Lu Zhenxiang - 陆振祥
(Minghui.org) Mr. Lu Zhenxiang, a 66-year old Falun Gong practitioner from Jiujiang City, was illegally arrested seven times and served a five-year jail sentence. During the long term of slave labor, brainwashing and torture, he suffered a number of illnesses, including spinal hyperostosis, hypertension, and diabetes; he also lost all his teeth. His current physical condition is extremely poor. His wife, Wang Shifan, was arrested twice and sentenced to 18 months of forced labor and three years in prison.
Mr. Lu Zhenxiang was employed by Saihu Farm’s Fish Nursery in Jiujiang County, Jiangxi Province. Ever since July 20, 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to persecute Falun Gong, Mr. Lu has been repeatedly arrested, sentenced to prison, sent to labor camps, fined, fired, and had his home ransacked. The following is his account of persecution:
Both my wife and I began to practice Falun Gong in 1997. We improved our moral and physical health. I quit smoking and playing mahjong (gambling). My prior diseases such as arthritis, stomach trouble, and insomnia were all cured. Every day, we read Dafa books and did the exercises with other practitioners. We were fully energized at work.
On July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin’s regime started the persecution of Falun Gong. On July 21, I was on my way to Beijing with other practitioners to appeal for Dafa. Our car was stopped by police in Xiui County, Hubei Province. A police officer from Jiujiang County escorted me back to Jiujiang Detention Center, where I was illegally detained for 15 days. Policeman Li Jianhua (deceased) often published articles that attacked Dafa. He ordered us to give up our practice. Before they released me, they made my family pay 350 yuan in extortion.
I was sent to a brainwashing center in July 2000. The police attempted to force me to write a guarantee statement to give up Falun Gong, which I refused to do. Officers from Saihu Police Station took me to a detention center. After one month and after extorting 2000 yuan from me, they released me. Saihu Police Station head Li Meirong was the chief perpetrator; police officers from the County Police Department also participated.
I went to Beijing to appeal in November 2000. The police at Tiananmen Square arrested me and took me to Pinggu County Detention Center. The police there wouldn't let us use the toilet and deprived us of sleep. The harsh treatment injured me so badly that I had internal bleeding. A week later, they sent me back to Jiujiang Detention Center. The local 610 Office and police refused to allow family visits on Chinese New Year Eve. After three months of detention, I was taken to a brainwashing center at the 916 Geological Survey Office. Four months later, they released me after extorting 3000 yuan in travel and food expenses from my family. Liu Yan from Saihu Police Station and Wan Weijun, Li Jianhua, and Rao Hongyan from the County 610 Office were actively involved in this case.
In June 2001, five policemen from Jiujiang City, the Lushan District, ransacked my house. They took away my copy of Zhuan Falun and two telescopes, and took me to Lushan District Police Department without following any legal procedures. The police tried to force me to “confess” to my activities without any evidence. I spent two weeks there, and was released after they charged my family 200 yuan in food expenses. When I later asked them to return my belongings, they refused to acknowledge what they took from my house.
On November 27, Rao Hongyan from Jiujiang 610 Office and head Xu from Gangkou Town Police Station arrested me and my wife. In the detention center, I suffered from severe illnesses: My legs felt numb and I had difficulty walking. I also suffered from hypertension and heart disease. My children asked them to release me on a medical parole, but they refused. They also threw away the medicine supplied by my family. After eight months of detention, they sentenced me to five years in prison. I spent the next five years in Yuzhang Prison in Jiangxi Province. I was in such poor health that the guards predicted that I could not survive much longer. But they also denied me a medical parole, and even forbade my family from sending me food.
After five years, I was released. When I filed for retirement benefits, the Jiujiang County Human Resource Department refused, and claimed that I was fired and therefore did not deserve retirement benefits like other citizens.
My wife was illegally detained in Jiujiang County Detention Center on November 27, 2002. After three months, she was subjected to three years of forced labor. In 2005, she applied for retirement at Jiujiang County Social Security Department and was granted a pension that was 60 yuan/month short of what she should have received. Now, due to my poor health, we have to live on her 600 yuan per month meager pension.
On the evening of May 7, 2008, my wife and I went to another practitioner’s home to study the Fa. Saihu Police head Mei Jinhua and eight policemen suddenly showed up and arrested us. Mei Jinhua also planned to search my house. When I protested, Mei grabbed me by the neck and told another officer to put handcuffs on me. My wife wanted to stop his violence, but he twisted her arm behind her back and threw her into a wall. The next day, the police took me to Jiujiang Detention Center, where I was sentenced to 18 months of forced labor. Later, due to my poor health, they released me. Policemen Mei Jinhua, Cai Meng, Zhou Chunbin, and Cao Jie participated in the persecution.
My wife was sent to the Jiujiang Shili Detention Center on May 8. She was then sent to Jiangxi Province Women’s Forced Labor Camp on May 27. Due to severe mistreatment, her health was poor: She had heart problems, hypertension, and often felt dizzy. The main perpetrators who persecuted my wife were: Wan Weijun, Li Jianhua, and Rao Hongyan from Jiujiang County Police Department, Saichenghu Farm’s Party secretary Ye Hongtan and Liu Kai, the head of the politics and law committee.
On July 21, 2009, I went to Yongan Town’s Aimin Village and distributed some truth clarification flyers. Village head Gui Jiaxiang informed the police. Yongan Police Station head Huang Liang arrested me. In the evening, policemen Feng Jianping and Cai Meng took me to Shili Detention Center. Later, Huang Liang and others from the Balihu Police Department planned to send me to Majialong Forced Labor Camp in Jiujiang City, but the camp refused to accept me because of my feeble health, and released me. But Huang Xiang and others did not give up, and they sent my case to the local Procuratorate. Personnel from the Procuratorate harassed me frequently. I insisted on my innocence and told them that I followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and never violated any law. They threatened to sentence me to a seven-year jail term.
To protest their mistreatment, I began a hunger strike. On the 12th day of my hunger strike, they began to force-feed me. They inserted a plastic tube into my stomach. After pumping liquid into my stomach, they left the tube inserted. They also chained my arms and legs to a wooden board. Medical professionals from the No. 1 Hospital and the Women's Hospital performed the force-feeding. After two days and one night, I began to have strong reactions, such as vomiting and headache. Some inmates noticed my declining condition and my bleeding mouth, and they reported it to the police. After they pulled out the tube, I began to vomit blood violently. A policeman asked a doctor, “Can we continue force-feeding him?” The doctor said, “No.” They took me to two hospitals, but both refused to admit me. The police thought I was dying, so they informed my son. (My wife was in the labor camp.)
My son came to see me on August 8. The police charged my son 1000 yuan in medical expenses. Policeman Feng Jianping said, “This is a medical parole. I can arrest you anytime.”
Even after I went home, they continued to harass me. Due to years of persecution, my health is very poor.
