(Minghui.org) Sanctioning human rights abusers has become a consensus among democratic countries. After the U.S. passed the Magnitsky Act in 2016, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the 27-member-country EU enacted similar laws. Australia and Japan are also working on similar laws.
In accordance with these laws, Falun Gong practitioners have compiled lists of perpetrators involved in the persecution of Falun Gong these few years. Every year, they submit several lists to democratic governments, urging them to sanction the named perpetrators.
Starting on July 14, 2021, Falun Gong practitioners in more than 30 countries have been submitting the latest list of perpetrators involved in the persecution of Falun Gong to their respective governments, calling for sanctions on these human rights abusers, including denying entry into their countries and freezing their assets overseas.
Three names on this list are Wei Zhenzhong, Zhao Juzhong and Sheng Mingsheng.
Perpetrator Information
Full Name of Perpetrator: Wei (last name) Zhenzhong (first name) (Chinese: 蔚振忠)Gender: MaleCountry: ChinaDate/Year of Birth: February 1945Place of Birth: Yucheng County, Henan Province
Title or Position:
April 1997 – January 2003: Director and Party Secretary of the Public Security Bureau in Gansu Province
Full Name of Perpetrator: Zhao (last name) Juzhong (first name) (Chinese: 赵聚忠)Gender: MaleCountry: ChinaDate/Year of Birth: December 1946Place of Birth: Wennan Town, Xintai City, Shandong Province
Title or Position:
April 2000 – January 2003: Director of the Public Security Bureau of Lanzhou City and vice director of the Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province
January 2003 – February 2007: Director and Party Secretary of the Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province
Full Name of Perpetrator: Sheng (last name) Mingsheng (first name) (Chinese: 盛明生)Gender: MaleCountry: ChinaDate/Year of Birth: April 1959Place of Birth: Gaotai City, Gansu Province
Title or Position:
December 2004 – January 2010: Director of the anti-cult investigation unit at the Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province
July 2017 – June 2019: Director of the Domestic Security Office at the Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province
Persecution Carried Out by Wei Zhenzhong, Zhao Juzhong, and Sheng Mingsheng
Since July 1999, Falun Gong practitioners in Gansu Province have been subjected to both physical and mental persecution from the ongoing detention, imprisonment, brainwashing, and financial persecution. The Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province planned, organized, and directed local police departments, as well as street and community offices to actively carry out the persecution.
The Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province often used performance reviews, rewards, business training, promotions to motivate lower level officers to participate in the persecution. Many entry-level police officers would abuse and torture Falun Gong practitioners under orders.
The 26th unit in the Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province is the 610 Office, an extralegal agency created specifically to persecute Falun Gong. Between 2000 and 2003, Wei Zhenzhong, director of the Public Security Bureau, was personally involved in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Later, Zhao Juzhong took over Wei Zhenzhong’s role. In April 2004, the 26th unit of the Public Security Bureau changed its name to the “Anti-Cult Department” and Sheng Mingsheng was appointed as its first director.
The “Anti-Cult Department” oversees, directs, and coordinates the province-wide police system, as well as inter-provincial and cross-regional departments, to implement the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
During the combined tenures of Wei Zhenzhong, Zhao Juzhong, and Sheng Mingsheng as directors of the Public Security Bureau, 57 Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted to death and thousands were arrested and had their homes ransacked.
Major Crimes Committed by the Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province
After the Chinese communist regime began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, many Falun Gong practitioners from Gansu Province went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice their faith. There were 1,054 Falun Gong practitioners who were intercepted in 2000 on their way to Beijing and 15 of them were sentenced to jail. Another 183 Falun Gong practitioners were intercepted in 2001.
Between 2001 and 2010, 1,478 Falun Gong practitioners were arrested, including 320 group arrests; 289 home based sites run by the practitioners to print informational materials about Falun Gong were ransacked; more than 600,000 pieces of Falun Gong informational materials were confiscated; more than 1,700 private items, including computers, printers, VCD players and copiers, were impounded; and 1,235 practitioners had their cases submitted to the procuratorate and faced prosecution.
In 2003, the Public Security Bureau issued a document, titled “Working Plan on How to Manage and Control Key Falun Gong Practitioners,” creating a system that could persecute Falun Gong practitioners in Gansu Province with help from local communities, street offices and units in the Public Security Bureau.
Below are selected persecution cases in Gansu Province.
Large-scale Arrests
Arrests in 2001
In 2001, under the direction of Wei Zhenzhong and others from the Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province, the police force in Lanzhou City arrested a total of 138 Falun Gong practitioners in Gansu, Xinjiang, Ningxia and Qinghai Provinces.
One of the main practitioners targeted, Mr. Yuan Jiang, was tortured for almost 2 months and tied up in a spread-eagle position. The police only let him down when he was on the verge of death. But they still kept him in handcuffs and shackles.
