(Minghui.org) On June 7, 2013, five Falun Gong practitioners were illegally arrested after distributing Shen Yun DVDs at a market in Baihe Town in the Naxi District of Luzhou City. Baihe Town police detained them at the Luzhou Detention Center and refused to allow visitation from the practitioners’ families.

The persecution in Luzhou City has intensified recently, and the following practitioners have been arrested. Mr. Chen Yongkang was arrested by police officers from the Longmatan District; Yang Taiying was arrested by officers from the Jiangyang District; Ms. Huang Chaozhen has been detained at the Naxi Detention Center; and the Gulin County Court sentenced practitioners Zhang Ziqin, Luo Zhenggui and Shu Anqing to prison terms.

Practitioners in this areas have been subjected to persecution for a number of years.

Ms. Huang Chaozhen and Ms. Yang Taiying Incarcerated

In 2001, Ms. Huang Chaozhen, a retired worker, went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. She was detained following the trip and later sent to a forced labor camp for long-term incarceration. Ms. Huang's health declined dramatically in detention.

Ms. Yang Taiying, on the staff of the Naxi Agriculture Machinery Administration, was sent to a labor camp twice, where she was subjected to physical abuse, including extended standing and sitting, sleep deprivation and a number of other tortures. She was also pressured to renounce her belief. Following her release from the labor camp the first time, Ms. Yang was sent to Naxi Brainwashing Center for extended persecution.

The Ongoing Persecution of Married Couple Mr. Luo Zhenggui and Ms. Zhang Ziqin

Mr. Luo Zhenggui, a 77-year-old retired official from the Shibao Town government in Gulin County, and his wife Ms. Zhang Ziqin both received prison sentences.

Fifteen years ago, the couple suffered from serious health problems; they frequented hospitals regularly and depended on many kinds of medication. Mr. Luo was also diagnosed with stomach cancer. He and his wife began to practice Falun Gong in 1998 and 1999, respectively. Within a short time, they both saw their diseases disappear.

After the Communist regime banned Falun Gong in July 1999, the couple decided to clarify the facts to the authorities and general public. They were then repeatedly arrested and saw their home ransacked. In 2001, Ms. Zhang received a four-year prison sentence. In 2003, Mr. Luo was given a three-and-half-year of sentence. Both were tortured severely in prison. Ms. Zhang's torture included being hung up, handcuffed, tied-up, beaten and injected with unknown substances. She barely survived.

Torture Illustrations: Beating, freezing, hanging, tiger bench, forced-feeding, “cold shower”

During the couple’s first prison sentences, Ms. Zhang’s father passed away, and her mother was forced to leave home and stay with relatives. Their children dropped out of school and were forced to do odd jobs to make ends meet. When their eldest son became ill, he was too poor to seek medical help and eventually died of illness. Their new-born grandson also became ill and died.

The police continued to follow, monitor and harass Mr. Luo and Ms. Zhang after their prison sentences were over. Their pensions were suspended, and their house was confiscated. They were arrested again on November 10, 2011, and each received four-year prison sentences on May 28, 2013.

The Persecution of Mr. Shu Anqing

Mr. Shu Anqing, 40, was an outstanding technical specialist in the Luzhou Electric Power Bureau. He followed Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in daily life and never competed with others over personal gain. After the Communist regime banned Falun Gong, he was subjected to intense persecution. The police ransacked his home, harassed his family, sent him to a labor camp, and, upon his release, he was forced into hiding. Mr. Shu was deprived of work and his allocated apartment was taken. His father died in fear.

Mr. Shu opened an appliance repair shop, but the police did not leave him alone and placed him under constant surveillance. He was then forced to close the business. After his arrest on November 10, 2011, the only income for his mother and son was cut off. After 18 months of detention in the Gulin Detention Center, Mr. Shu was sentenced to a three-and-half-year prison term on May 28, 2013.