year Prison Term

Name: Zhang Shengquan
Gender: Male
Age: Approximately 53
Address: Shiqiaopu, Gaoxin District, Chongqing City
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: February 16th, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Detention Centre
City: Chongqing City
Persecution Suffered: Detention, forced labour, brutal beatings, denial of toilet use, sleep deprivation, imprisonment.

On February 16th, 2012, Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Shengquan was arrested by nine police officers led by Liu Liang, team leader of the third team of the Chongqing City Domestic Security Bureau. Five days later, the Chongqing City Judicial System secretly sentenced him to a four-year prison term. Zhang Shengquan will appeal the court ruling.

Since Zhang Shengquan started cultivating Falun Gong, he has been strict with himself in following the requirements of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” and is always willing to help others. He had a shop at the Shiqiaopu Trade Centre, where he conducted business fairly and deceived no one. But the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) nonetheless constantly persecuted him. He previously had been sentenced to two years of forced labour and a three-year prison term for his beliefs.

According to inside information, the recent arrest of Zhang Shengquan is related to another persecution of him two years prior. On November 16th, 2010, Zhang Shengquan had been arrested by police officers from Chongqing. He was detained at the Yuzhong District Detention Centre and the Huayan Detention Centre in Jiulongpo District for ten months. In September 2011, he was released on bail.

On November 17th, the Jiulong District Court held a trial of Zhang Shengquan. In the trial, Zhang Shengquan exposed the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) as a terrorist organisation, explaining how it overrides the law, slanders Falun Gong, and controls the judicial system to persecute the good people who believe in Falun Gong. When the Procuratorate listed the evidence fabricated by the 610 Office, Zhang Shengquan immediately exposed how the 610 Office and judicial system used lies to deceive the public and had fabricated the evidence to frame him. The court could not refute these facts. The court claimed that further investigation was needed and adjourned the trial. Zhang Shengquan returned home the same day.

This time the Chongqing judicial system's arrest and sentencing of Zhang Shengquan was performed secretly. Only five days passed from the day he was arrested to the day he was sentenced.

Since Zhang Shengquan was arrested by CCP police on February 16th, his whereabouts have been unknown. His family looked for him for some time. They later visited the Procuratorate and court in Jiulongpo District. On the morning of February 21st, members of his family came to the court. His wife looked around for the related officials, but could not find them. After 2:00 p.m. that afternoon, his family called team leader Liu Liang of the third team in the Public Security Bureau. Liu Liang said that a trial had been held that morning and that the court had already sentenced Zhang Shengquan to a four-year prison term. He also said that the court had already sent him back to the detention centre via the back door of the courtroom. His family members questioned, “Why didn't you notify us? Since trial is today, why you didn't let us in? Why did you not send him out the front door? Our entire family was waiting in front of the court since 9:00 a.m. this morning.” Liu Liang immediately hung up the phone.

Liu Liang later notified Zhang Shengquan's family that Zhang Shengquan wanted to appeal, and the court had already appointed a lawyer for him. The trial was scheduled for 15 days later. Liu Liang asked Zhang Shengquan's family member to pay the attorney fee.

Zhang Shengquan had been frequently persecuted before by the CCP. He had been sentenced to forced labour for two years and a three-year prison term in prior years.

In August 2001, Zhang Shengquan was arrested at the Shiqiaopu Trade Centre in Chongqing City while passing out materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong. He was later sentenced to two years of forced labour. He was brutally tortured at the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp, including being brutally beaten by prisoners who were incited by police, since Mr. Zhang refused to wear the prisoners' uniform. The beating caused severe damage to his sternum and heart, leading to internal bleeding, and he was hospitalized. He was also beaten by the police and prisoners because he resisted their slandering of Falun Gong. They knocked out one of his teeth and injured his toe. He also suffered from being denied use of the toilet and not being allowed to sleep for several consecutive days.

Mr. Zhang Shengquan was arrested on the morning of October 11th, 2004, on his way from Sansheng Town in Beipei District, Chongqing City, to Liuyin Town, for passing out Falun Gong materials along the way. He was detained at the Beipei Detention Centre and subjected to brutal torture for several months. He was tortured so badly that he could not remember his home address. In June 2005, Zhang Shengquan was sentenced to three and a half years of prison and was incarcerated at Yongchuan Prison.

Related article:
http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2003/6/24/37301.html