(Minghui.org) A Chongqing resident is facing indictment for calling for the release of his mother-in-law, who was arrested for not renouncing her faith in Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
After Ms. Liu Chengbi, 73, was arrested on August 8, 2019, her son-in-law, Mr. Zhang Qiyong, 44, who also practices Falun Gong, wrote a complaint letter to Shiyoulu Police Station about the arbitrary arrest of Ms. Liu. The police used the letter as evidence of “Falun Gong material” and arrested him in September 2019.
Both Ms. Liu and Mr. Zhang are now held at the Jiulongpo Detention Center and facing indictment by Jiulongpo District Procuratorate.
Promoted to Claims Director at 22
Mr. Zhang took up Falun Gong in 1996. He graduated from Sichuan University a year later and was hired by an insurance company. He credits Falun Gong for enabling him to develop a strong work ethic and achieve stellar performance. Within a year of employment, the then-22-year-old Mr. Zhang received a fast-track promotion and became the director of the claims department.
Previous Arrests and Sentence
For holding firm to Falun Gong, Mr. Zhang has been repeatedly arrested in the past 20 years and imprisoned for seven years.
Mr. Zhang was first arrested in 1999 and tortured at Xishanping Labor Camp.
He was arrested again in 2002. He escaped a month later and was forced to live away from home to avoid further persecution. The 610 Office in Chongqing City, part of an extralegal agency created specifically by the Communist Party leadership to persecute Falun Gong, put him on a wanted list and offered a high reward for information leading to his arrest.
Mr. Zhang was taken back into custody by officers from the 610 Office. He was interrogated and deprived of sleep for six days. He was also force-fed and subjected to other torture.
Mr. Zhang was sentenced to seven years in Yongchuan Prison a few months later. Almost half of his hair fell out within two years due to torture, and he was released on medical parole in 2006 on the brink of death.
Parties involved in persecution:Liu Xiaojun (刘晓军), director of Shiyoulu Police Station: +86-13983150005Lu Rongfeng (鲁荣锋), director of Yuzhong District Public Security Branch: +86-2363460110
