(Minghui.org) Cheng Ying, deputy chair of the Social and Legal Committee for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Hubei Province, was investigated for bribery on September 5, 2017. On January 9, 2019, he was charged with bribery and malfeasance and removed from public office.
Like most other high-ranking Chinese officials taken down in recent years, Cheng was heavily involved in the persecution of Falun Gong. In fact, he was responsible for many of the cases of mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners until he was investigated in 2017.
An overview of Cheng’s political career:
February 1955: Born in Yicheng City, Hubei ProvinceMarch 1999: Appointed a standing member as well as Organization Department director of Xian’ning City Municipal Party CommitteeMay 2003: Appointed deputy secretary, Discipline Inspection Committee secretary, and Political Department director of Xianning City Municipal Party CommitteeOctober 2003: Appointed deputy secretary and Discipline Inspection Committee secretary of Xianning City Municipal Party CommitteeJanuary 2007: Appointed deputy secretary of Xianning City Municipal Party CommitteeNovember 2008: Appointed deputy secretary of Hubei Judicial Party Committee, as well deputy director of Hubei Justice Department; also appointed Party secretary and director of Hubei Prison AdministrationJanuary 2015: Appointed deputy chair of Social and Legal Committee for CPPCC in Hubei ProvinceSeptember 5, 2017: Investigation launched
In Charge of Brainwashing Efforts in Xianning City
Cheng’s active participation in the persecution of Falun Gong went back to July 20, 1999, when the persecution first started. At that time, the 610 Office had not yet become operational in many cities. As the director of the Organization Department, however, Cheng gave orders to set up brainwashing sessions to try to force practitioners to give up their belief. These brainwashing sessions were sponsored by the Organization Department, for which Cheng was directly responsible.
For example, a brainwashing session was established in Xianning Medical School on August 1, 1999. Practitioners detained there included Hu Zhenwu, Li Mincai, Xu Changhong, Wang Lidi, Li Yun, and Zheng Shuanghua.
On September 2, 1999, a brainwashing session was held in Xianning 131 Hotel. Seven practitioners from city-level healthcare agencies were detained there. They included Xianning Medical School (Li Mincai, Zheng Shuanghua, Wang Lidi, and Mei Wuxuan), City Central Hospital (Xu Changhong), City Drug Quality Testing Center (Chen Jingwen) and City Construction Company (Liu Aimin). Xu and Wang were later sent to a forced labor camp, while Liu died on June 6, 2005, as a result of torture during detention.
On September 2, 1999, five practitioners were sent to a brainwashing session in Yunquan Hotel of Xianning. They included Xu Xiulan, Fang Jinlian, Chen Yanping, Chen Fang, and Yu Jinguang. Chen Fang was over five months pregnant at the time but was still detained for more than 30 days. Fang was later sent to a labor camp.
On September 2, 1999, five practitioners were sent to a brainwashing session in Xianning Grain Bureau Hostel. They were Chen Liqun (from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences), Chen Qian (from Xianning Cotton Mill), Hu Lan (City Electricity Bureau), and Fang Lurong and Zhang Hongping (both small business owners).
In October 2002, nine practitioners were held in a brainwashing center on Fushan Road in Xianning. They included Zhang Juhuan, Zou Zhujiao, Ren Huifang, Chen Jingwen, Hu Lan, Liang Ying, Yang Dongxiang, Zhou Xinhua, and Chen Liqun.
Between September 6 and October 4, 2005, six practitioners were held in Wuhan Petrochemical Sanatorium in Xianning. They included Ni Lihua, Shao Qingming, Xu Changhong, Fang Lurong, Zheng Xinghua, and a female practitioner from Chibi City. Fang and Xu were sent to a labor camp.
In addition, brainwashing centers were established at the following locations in Xianning: Hot Spring Residential District, Shuangheqiao Detention Center, Tongshan County Detention Center, Chongyang County Detention Center, Jiayu County Detention Center, Tongcheng County Detention Center, Chibi City Detention Center, Xianning Labor Camp, and Maoershan Detention Center.
Practitioners Detained and Tortured in Xianning City
Between July 1999 and October 2008, when Cheng was a high official in Xianning City, many practitioners in the city were taken to brainwashing centers, forced labor camps, and prisons. Some of them, as noted below, died due to torture.
