(Minghui.org) A practitioner I'll call Wen from my local area was arrested for distributing informational materials about Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) in a neighboring county in 2016. Police coerced him into confessing to having handed out over 500 Dafa brochures.
The former captain of the domestic security team came to visit me two days later. After I had clarified the truth about Dafa to him in the past, he voluntarily changed his job to avoid participating in the persecution. I asked him to help with the situation. He was reluctant and claimed that he no longer worked with that particular team. I told him, “As long as you are willing to do it, you will succeed.” Wen was released in a few days.
Practitioners Playing the Leading Role
Prior to the Chinese Communist Party's 19th National Congress in 2017, my county's 610 office urged their counterpart in the neighboring county to sentence practitioner Wen to prison. After Wen received a notification letter from the county's procuratorate telling him to find a lawyer, he and two other practitioners found a lawyer from a nearby city to defend their innocence in court.
The timing was sensitive due to the approaching national congress and a recent incident in which lawyers defending practitioners were arrested and tortured. The lawyer thus tried to persuade Wen to plead guilty. Wen refused to, so the lawyer quit.
Practitioners realized that we ought to play the leading role rather than rely on non-practitioner lawyers. Another consideration was the lawyer's fee, a substantial cost, which would be better used for Dafa projects.
The Minghui website also published a lot of articles on how to use various legal means to counter the persecution. However, it must be understood that this is our local practitioners' understanding and it may not apply to other regions and situations where attaining a lawyer can be helpful and appropriate.
Dealing With Fear and Obstruction
Wen's wife was traumatized and deathly afraid of the police: one officer had pointed a gun at her head when her husband was arrested. The authorities took advantage of her fear and ordered her to restrain her husband and prevent him from contacting other practitioners.
She cursed at me and other practitioners and threw a temper tantrum in my home. Her son threatened to beat practitioners and hurt us with a knife. Her son loitered near my house multiple times, trying to intimidate me. Fellow practitioners all felt despondent and helpless. Wen himself thought it was hopeless. He was previously tortured in a labor camp and had developed severe illness symptoms afterward. He cried at the thought of being imprisoned and tortured again.
I did not give up even though I knew that he had claimed to have received the materials from me when he was interrogated. I did not mind and wanted to deal only with the well-cultivated side of a practitioner. I understood that the old forces were taking advantage of Wen's loophole in cultivation and aimed to take away his life. If the old forces were successful, it would not only cause practitioners problems but also have a negative impact on clarifying the truth.
Even though he had not been tried and sentenced, there were rumors that he had been sentenced to several years in prison. Regardless of whether our fellow practitioner had loopholes or not, it should not be an excuse for the old forces to destroy both him and other people involved in the process. We must deny the old forces' arrangements and anything that is detrimental to the salvation of sentient beings.
Heart-to-Heart Talk
I invited Wen to my place and told him, “You must hold on to strong righteous thoughts. No one can really help you. It is a test for you. It also is a test for me regarding my belief in Master and Dafa. If my belief is firm and meets the requirement, my success would be a sure thing. I am not only helping you but assisting Master in Fa-rectification.”
The next day I phoned police chief Han and asked for his help. He had achieved a higher administrative position overseeing several counties. He was also the deputy secretary of the city's Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC) and the head of the city's 610 Office.
After listening to me tell him about Dafa and the persecution, he stopped persecuting practitioners and quit his CCP membership. As a result, his long-lasting infertility was cured without medication, and his wife gave birth to a baby boy. He was later promoted to managing deputy police chief. The police chief at the time, who used to persecute practitioners, was later disciplined for corruption and removed from his post, so Han was promoted to acting police chief.
“I have helped you several times in the past,” he said. “Right now it’s a sensitive time due to the upcoming 19th National Congress, and the central PLAC has issued a specific document about it. So it is really an impossible favor you are asking.
“Additionally, I am going to retire near the end of the year. I am planning an uneventful last few months before I retire.”
I responded, “You should not forget Dafa and Master Li (the founder of Falun Dafa) at this critical moment. Do you know why you were fortunate to have a son despite the previously diagnosed infertility? Dafa has brought blessings to you. Don't you want to reciprocate when the opportunity comes?
“I heard the CCP Central Committee issued an internal document to all levels of government, all the way down to the neighborhood committee that acknowledges the 17-year persecution of Falun Dafa as an injustice. Isn't it true? If so, you really should help us out.”
He admitted, “Yes, there is such a document. Okay. I will help, but the result might not be as good as you expect.”
