Name: Cao Rui (曹蕊)
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Address: No. 8510 Farm Headquarters, Jidong County, Mishan City; Heilongjiang Province
Occupation: Student
Date of Most Recent Arrest: N/A
Most recent place of detention: N/A
City: Mishan
Province: Heilongjiang
(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Cao Rui was a student at Mudanjiang-Nongken High School in Mishan City. School officials dismissed her in December 2007 for refusing to sign her name on an anti-Falun Gong campaign document. With help from her relatives and friends, she eventually graduated from another school.
(1) Intimidation, Harassment and Deception
Ms. Cao Rui was born in 1990 and lives at No. 8510 Farm Headquarters, Jidong County, Heilongjiang Province. She began to practice Falun Gong in 1998.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began the persecution on July 20, 1999. In November 2000 Cao Rui and her mom went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. Several of their hometown liaison officers brought them back home following their arrest in Beijing. Participating officers were Wang Zhixun, Lu Weibin and Liu Yueying, and others.
Ms. Cao was an elementary school pupil at the farm-affiliated school. Schoolteachers and police worked together to "reform" her, forcing her to listen to slanderous propaganda. They also made her write a promise to give up Falun Gong; otherwise, they would intimidate and threaten her to write a letter to her mom in a labor camp, asking her to stop practicing Falun Gong. Cao Rui's mom wrote three letters to her between 2001 and 2002. School officials intercepted the first two.
The schoolteachers treated Cao Rui unfairly! They bullied, laughed at and threatened her constantly. Math teacher Xu Qiping (female) threatened to break Rui's leg to see if Falun Gong could heal her. Several other teachers cheered for the math teacher. Some even helped to drag Cao Rui around.
Cao Rui suffered tremendous emotional trauma between 2001 and 2002. She felt insecure about the teachers and wondered what was behind the teachers' faces, and when she might be in trouble. She lived at her aunt's house and did not get to see her parents. She had no one to share her feelings with and often cried when no one was around.
Cao Rui's mom returned home from the labor camp in 2003. Cao Rui was happy to be with her mom again and she published a solemn statement to nullify the promises she made under pressure to stop practicing Falun Gong.
The police soon discovered her statement and came to her school to harass her. Her classroom teacher Ms. Jia Xiufeng was wondering why Rui refused to join the Communist Youth League. She talked to her many times. Now the police came to her school. Rui decided to write a letter to Ms. Jia, telling her the truth. But Jia Xiufeng turned her letter over to a school leader who reported it to the police. Policewoman Liu Yueying and her colleague came to school to harass Rui, "Do not think because you are a junior we cannot sentence you. Our country now has juvenile reform schools, which are special forced labor camps for kids."
Principal Mr. Zhang Jinping (now retired) and Party secretary Ms. Zhao Qingjie repeatedly talked to Cao Rui. Close to the mid-term exam they called on Rui for almost daily "conversations," and always during class hours. Most conversations lasted one entire class time; sometimes even twice as long. This went on for a week. It was impossible for Cao Rui to concentrate on school work.
(2) Expelled from School
Cao Rui graduated from middle school and went to Mishan City Nongken High School affiliated with the Mudanjiang Farm Bureau.
One day in November 2007, political science teacher Mr. Huang Yuebin slandered Falun Gong. Cao Rui stood up and demanded that Huang stop slandering.
A few days later the school administration encouraged students to apply for Party membership. Cao Rui talked to her classmates, telling them the truth of the persecution. A classmate handed the pamphlet Rui had given him to his teacher. Her classroom teacher and political science teacher talked to Rui, demanding to know the source of these pamphlets, but Rui did not reveal anything. Next, the political superintendent called Rui in for questioning. She threatened to take disciplinary action against her based on "disturbing the classroom order." She even hinted she would dismiss Rui from school.
On December 17, 2007, at 7:30 a.m., school officials held an impromptu assembly and demanded that all students sign a statement to denounce Falun Gong. They ordered all teachers to sign a contract, to guarantee they take responsibility for this campaign. The school told all the classroom teachers to attack Falun Gong in front of all students. Cao Rui refused to sign her name. Political education head Ms. Zhang Caifeng and classroom teacher Mr. Li Zhiyong talked to Rui, asking her to renounce her belief. Cao Rui refused again.
On December 19, 2007, at 10:00 p.m., school officials announced their decision to immediately expel Cao Rui from the school.
Before that, school officials had called Cao Rui's family. Her family members went to the school on December 18, 2007. Security personnel first detained them at the office for questioning. Later, when Cao met her mom, an administrator told her mother that Cao would be dismissed. Cao Rui and her mother tried to reason with them. On the 19th, at 9:50 p.m., right after evening study time, classroom teacher Li Zhiyong took Cao Rui to his office. After receiving a phone call, he took Cao Rui to the security office. Cao's mom was there. When Rui and her mother wanted to leave, ten people in the room blocked their path. When Li Zhiyong finished paperwork for dismissal, Rui and her mom refused to sign. A teacher said, "The school is owned by the CCP. You are not allowed to have other beliefs, especially not Falun Gong." Rui was expelled by the school.
Person involved in this incident:
Nongken High School
Principal Wang Xi: 86-467-5071777 (Office), 86-13339563487 (Cell)
Party Secretary Ge Fangqi: 86-467-5071999 (Office), 86-13351971999 (Cell)
Deputy Principal Lu Shijie: 86-467-5071228 (Office), 86-13946836548 (Cell)
Deputy Principal Liu Defen: 86-467-5071666 (Office), 86-13836560379 (Cell)
Teacher in charge Li Zhiyong: 86-467-5071617 (Office), 86-13946836547 (Cell)
Grade Director Huang Yuebin: 86-467-5071602 (Office), 86-13796936612 (Cell)