(Minghui.org) This used to be a happy family of three. But since the policy of persecuting Falun Gong was implemented in China, the husband was sentenced to 14 years and is still serving time, his wife remains half-paralyzed after being jailed and tortured for 8 years, and their son was forced out of school and faced discrimination everywhere he went.
Mr. Guo Yunqing, his wife Ms. Du Hongfang, and their son Mr. Guo Fengqing are Falun Gong practitioners. Also known as Falun Dafa, Falun Gong is a meditation system that follows the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The communist party started a nationwide campaign against the practice in 1999, and the persecution continues unabated to this day.
Husband Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison
According to news recently received by Minghui, Mr. Guo Yunqing, who is currently detained at the Gongzhuling Prison in Jilin Province, is in a life-threatening condition. He has been sent to a hospital in Changchun City, but no further update is available.
Earlier reports published by Minghui, one in 2007 and another in 2010, have summarized the mistreatment suffered by Mr. Guo, a former employee of Jilin Metallurgical Construction Corporation.
Currently 61 years old, Mr. Guo started practicing Falun Gong in 1998. After the persecution began, he was arrested five times, between 1999 and 2007. His last arrest occurred on March 15, 2007. Officers from the Changyi Police Department beat him severely and brutally tortured him, causing him to lose consciousness several times and leaving him unable to walk. Still, the Changyi Court sentenced Mr. Guo to 14 years of in prison on July 10, 2007.
Gongzhuling Prison, the facility where Mr. Guo is currently detained, is notorious for brutally persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. At least 151 practitioners are presently incarcerated or have been kept there between 1999 and 2018. Among them, 19 lost their lives due to torture in prison. The most recent death case involved 61-year-old Mr. Yang Baosen. With a term of 10 years, Mr. Yang was held at the prison since 2009. He was in critical condition when released on medical parole on March 7, 2018, and died one month later on April 7.
Wife Brutally Tortured in Prison
Mr. Guo Yunqing's wife, Ms. Du Hongfang, 56, was arrested 7 times for practicing Falun Gong. The latest arrest was in July 2008. After being held at the Jilin City Detention Center, she was later sentenced to 8 years in Heizuizi Women's Prison. Ms. Du recounted the brutal torture she experienced in an article in June 2018.
She was forced to sit motionless on a small stool from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. A bottle was placed on the only remaining space on the stool. Even a slight move would knock the bottle over, leading to a severe beating by the inmates assigned to watch her.
Because she refused to give up her belief in Falun Dafa, the inmates monitoring her also denied her use of the toilet. During one session, she was not allowed to use the toilet for two consecutive days. The pain was nearly unbearable. After being subjected to the sitting torture for over three months, Ms. Du was unable to sit up straight. “My legs were like two wooden sticks because they were so numb,” she wrote.
Another torture involved forced standing for a long time. Ms. Du was not allowed to speak unless she first cursed Mr. Li, founder of Falun Dafa. One time, she was forced to stand from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. To humiliate and torment her, an inmate took a book containing the portrait of Mr. Li and inserted it in her pants at the crotch. Ms. Du resisted with all her strength. She fainted as a result of the indignity. After she regained consciousness, several inmates slammed her head against the wall, causing her to lose control of her bladder.
The perpetrators subjected Ms. Du to unspeakable tortures, including shocking the inside of her vagina with an electric baton. She suffered stroke symptoms and became paralyzed on one half of her body. Nonetheless, she was not released until her term expired in 2016. Two years after her release, she is still partially paralyzed and has difficulty using one of her hands.
Son Deprived of Education
Their son, Guo Fengqing, was also taken into custody when his parents were arrested on March 15, 2007. Only 12 at the time, he was held at the Jilin City Detention Center together with his mother. They were not released until his mother went on a hunger strike in protest.
Fengqing was forced out of school upon returning home and had no place to go when both of his parents were arrested again. He has endured bullying, discrimination, and humiliation for his faith.
Related Reports:
Ms. Du Hongfang's Life at Risk Due to Torture in Prison; Her Husband Given Fourteen Year Sentence
Facts about the Persecution of Guo Yunqin and His Family in Jilin City