I reassured him, “Don't worry about the result. As long as you go ahead and give it a try, the outcome will be good.”
I suggested that he start by visiting the neighboring county on an impromptu inspection trip. I also gave him a pamphlet with legal tips on countering the persecution I had downloaded from the Minghui website.
A few days later, he visited that county and called a meeting with the heads of the county police, procuratorate, and court systems. The county court director reported on Wen's case.
Chief Han said, “Whatever this person did or did not do, you used violence during the interrogation to extort a confession, so the information you obtained cannot be used as evidence. Also, our government has issued new policies regarding Falun Gong.
“For instance, there is the General Administration of Press and Publication's 50th order, which lifted the ban on publishing Falun Dafa books. We need to follow the new policies.”
After the meeting, the county court returned the case to the procuratorate, which sent it back to the police department. Then, the police department sent the case back to the police station, which meant the high-profile case of the county 610 Office had been dismantled.
Aftereffects of Dismantling the Case
Afterward, the county 610 Office and government officials visited me to vent their anger: “We have never failed when we wanted to bring someone down. Who knew you would deal us a total defeat this time! We have not caused you any trouble even though we knew you had done a lot of prosecutable things. Why don't you mind your own business and stay clear of other Falun Gong practitioners' cases?”
I told them the underlying issue: “You all know Falun Dafa practitioners are part of a whole body. Other practitioners' issues are my issues. Your persecuting my fellow practitioners is like persecuting me. How can I ignore it? Our master taught us to be selfless and to put others ahead of ourselves. If I just took care of myself and turned a blind eye when it came to others, wouldn't my whole practice of Falun Gong be in vain?”
At the end of that year, many Falun Gong banners appeared all across the neighboring county. The authorities decided that Wen had done it and intended to take this opportunity to imprison him again now that police chief Han had retired. The court summoned Wen to appear.
Practitioners realized that we needed to clarify the truth to officials of that county in addition to rescuing Wen. So we mailed letters to county officials, including the police, procuratorate, court, county head, and Party secretary. Former police chief Han also telephoned the county authorities and told them not to participate in the persecution anymore.
By this point, Wen had realized the solemnness of cultivation and gradually developed strong righteous thoughts. During his trial, I saw with my celestial eye when I sent righteous thoughts that he was fully capable of validating Dafa in court.
The presiding judge had listened to our truth-clarification and did not want to participate in the persecution. However, under pressure from the county 610 Office, he sentenced Wen to two years in prison with a preceding three-year probation. He told Wen in court, “I am not sentencing you for practicing Falun Gong but for posting materials in public places without official permission.”
The county 610 Office staff was angry, as the three-year probation meant that Wen would not be jailed. They refused to accept the sentence and accused the court of obstructing justice for personal preference.
Disgusted by the 610 Office's brazen and gangster-like behavior, the court reconsidered the sentence based on Wen’s hypertension and changed the sentence to one and a half years to be served outside of prison. This meant the entire term would be completed within a month, as the term includes the time Wen had been detained since 2016.
Further Impediments
Soon after our success in court, the neighborhood committee secretary of the area where Dafa banners were hung appealed to the court for more severe sentencing. He claimed that if Wen put up more banners in their community, it would negatively impact their bid for a "model community" award. They also accused the court of favoritism and taking bribes. In response, the court submitted Wen's medical exam report to a higher court for a decision.
Master said,
“Wherever a problem arises, that's where you need to clarify the facts.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. III)
We realized that we must clarify the truth to more people, as no one should be left out. Therefore, we mailed letters to the neighborhood committee and its supervising government unit. Later, word came that the sentence was upheld.
The Bureau of Justice then took advantage of Wen's hypertension and attempted to send him to the prison hospital for treatment, in their last-ditch bid to imprison him. I talked to former police chief Han again about the situation. He approached his friends in the bureau and persuaded them not to intervene in the case since it was out of their usual scope of activities. The Bureau decided to follow his advice. This finally concluded the battle to rescue practitioner Wen.
Master said,
“So when it comes to those evil beings and their arrangements, as long as your righteous thoughts are strong enough you can reject them, repel them, and make them helpless.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. II)
In retrospect, I have a lot to remember and cherish regarding the six rounds of fighting with the old forces. Under Master's strengthening and empowerment, with fellow practitioners' cooperation and other people's assistance, we eventually defeated the evil and denied the old forces' arrangements. We have played the leading role. Thank you, Master!
