(Minghui.org) My wife practices Falun Gong. She was illegally arrested several times and finally sent to a forced labor camp, all because she refused to give up her beliefs.
I exhausted all my connections, spent a lot of money, and bought numerous dinners trying to facilitate her release. A Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official finally told me, “I could get your wife out even if she had committed arson or murder, but nothing can be done for someone who practices Falun Gong.”
“What kind of government is this?”
Many housewives, such as my wife, started practicing Falun Gong after they had health problems. My wife suffered from many health issues, including gynecological problems, chronic asthma, and chronic gastroenteritis. We spent a lot of money on medical treatment, but saw little improvement over the years. After she began practicing Falun Gong, however, she returned to good health.
And on top of the dramatic improvements in her health, she also lost her bad temper. She used to fight for petty benefits, but now she cares for my parents as if she was their daughter. My mother praises her wherever she goes. Our relatives and people throughout the village like her.
Nevertheless, as a good as she is, she was arrested and sentenced to forced labor and is not being released. What kind of world is this? What kind of government is this?
Valid Reasoning Restores Rationality
As soon as the persecution started, the pressure hit me. I was afraid of losing my job, afraid of my wife being assaulted in police custody, and afraid our child's education might be affected. Out of fear, I yelled at my wife and hit her, but she did not retaliate.
When I threatened her with divorce, she said, “If you divorce me because I practice Falun Gong, I won't stop you. But it would be bad for you, because you would be helping the Party do evil things that even Jiang Zemin’s lackeys couldn't do. You would be persecuting a practitioner who is trying to become a good person.”
She said that she did not want to trade her conscience for immediate, petty benefits. She reminded me that practicing Falun Gong is legal under China’s constitution, which promises freedom of belief.
Although I already knew about it, she reinforced my understanding of the persecution. She said that Jiang's clique has used China's entire government-owned media to spread lies to discredit Falun Gong. They took away practitioners’ freedom of speech. They deprive practitioners of their legal rights and forbid lawyers from defending them.
“Even murderers and arsonists have the right to appeal,” she said, “but not Falun Gong practitioners. Is that fair?”
Although I was well aware of it, I gained a greater understanding of what Jiang and his minions have been up to. He is responsible for poisoning the entire nation with lies.
“What goes around comes around,” she said. “If you see a train heading toward a cliff, shouldn't you try to stop it?
“This is a battle between good and evil and a time for people to position themselves. Do you want to regard Falun Gong positively or succumb to Jiang's despotic power and live without dignity, betraying Master Li and Falun Gong?”
Within Her Constitutional Rights
My wife's words, which came from the bottom of her heart, made me speechless, and I broke out in tears.
She was right. As a person who believes that justice is important, how could I treat her like this? She had not done anything wrong or illegal. Everything she did was within her constitutional rights.
Nothing But a Show Trial
One day I sat in on a trial in which a human rights lawyer defended a Falun Gong practitioner and entered pleas of not guilty on their behalf. The lawyer's defense woke me up.
At the judge's request, the lawyer read the 14 cults named by the authorities and the Ministry of Public Security. Even the judge was surprised to find out that Falun Gong was not listed and that it therefore should be completely legal to practice Falun Gong in China.
The lawyer asked to play a Falun Gong DVD that was being used as evidence, but the request was denied. The lawyer said it was about legends and myths and was very good. The lawyer asked to read a confiscated pamphlet about the practice in the courtroom, but that request was denied as well.
The lawyer continued his defense and everyone listened in silence. The lawyer demanded that the charges be dismissed and the defendant be released immediately, but the request was not granted. The practitioner was still sentenced. However, the verdict was not given until a later date.
A friend who works in the court system told me later that the trial was just for show and that the 610 Office had already decided on the sentence. That was what let me see through the Party completely. I no longer hated my wife. Instead, I started to do my best to support her and alleviate some of her burden.
Righteous Actions Terrify Officials
On May 1, 2015, the authorities adopted a new policy requirement: “Any case can be filed and all lawsuits will be accepted.” Many practitioners filed criminal complaints against Jiang.
That has terrified some officials, who have used their power to either intercept practitioners’ complaints or coerce them to agree in writing that they would never file a complaint. These officials have abused their power to arrest practitioners, ransack their homes, and put them in detention.
I indeed admire practitioners, because they are using peaceful, legal means. They show that it is their persecutors who are flouting the law.
It is true that one does not know what one has until it is gone. I didn't realize how good and important my wife was until she was taken from me.
Question after Question
I wondered, “Is Falun Gong good? Is Master Li good? Falun Gong is practiced in more than 100 countries, so why is it persecuted only in China? Why were there so many proclamations given to Master Li?”
Question after question disturbed my mind: “Why are the alleged self-immolations or suicides by practitioners not reported outside of China? Why hadn’t there been any reports of these happening in China before the persecution? Why are there so many people with advanced degrees and high positions outside of China practicing Falun Gong?
Falun Gong is Good
Look closely at the persecution of Falun Gong. Our family members are arrested and sentenced based on the generic charge “undermining law enforcement.” Yet in reality, practitioners are doing no such thing. They simply tell others about the benefits of practicing Falun Gong, and about the persecution it faces in China.
I have finally come to a complete understanding of why Jiang Zemin has made such an enemy out of Falun Gong. Jiang is evil, whereas Falun Gong and Master Li are good. When Jiang's group loses power, I will practice Falun Gong, too!
The Real Criminals Must Be Brought to Justice
Our family members have done nothing wrong. What's the big deal about putting up a flyer telling people about criminal charges being filed against Jiang?
Jiang has brought disaster to this country and its people. He has earned huge profits through corruption and embezzlement. Most important, he has committed the worst crime, which is harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. Shouldn't criminal charges be filed against him?
All people are equal before the law. Let us be clear in our minds that the entire nation hates Jiang because he is responsible for China’s rapid moral decline.
Defend Our Family Members Who Practice Falun Gong
Please treat practitioners well, particularly if you have family members who practice Falun Gong! We should take action to end the persecution, rather than wait for a solution to present itself.
Let's seek justice for our family members. We should demand their immediate release and hire lawyers to defend them.
Regardless if we can bring them home or not, at least we can prove our family members are innocent. Please stop adding pressure. When the truth is made known to the whole world, we can say with pride, “We did what we could.”
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