(Minghui.org) A married couple in Kangping County, Liaoning Province were recently sentenced to prison for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Yang Guohong was sentenced to three years and two months, with a 20,000-yuan fine. His wife, Ms. Bai Guifu, was given one year and four months, with a 10,000-yuan fine. Due to strict information censorship, details about their arrests and sentencing aren’t clear.
Over Two Decades of Persecution
The couple, both 63, took up Falun Gong in 1996. Ms. Bai thanks the practice for curing her breast hyperplasia, kidney condition, hip arthritis and nerve pain. Amazed by her changes, Mr. Yang also learned Falun Gong and his kidney stone disappeared.
Because the couple held fast to Falun Gong after the persecution started, they were repeatedly arrested and detained. Their daughter grew up in fear. Ms. Bai’s father passed away due to the mental distress of the ongoing persecution.
Mr. Yang went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong on September 10, 1999, only to be arrested and taken back to Kangping. Bai Guozheng, political director of the Kangping County Police Department, confiscated the 1,290 yuan in cash Mr. Yang had on him. Bai said to him, “We are both from Kangping. It’s better for me to keep the money for you than others. I will return it to you when you go home.”
When Mr. Yang was about to be released after weeks of detention, Bai refused to return his money, claiming that he had turned it in to the police department and they had used it. Bai also demanded Mr. Yang pay another 1,000 yuan as bail bond, or he wouldn’t release him.
As Ms. Bai was also detained, their 12-year-old daughter visited many relatives and borrowed 1,000 yuan in exchange for Mr. Yang’s release. While the police claimed that they would return the money a year later, they never returned it.
Ms. Bai was arrested again on October 25, 1999. Yan Xueyi and Wang Hongjun of the Kangping County Police Department interrogated her. They handcuffed her and shocked her with electric batons. As she refused to answer their questions, they threatened to torture her husband in the detention center. Ms. Bai was held in a brainwashing center for over ten days and extorted for 1,000 yuan when she was released.
Ding Chunmin, former chief of the Shengli Police Station, led a group of officers into the couple’s home on December 27, 1999. They searched the place without a warrant. The police pushed Mr. Yang into their car, without allowing him to lock the door to his home. They extorted 500 yuan from his family and released him two days later.
The couple were arrested again on January 5, 2001 while visiting a relative. The police deceived them, saying that they would let them go after they answered some questions. But instead of taking the couple to the police station for interrogation, the police went directly to their home and raided their place. After that, the couple were taken to the police station and later transferred to the Kangping County Lockup. The police also took their keys and raided their home again when no one was around.
Their daughter’s school was far away from home and the couple always rode their motorcycle to pick her up after school. As they were unable to pick her up that day, the girl walked home alone, crying hard. After it got dark, she was tired and hungry. She fell asleep near a building. Fortunately, a coworker of the couple saw the girl and took her home.
Police political director Li Mi ordered the police to bring Ms. Bai from the lockup to the Zhennan Police Station around 7 p.m. on January 8, 2001. As soon as Ms. Bai entered the room, Gao Zhongfeng, the police chief, pointed at the electric baton on the table and said to her, “This is prepared for you.” He then instructed an officer to handcuff her and tie her up.
Gao shouted at Ms. Bai, “I graduated from the police school. All I know is how to beat people.” Then he began to slap and kick her. He also shocked her on her face and neck with the electric baton and beat her back with the baton.
When Gao became tired of the beating, he went to the break room for a nap. Five officers continued to beat Ms. Bai and shock her with electric batons. Li Mi also verbally abused her on the side.
Ms. Bai questioned the officers, “As government officials, how can you do this?”
Li slapped on the table, “I’m f*** doing this, and what can you do to me?”
The police didn’t stop torturing Ms. Bai until midnight.
While Mr. Yang was released three weeks later, Ms. Bai was given a three-year term at the Longshan Forced Labor Camp on February 27, 2001. Her prolonged detention dealt her elderly parents a heavy blow. Under the tremendous pressure, her father fell ill and passed away soon after.
Mr. Yang was arrested again on August 15, 2003, after being reported by a villager for talking to people about Falun Gong. His home was also ransacked. The police verbally abused him during the interrogation.
After the police submitted his case to the procuratorate, prosecutor Zhao Xiaofeng said to Mr. Yang, “As long as you do a video to renounce Falun Gong, we will release you.” Mr. Yang refused to betray his belief and was sentenced to three years at the Benxi Prison.
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