(Minghui.org) A recent college graduate was detained for 10 days, beaten, and fired from his job after seeking the release of his father, who had been sentenced to 4 years in prison for practicing Falun Gong.
On November 5, 2015, 22-year-old Mr. Li Zongze was arrested at work. When his mother Ms. Liu Yuehong went to the police station to inquire about him, she was also arrested.
The police indicated that mother and son were being held because they had filed a criminal complaint on June 20, 2015, against former Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin for directing the persecution of Falun Gong.
Officers interrogated them for 7 hours before taking them to the Dezhou City Detention Center, which refused to admit them because neither passed a physical exam. Officers released Ms. Liu but persuaded the detention center to hold her son in custody.
On his first day there, Mr. Li was beaten by other prisoners while a guard watched. The guard later denied witnessing the beating. Mr. Li's face was swollen and he had bruises on his arm. A guard poured 3 cups of water into his pants and refused to let him eat for 3 days.
Soon after he was detained, the Dezhou City Publicity Department called Mr. Li's employer. In tears, a supervisor later told Mr. Li that he had been an excellent employee, but they were forced to fire him due to pressure from the authorities.
Previous Arrests
This was the third time Mr. Li Zongze has been detained for seeking the release of his father, Mr. Li Zhiqiang. He was arrested on September 5, 2014, two weeks before his father's trial, and July 27, 2015, a week after his father's sentencing.
After his father was arrested on January 9, 2014, Mr. Li collected 114 signatures from their neighbors to call for his release. During the elder Mr. Li's trial on September 19, 2014, the court removed his defense attorney after he entered a plea of innocence. Mr. Li Zongze, still a college student at the time, took the lawyer's place and defended his father in court.
Background
In 1999, Jiang Zemin, as head of the Chinese Communist Party, overrode other Politburo standing committee members and launched the violent suppression of Falun Gong.
The persecution has led to the deaths of many Falun Gong practitioners during the past 16 years. More have been tortured for their belief and even killed for their organs. Jiang Zemin is directly responsible for the inception and continuation of the brutal persecution.
Under his personal direction, the Chinese Communist Party established an extralegal security organ, the “610 Office,” on June 10, 1999. The organization overrides police forces and the judicial system in carrying out Jiang's directive regarding Falun Gong: to ruin their reputations, cut off their financial resources, and destroy them physically.
Chinese law allows for citizens to be plaintiffs in criminal cases, and many practitioners are now exercising that right to file criminal complaints against the former dictator.
Related Reports:
Mr. Li Zhiqiang Abused, Subjected to Brainwashing in Shandong Prison
Visit of Detained Practitioner Results in Arrest and Detention
College Student Assaulted by Police for Inquiring about Father's Case
Petition Signed by 114 Neighbors Asks for Release of Practitioner Mr. Li Zhiqiang
Shandong Court Denies Practitioner of Legal Representation During Trial
Procuratorate Releases Businessman, Domestic Security Arrests Him Again
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