(Minghui.org) Mr. Zhao Peng is a Falun Gong practitioner in Rizhao City, Shandong Province. Four members of his immediate family were illegally arrested in April. It was said that his younger brother, Mr. Zhao Chao, was detained in Tai'an Prison, but the family wasn't informed. When the family went to the detention center to find him, the guards said that Mr. Zhao Chao had been transferred elsewhere. Officers from the Rizhao Development Zone Police Department said that Mr. Zhao Chao was sentenced to three years in Tai'an Prison. When his family members went to the Rizhao City Court for more information, the court told the family that they had never dealt with Mr. Zhao Chao's case, and that they didn't sentence Mr. Zhao.
On April 13, 2013 at around 7:00 p.m., Mr. Zhao Peng was arrested by the Domestic Security Division while distributing truth-clarification materials in the Rizhao Development Zone. At around 10:00 p.m., the police broke into and raided his home; his family tried to stop them.
On April 14 at around 8:00 a.m., officers from the Domestic Security Division went to Mr. Zhao Peng's workplace to continue their search. Mr. Zhao Peng was detained at the Rizhao Detention Center. On the morning of April 15, his family members went to the Domestic Security Division and requested the release of Mr. Zhao. The family was told that Mr. Zhao would be detained for one month.
On the evening of April 18, Mr. Zhao Peng's younger brother, Mr. Zhao Chao, was arrested. Mr. Zhao Chao is a severely disabled young man.
On the afternoon of May 16, police surrounded Mr. Zhao Peng's wife's shop. They intended to arrest Mr. Zhao's wife and son. When Mr. Zhao's wife resisted, the police slammed her head against a wall. Mr. Zhao's wife later escaped. However, Mr. Zhao's 20-year-old son (a non-practitioner) was taken away by the police.
According to police at the Rizhao Development Zone Police Department and guards at the detention center, Mr. Zhao Chao's arrest was under the direction of Wang Jingdong, a police officer in the Domestic Security Division of the Rizhao Development Zone. Wang has actively participated in the persecution of Falun Gong for a long time. Because his cell phone number was revealed on Minghui.org, he received many truth-clarification text messages and phone calls from practitioners around the world. Therefore, he developed a hatred toward those who exposed him, and sought to retaliate. Some police have said to practitioners, “No one can persuade him; he is determined to retaliate against Mr. Zhao Chao.” “Mr. Zhao Chao was already in poor health, but he was still sentenced to three and a half years; it was really inhuman.”
Mr. Zhao Chao was injured when he was cutting down a tree. The tree fell on him, causing severe injury to his spine. He had surgery on his back and a metal plate and screws were inserted. Later, Mr. Zhao Chao went to the Rizhao Bone Wound Hospital to remove the plate and screws. Doctors there informed him that the plate had loosened from the screws, but the four screws were firmly nailed into his spine. The doctors were concerned about injuring his spine if they removed the screws. In the end, they didn't touch the screws and left them in place. As a result, Mr. Zhao was often in severe pain, especially after working.
After practicing Falun Dafa, Mr. Zhao Chao's health improved. He became more cheerful. He opened a small shop. Falun Dafa has brought him rebirth and happiness.
On April 18, 2013, Mr. Zhao Chao was suddenly arrested and held at the Rizhao Detention Center. In order to protest the persecution, he held a hunger strike for more than 50 days. His health deteriorated dangerously. He was so weak that he could barely walk. Now, his whereabouts are unknown.