Sixty-three practitioners from the following places were taken to brainwashing centers:
Chibi City: Zheng Yuling, Huang Chengxiu, Huang Lianqing, Gong Zhongnan, Xiong Baisong, Chen Caiwang, Duan Shousheng, and Huang JunliangHot Spring Development Zone: Zhang Qi, Zhang Hongping, Fang Jinlian, Fang Jinhong, Hu Hongmei, Wang Lidi, Yu Jinguang, Hu Lan, Zheng Xinghua, Su Xiaolian, Yang Xiaohua, Huang Yanbi, Wang Yongzhen, and Yu JinbingTongshan County: Cheng Deyong and Wang BangjiJiayu County: He Ping and He GuihongXi’an District: Mei Xinhua, Wang Xinquan, and Luo YingChongyang County: Tang ChunfangTongcheng County: Li Yanhong, Wei Yuexiu, and Luo Yuefeng
Zheng Yuling from Chibi City died due to torture.
There were 323 practitioners sent to forced labor camps in Xianning. The youngest was 21 and the oldest 67. Some of these practitioners were from:Chibi City: Zhong Shoubang, Zhou Guoqiang, Zhen Yu, Zheng Yuling, Lei Shengping, Chen Caiwang, and Gong PinnanHot Spring Development Zone: Yang Dongxiang, Cai Huilan, Xu Changhong, Chen Jianping, Tao Xizhen, Li Mincai, Liu Aimin, Wang Lidi, Shi Youyan, Chen Xinhua, Chen Qian, Zhou Keli, Xiong Chunzhi, Chen Weiqun, Chen Yiqun, Chen Liqun, Zhang Qi, Chen Larong, Xu Han, Hu Wei, Li Xuehong, Wu Weihua, Su Xiaolian, Li Jianhui, Ren Huifang, and Gao ZhiJiayu County: He Ping, Wang Guoping, and Wang JinyanThe Xianan District: Feng Xiaomi, Luo Ying, Li Honghe, Zeng Qingchun, Xiang Debin, and Liu ShehongTongcheng County: Hong Haihua, Xia Shilong, Luo Yuefeng, and Zhang ZhilinChongyang County: Wang Yiyuan and Li ShiwenTongshan County: Shen Yuanxing
Zheng Yuling, Gong Pinnan, Liu Aimin, Zhou Keli, and Zheng Xinghua all died as a result of torture.
Twelve practitioners were sentenced to prison during that period of time, with the youngest at 27 and the oldest at 57: Huang Bin, five years; Zheng Yuling, Yuan Xibao and Cheng Deyong, four years each; Fang Longchao, Cai Huilan, Jiang Sihua, Wei Yuexiu, Xu Changhong, and Xia Shilong, three years each; and Wang Lidi and Yu Jinguang, three and a half years each.
During this time, 21 practitioners died due to torture, including four in Chibi City, one in the Xianan District, six in Jiayu County, seven in Tongcheng County, and three in Hot Spring Development Zone. Some of them lost their lives because officials repeatedly tortured them to speed up their deaths.
One example was Liu Xiaolian, 68, from Chibi City. Besides being arrested four times, she was pulled in five directions at once by five people and injected with toxic drugs. She died on October 26, 2008.
The First Chinese International Bamboo Cultural Festival in Xianning on October 11-13, 2003, attracted visitors from many countries, so practitioners put up “Falun Dafa is good” and “Bring Jiang to justice” banners along the major roads. The signs infuriated Jiang Zehui, Jiang Zemin’s younger sister, and accompanying provincial officers. They ordered Xianning officials to sort this out immediately or they would all be removed from their posts. Xianning police launched immediate massive arrests and home ransackings. More than 10 practitioners were arrested on October 9 alone. Xu Yufeng, a 46-year-old former employee of the Xianning Decoration Company, died during the arrest and home ransacking.
In addition, a large number of practitioners were harassed and fined for their belief. As one of the key officials in Xianning City, Cheng was responsible for these brutalities.
The Persecution in Hubei Province
In November 2008, Cheng left Xianning and was promoted to deputy secretary of the Hubei Judicial Party Committee, as well as deputy director of the Hubei Justice Department. He was also appointed Party secretary and director of the Hubei Prison Administration. In these positions, he had a major hand in the operations of Fanjiatai Women’s Prison and Wuhan Women’s Prison. Practitioners in these facilities were subjected to intense brainwashing to try to force them to renounce their belief.
In January 2015, Cheng was appointed deputy chair of the Social and Legal Committee for the CPPCC in Hubei Province. In March 2016, Chutian Radio Station in Hubei slandered Falun Gong. Instructed by Wu Hui, Party Secretary of the Xianning Political and Legal Affairs Committee, Xianning City promoted propaganda through numerous channels in April and May 2016. This included community bulletin boards and publications, Xianning Cable Television, Xianning Daily, posters, and high-volume speakers in villages and communities. Many practitioners were arrested, tortured, and imprisoned.
During the past 20 years of the persecution of Falun Gong, Cheng actively participated for 18 years until he was put under investigation in 2017.
