(Minghui.org) After three and a half years of incarceration, 74-year-old Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zheng Guolin was released on January 6, 2014. He was extremely weak and thin as a result of being tortured in prison. His health deteriorated sharply at the end of October. His family took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with heart and lung failure. He passed away on November 2, 2014.
Tortured until He Coughed up Blood
Mr. Zheng was illegally arrested by officers from the Daowai Police Station in Harbin City for distributing Shen Yun DVDs with two other practitioners on July 7, 2010. The Daowai Court sentenced him to three and a half years in prison.
He was first taken the Daowai Detention Center, then transferred to Hulan Prison and detained for five months.
Mr. Zheng was transferred to Mudanjiang Prison on December 8, 2010. It was very cold in December, but the guards took off all his clothes, tore them up, and had him stand motionless in the hallway for a long time.
He then ran a fever and was unable to eat anything. The guards tortured him for 12 days despite his age and his obviously fragile condition. Afterward, he was sent to the Elderly Ward and forced to do manual labor, including making cell phone boxes. Mr. Zheng became extremely weak and began to cough up blood. The guards were afraid of being held responsible and sent him back to Hulan Prison.
Torture illustration: Handcuffed and shackled
On the CCP’s “Black List” for Speaking the Truth
Mr. Zheng, a former barber, used to suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, an inflamed gall bladder, and lung disease. He began practicing Falun Gong in 1996, after which all his ailments disappeared, and he became healthy.
After the CCP started the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, Mr. Zheng went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. He wanted to share his personal experience to let people know Falun Gong is good. The police arrested him and sent him back to Harbin City.
When Mr. Zheng attended a fair in 2000, he saw posters that slandered Falun Gong and to leave. Before he could leave, however, the organizers demanded that all the attendees answer a question: “Socialism or Falun Gong, which is better?” Mr. Zheng chose Falun Gong. The officers recorded this information and passed it along to the Acheng 610 Office. Agents from the 610 Office subsequently arrested him and took him to the Shengli Police Station.
After the 610 Office put Mr. Zheng’s name on their black list, the police often went to his home and harassed him.
That year before the Chinese New Year, the police called Mr. Zheng and insisted he come to go to the police station. When he came in, they asked him if he still practiced Falun Gong. When he said that he did, the police arrested him and took him to the Acheng First Detention Center where he was detained for 32 days.
In the detention center, the guards asked Mr. Zheng every day if he had agreed to stop practicing Falun Gong. They told him that, if he signed a statement promising not to practice anymore, he would be released. Mr. Zheng refused to sign it and remained steadfast in his belief.
As a result, the guards severely tortured him, attempting to force him to give up his belief. The torture was so brutal that Mr. Zheng passed out. His blood pressure rose and he was taken to the hospital.
Mr. Zheng was arrested by two officers from the Heping Police Station when he was telling people the facts about Falun Gong in late April 2004. He was taken to the No. 2 Detention Center.
The next day, the head of the police station, surnamed Sun, told Mr. Zheng’s family to hand over 3,000 yuan for Mr. Zhang's "exam" in the Harbin Police Hospital. His daughter gave Sun 2,900 yuan.
On the day of the examination, Sun thought the line at the hospital was too long, so he took Mr. Zheng back to the station. He never returned the money to Mr. Zheng’s family or arranged for another exam.
Mr. Zheng appeared to have lung problems nine days later. He was released shortly afterward due to his health.
Summary of Key Persecution Facts:
Name: Zheng Guolin (郑国林)Gender: MaleAge: 74Address: Acheng District, Harbin CityOccupation: BarberDate of Death: November 2, 2014Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 7, 2010Most Recent Place of Detention: Hulan Prison (呼兰监狱)City: HarbinProvince: HeilongjiangPersecution Suffered: Forced labor, illegal sentencing, beatings, imprisonment, extortion, detention
Earlier report:Practitioner in His Seventies Repeatedly Persecuted for Practicing Falun Gong
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