Later on, Mr. Yuan managed to escape from police custody. The Public Security Bureau of Gansu Province dispatched 2,000 to 3,000 officers to search for him at major traffic intersections, bus stations and Falun Gong practitioners’ homes in Lanzhou and nearby cities.
Due to severe injuries from the torture, Mr. Yuan passed away days later. After his death, several Falun Gong practitioners who had helped him were also arrested and tortured. Among them, Ms. Yu Jinfang, Ms. Xia Fuying, Mr. Wang Zhijun, and Mr. Wen Shixue in Lanzhou were sentenced to 3 to 8 years. When Ms. Yu was released on November 13, 2006, she was very weak and could not eat anything. She passed away less than two weeks later on November 25.
Arrests in 2002
On August 17, 2002, Falun Gong practitioners in Wuqi, Jiuquan, Tianshui, Baiyin, Qingyang, and Gansu mining areas intercepted local TV signals to broadcast videos exposing the persecution.
Seven of them were sentenced to heavy terms by the Chengguan District Court of Lanzhou City on October 27, 2002. Among them, Mr. Li Wenming, Mr. Wang Pengyun, and Mr. Wei Junren were sentenced to 20 years; Mr. Sun Zhaohai, Mr. Qiang Xiaoyi, Mr. Liu Zhirong (who was persecuted to death in 2004 at Tianshui Prison), and Mr. Su Anzhou were sentenced to 10-19 years. Ms. Tang Qiong, Ms. Yin Xiaolan, Mr. Wang Yongmin, Ms. Zhang Jinmei, Mr. Wang Weiping, Ms. Yang Jingchun, Mr. Zhao Houyu, Mr. Shang Junbin, Mr. Chang Jubin, Mr. Zhang Guangli, Mr. Li Yuhai, Mr. Tang Pinghu, Mr. Huang Ruzhong, Mr. Huang Rufu, Mr. Zhao Wencheng, Ms. Zhou Xiuying, and Mr. Shi Jinxiang were also sentenced with heavy terms.
Arrests in 2003
Between 2002 and 2003, over 100 Falun Gong practitioners in 12 cities in Gansu Province were monitored and arrested by the police. Many of them were later sentenced to prison.
More Sentencing Cases
In August 2001, the Public Security Bureau in Gansu Province issued a “Wanted” order for Mr. Yang Xuegui. Mr. Yang and seven other practitioners were later arrested and sentenced to prison.
In 2002, Wei Zhenzhong arranged for authorities to arrest 8 Falun Gong practitioners. Mr. Jiang Chunbin was sentenced to 9 years, Mr. Li Fubin to 8 years, Mr. Yu Youwen to 5 years, Mr. Guo Xueze to 5 years, Mr. Xue Liuyan to 4 years, Ms. Liu Lanying to 4 years, Mr. Niu Wanjiang to 3 years and Mr. Bi Wenming to 3 years. Mr. Bi was tortured to death on September 3, 2004 at Dingxi Prison.
On December 7, 2003, the Domestic Security Office in Lanzhou arrested a dozen Falun Gong practitioners with the help from the Public Security Bureau in Gansu Province.
Among them, Mr. Zhao Xudong was tortured to death in February 2004 at a detention center in Lanzhou. Later on, all of the other Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced to prison: Mr. Fan Chunfeng to 20 years; Mr. He Yingguo to 10 years; Ms. Wei Anyue to 10 years; Mr. He Wenzhuo to 8 years; Ms. Wang Anling to 8 years; Mr. Shao Yanbo to 8 years; Ms. He Binying to 7 years; Mr. An Jiheng to 4 years; Ms. Bai Jinyu to 3 years; and Ms. Chen Jie to 3 years.
Ms. Cong Qiuzi was arrested at home on July 20, 2003 and later sentenced to 3 years with a probation of 4 years. At the same time, several other Falun Gong practitioners were arrested and later sentenced: Ms. Qi Lijun and Mr. Wang Wenzhong, both to 10 years; Mr. Ma Yong to 9 years; Ms. Zhang Zhenmin to 8 years; and Ms. Li Kuangfeng to 7 years.
On March 3, 2007, the Public Security Bureau of Yongchang County, Jinchang City in Gansu Province ordered the arrests of 8 Falun Gong practitioners. The practitioners were sentenced to prison on November 27, 2007: Mr. Mao Weizheng was sentenced to 6 years; Mr. Yang Xiaochuan to 5 years; Ms. Fu Lingwen, Ms. Liu Guiju, Ms. Yao Morong, Ms. Cao Fang, and Ms. Wei Fengling to 4 years; and Mr. Cai Yongwu to 3.5 years.
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