Mr. Chang Shi's Entire Family Arrested in Jilin City; Wife's Life in Danger

Name: Chang Shi
Gender: Male
Age: 52
Address: Jilin City
Occupation: Engineer at the Jilin City Telecommunications Bureau
Date of Most Recent Arrest: August 9th, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Jilin City Detention Centre
City: Jilin
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Detention, interrogation, imprisonment, torture, fired from workplace, home ransacked

Mr. Chang Shi, his wife and their 19-year-old daughter were arrested on August 9th, 2012, by officers from the Changjing Police Station in Jilin City. The police ransacked their home, confiscated their valuables, including cash, and left their home unlocked. Mr. Chang was then sent to the Jilin City Detention Centre, while his daughter, Ms. Chang Huiying, was incarcerated in the Shahezi Brainwashing Centre. His wife, Ms. Zhang Jingdong, was severely persecuted in police custody, requiring emergency rescue. She was then sent to Changchun Forced Labour Camp despite being in critical condition.

Mr. Chang, 52, an engineer at the Jilin City Telecommunications Bureau, graduated from Changchun Institute of Posts and Telecommunications. He was named “Advanced Worker” many times by his company and was often considered a leader in his profession. In 1997, he began to practise Falun Gong with his wife, who used to suffer from many illnesses. Through cultivating, the couple deeply felt that Falun Gong not only benefited them in healing illnesses and keeping fit, but also in all other aspects of their lives.

On July 20th, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Gong. On April 16th, 2002, Mr. Chang was arrested by police officers from the Jilin City Police Department for persisting in his faith. They ransacked his home and confiscated his personal belongings, such as a computer, printer, and a CD burner. In an attempt to force Mr. Chang to expose local sites where practitioners made informational materials to explain the facts about Falun Gong, the police interrogated him using various methods of torture. In one brutal torture, called “Iron Rods Roll Legs,” Mr. Chang's flesh was separated from his leg bones. Subsequently, Mr. Chang was incarcerated at a detention centre for 6 months, where suffered a great deal mentally and physically. Upon his release, he was fired from his workplace.

Entire family arrested for practising Falun Gong

Around noon on August 9th, 2012, Mr. Chang was arrested by a group of police officers in front of his apartment building. They beat him, dragged him and threw him into a police car. About 8 other officers went upstairs to his home, tied his wife Ms. Zhang with a rope, and brought her downstairs. More than 30 people in front of the apartment building witnessed the proceedings. Ms. Zhang told the crowd that was watching: “I practise Falun Gong. We are good people. We didn't commit any crime.”

A witness said that police officers had confiscated many items from Mr. Chang and Ms. Zhang's home. It took them quite a while to transfer all of the items to their car, and they didn't bother to lock the door to Mr. Chang and Ms. Zhang's home when they left. The home was left in disarray.

That afternoon, the police took Mr. Chang to the Criminal Police Division and interrogated him. He was then detained at the Jilin City Detention Centre.

Mr. Chang and Ms. Zhang's 19-year-old daughter, Ms. Chang Huiying, was also arrested by officers from the Changjiang Police Station, who worked in collusion with the Changhong Residential Committee. Ms. Chang was detained at the Shahezi Brainwashing Centre.

Wife's life in danger

Mr. Chang's wife, Ms. Zhang Jingdong, used to be an accounting manager at the Jilin branch of the Shanghai Haitong Securities, but had to give up her job due to poor health. She suffered from heart disease and many other illnesses and had to be hospitalized for long periods of time. She also suffered from chronic fatigue, weakness, loss of memory, generalised aches and pains, and insomnia. In 1997, Ms. Zhang started to practise Falun Gong along with her husband. Within a month, all of her illnesses miraculously disappeared. Since then, she has been very healthy and hasn't had to take any medication for over 10 years.

Following her arrest on August 9th, 2012, Ms. Zhang was severely persecuted in police custody. According to the involved medical staff at the Jilin City Central Hospital, she was brought in to the hospital by several police officers on the morning of August 23rd. Ms. Zhang was having difficulty breathing and had the symptoms of myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction.

After performing a 30-minute emergency rescue, the doctors demanded that Ms. Zhang remain hospitalized for further treatment. However, the police officers forcibly pushed Ms. Zhang out of the emergency room, with IV fluids still administrated in both of her arms and an oxygen tube in her nose. She was put into an ambulance escorted by police and taken away from the hospital. Ms. Zhang was then sent to Changchun Forced Labour Camp.

Parties involved in the persecution:

Zheng Haifeng, deputy director of Changjing Police Station: +86-13944639757 (Mobile)