Name: Zhang Weijin (张维进)
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: March 12, 1964
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Head of the Section of Culture, Changli County Bureau of Culture, Honorary Curator of the County Museum
Date of Most Recent Arrest: December 17, 2007
Most recent place of detention: Changli County Xinji Township Police Station (昌黎县新集镇派出所)
City: Qinhuangdao City
Province: Hebei
Persecution Suffered: Electric Shock, Sleep Deprivation, Forced Labor, Beatings, Imprisonment, Solitary Confinement, Torture, Physical Restraint, Detention

(Clearwisdom.net) (correspondent from Hebei Province) Prior to his arrest, Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Zhang Weijin was head of the Section of Culture, Changli County Bureau of Culture, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province. Mr. Zhang endured brutal torture resulting in mental disability and has been missing for two years. During this time, authorities including the 610 Office, public security bureau, and police station have harassed his 80-year-old mother.

Mr. Zhang was admitted to the air force for pilot training when he was 17. Four years later, he was discharged and placed in the Changli County Bureau of Education, then worked at the Bureau of Culture in Changli County. He was Head of the Section of Culture and honorary Curator of the County's museum.

Jailed at Shijiazhuang Prison for Four Years

When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, he went to Beijing to appeal. As a result, he was sentenced to forced labor. He was first held at the Tangshan Forced Labor Camp (known as Nanpu), then transferred to Shijiazhuang Prison for four years. During his term, he was subjected to sleep deprivation for seven days and nights, a small cell, solitary confinement, etc. His ankle was struck with a wood plank and he was whipped with a leather belt. When he could not endure any more abuse, he hit himself on a radiator, injuring his head and losing consciousness. The authorities sewed up the cut without disinfecting it. Mr. Zhang also was forced to perform hard labor while wearing shackles weighing 15 kilograms. He was beaten periodically by inmates who were appointed to watch him.

610 Office Officials Sent Him to a Brainwashing Center for Over a Year

When his term was completed at the forced labor camp, he was taken back to his hometown and placed in the Changli County Brainwashing Center for a year and six months to prevent him from going to Beijing again. When he was doing the exercises at the brainwashing center, the authorities used the legs of a wooden bench to hit his back. He was also tied to an iron chair and had cold water poured over his head on very cold days. When he returned home from the brainwashing center, he could barely walk, having sustained injuries to his right hip.

Tortured in Baoding Forced Labor Camp

Two months later, Mr. Zhang went to Beijing again. He was apprehended and taken back to Changli County and jailed at the Changli County Detention Center for one month. He refused to sign the detention notice. Later, he was taken to Baoding Forced Labor Camp by 610 Office and Domestic Security Division personnel.

In Baoding Forced Labor Camp, Mr. Zhang was tortured on numerous occasions. Guards Zhang Zhanqiang, Liu Qingyong, and Wang Lei shocked him with electric batons on the insides of his thighs, his stomach, back, and arms, and the rest of his body. When they were exhausted, they directed the inmates to continue the torture.

The guards were not certain that he had completely "transformed," so they monitored him closely, not allowing him to go upstairs or outside. He lost considerable weight and was emaciated.

As a result of the long term mental and physical torture, Mr. Zhang sustained bruises over his entire body. His legs were so swollen that he could barely walk. In the end, he was mentally disabled and could not take care of himself.

Prison officials discovered an ulcerous 2-3 millimeter lump under his right arm that was causing him a great deal of pain. He could no longer perform hard labor, so the guards forced him to stand for extended periods. In April 2007, he was released on medical bail.

On December 17, 2007, he was jailed again at the Changli County Xinji Township Police Station. He walked home at 2 a.m. the following morning. He put on his winter clothing, left home after breakfast, and has not been seen since.

September 18, 2009