(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Cao Zhenguo, about 37 years old, is an Ezhou City Steel Factory worker. Twice in 1999 he exercised his right to appeal in Beijing for justice concerning Falun Gong. For this, in January 2000 he was arrested and then illegally sentenced to eighteen months in a forced labor camp. Right after he came back from Shahe Forced Labor Camp, in February 2001, he was arrested and sent to the Ezhou City Lianhuashan Brainwashing Center. Since he refused to cooperate with the police, he was sent to Ezhou City No. 1 Detention Center for seven months.
In January 2002, Mr. Cao was arrested again for clarifying the truth, and was illegally sentenced in a closed trial to nine years in prison. Currently he is detained at the Duanqinkou Prison in Wuhan City and is being subjected to brainwashing.
Mr. Cao's wife, Ms. Li Shaoxian, also works for the Ezhou Steel Factory. She was given an illegal sentence of eighteen months by the Xishan Police Station of Ezhou City for refusing the renounce Falun Dafa. She was sent to the Wuhan City Shizishan Forced Labor Camp. She was released after seven months.
Mr. Li Shaojun, who is Cao Zhengguo’s relative, disappeared after he went to Beijing to appeal to the government on July 20, 1999. To this day, no one knows his whereabouts. Mr. Cao’s mother-in-law was illegally detained many times and sent to brainwashing centers for practicing Falun Dafa. With her family suffering the turmoil of government sanctioned persecution, she passed away a few years ago.
Mr. Zhang Jiaying is currently about 45 years old and works for the Ezhou City Concrete Factory. In May 2001, the 610 Office in Ezhou City illegally detained him under weak criminal charges and ransacked his home, due to suspicion that he was distributing truth-clarification materials regarding the "self-immolation incident at Tiananmen Square. Later, he was illegally sentenced to seven years in prison. Currently he is detained at Duanqinkou Prison in Wuhan City and being persecuted.
With no regard for the rule of law, the authorities had Mr. Zhang’s wife, Yanmei, laid off, even though she was not a practitioner. The ensuing financial strain led her to jump from a building and commit suicide on January 28, 2003. At that time, she had a 15-year-old son going to junior high school. He was last heard going to his home village in Hongan, Hubei Province.
In 2000, Mr. Zhang was put under administrative detention for fifteen days and criminal detention for over a month as a result of his 1999 appeal to Beijing for justice for Falun Dafa.
Mr. Hu Zhigang, about 32 years old, is an Ezhou Steel Factory worker. In January 2000, he was illegally sentenced to forced labor camp for eighteen months for twice appealing to Beijing authorities in 1999 for justice for Falun Dafa.
In January 2002, he was arrested again for clarifying the truth and sentenced in a closed court to six years. He is currently detained at Wuhan City's Duanqinkou Prison.
Mr. Hu's wife, Ms. Li, has suffered much persecution for practicing Falun Dafa. She is not employed and was forced to go back to the countryside of Lijiang Town in Ezhou City to make a living for her and her young son. Their difficult life is compounded by the fact that she also has to deal with the welfare of her husband, who is still in jail.
Ms. Guo Liai, over 60 years old, is a retired employee from the cafeteria in E Steel Factory. Her husband passed away in late 1999. In August 2000, due to clarifying the truth, Guo Liai was arrested and later sentenced to seven years in prison. Currently she is detained at the Hubei Women’s Prison for persecution.
Mr. Ji Xietang, over 50 years old, is a college graduate and was the Ezhou Municipal Committee Deputy President of Trade Administration. In January 2000, he was put under illegal administrative detention for fifteen days for appealing to Beijing authorities for justice. In April, Mr. Ji was forcibly sent to the Lianhuashan Brainwashing Center in Ezhou City for refusing to renounce his belief in Falun Dafa. On May 29, the 610 Office put him under illegal criminal detention. Later, he was sentenced in a closed court to five years of imprisonment.
In May 2006, Ji Xietang went to Ezhou Municipal Committee to report the facts of persecution he had endured and to request a job assignment to lessen his financial difficulty. In late May, Sheng Zhangwen, head of the 610 Office in Ezhou City, responded with forced entry to Ji Xietang’s home. The 610 Office arrested him and sent him to Tangsun Lake in Wuhan City. Though his current situation is unknown, the Hubei Province Brainwashing Center is located there.
Ms. Pang Zhenghui, over 60 years old, is a retired employee from E Steel Factory in the Wuhan Steel Corporation. In July 2005, Ms. Pang left her home and went from place to place in order to avoid persecution. In March 2006, she was arrested in Huangshi City, Hubei Province by personnel from the 610 Office of Ezhou City and police officers from Xishan Police Station. Currently, she is illegally detained at the No. 1 Detention Center of Ezhou City. Meanwhile, her husband remains paralyzed at home without a caretaker.
Ms. Song Chunmei, about 45 years old, graduated from a vocational school. Prior to being laid off in 1999, she was the manager of the Ezhou City Credit Union. In 1999, Ms Song, who was serving time in prison from a financial crime, became a Falun Gong practitioner. From February to June 2001, Ms. Song was held in the Lianhuashan Brainwashing Center in Ezhou City for persecution.
In July 2005, Ms. Song was deceived by people from the local Community Management Committee to come out of her home. She was arrested and remains illegally detained at the No. 1 Detention Center in Ezhou City to this day. Due to insufficient evidence, the court and the procuratorate have returned her case many times to the Ezhou City Police Bureau, calling for her release. Nevertheless, Sheng Zhangwen and Jin Shizhen refuse to do so.
Ms. Guo Huanyuan, 51, is a retired employee from the Wangjia department store. In August 2000, she was held in detention for more than a month for distributing truth-clarifying materials. She was later sent to the Lanhuashan Brainwashing Center for persecution, during which time her family was extorted out of over 10,000 yuan to obtain her release.
On the afternoon of July 28, 2005, Ms. Guo was again arrested by police officers from home, and she is detained at the No. 1 Detention Center at Ezhou City to this day. Due to insufficient evidence, the procuratorate and the court have returned her case to Ezhou City Police Bureau many times, calling for her release. However, Sheng Zhangwen and Jin Zhenshi from the 610 Office in Ezhou City refuse to release her. This time, Guo’s family was blackmailed for over 30,000 yuan to no avail in trying to gain her release.
Ms. Wang Hanmin, over 50 years old, is a retired employee from the Datong Company in Ezhou City. After she started practicing Falun Gong, she became a leader at her workplace. After July 20, 1999, due to not giving up practicing Falun Gong, she was illegally detained many times, her home was ransacked, and she was arrested and sent to the Lianhuashan Brainwashing Center for persecution and later released.
In November 2004, when Ms. Wang was shopping at a supermarket, she was arrested by the 610 Office in Ezhou City and sent to Hubei Province Brainwashing Center for persecution.
In July 2005, Ms. Wang was illegally arrested, and she has been detained at the No. 1 Detention Center in Ezhou City to this day. Due to insufficient evidence, the procuratorate and the court have returned his case many times to Ezhou City Police Bureau, calling for her release. However, Sheng Wenzhang and Jin Shiwen refuse to release her.
