(Minghui.org) Mr. Chen Qingbin and his son, both residents of Dazu District, Chongqing, were arrested about two months ago. One of Mr. Chen’s friends heard from his mother on June 20, 2024 that he and his son were transferred to a detention center out of town, but other details about their case or the exact location of the detention center are not known.
Mr. Chen, in his 50s, was a teacher at the Sanqu Township Middle School. He is well known for his “Slender Gold” calligraphy style and also served as the deputy director of the Dazu District Changzhou Painting and Calligraphy Institute. He and his wife, Ms. Deng Shangyuan, a teacher of the Shizhuo Elementary School, both began to practice Falun Gong before the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution in 1999.
The couple went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong in November 2000. Due to the persecution she suffered in the next few years, Ms. Deng passed away in July 2005, when their son, Mr. Chen Banyue, was only five years old. Even after Ms. Deng died, the persecution against the family didn’t stop. The little boy grew up witnessing repeated arrests and harassment of his father for upholding his faith. Now the 24-year-old son is arrested along with his father, while he was preparing for the exam to attend graduate school. It’s not clear if the son, Chen Banyue, practices Falun Gong.
The Couple’s Persecution
Mr. Chen Qingbin was first arrested in July 1999 by officers from the Sanqu Township Police Station, as he refused to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong. Officer Wang Zhendong beat him, humiliated him and verbally abused him.
Mr. Chen was arrested again on May 11, 2000 at a gathering of over 20 Falun Gong practitioners. He was detained for a month and fined 4,000 yuan. The police ordered him to report to them once every month. Because he didn’t do it in July 2000, he was detained for a day.
When school resumed in August 2000 after the summer break, because Mr. Chen refused to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong, his school transferred him to teach at a remote elementary school and his one-way commute increased to one hour.
Mr. Chen was arrested again weeks later in September 2000 and was held at a local brainwashing center for over 20 days. He went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in November 2000, together with his pregnant wife. She was released after six months of detention. Mr. Chen was taken to the Xishanping Forced Labor Camp on December 20, 2000 to serve a one-year term. His salary was also suspended.
At the labor camp, Mr. Chen was repeatedly beaten by guard Xu Zhongfu, who stomped on his head after knocking him down to the ground. His head became swollen as a result. His vision was blurred and his legs were numb. The guards also arranged the inmates to watch him around the clock, including when he was using the restroom, taking a shower or doing laundry. He held a hunger strike in 2001 after other Falun Gong practitioners were tortured to death in the labor camp. The guards shocked him with electric batons and force-fed him in retaliation.
Shortly after Mr. Chen was released, Ms. Deng was arrested again in January 2002 and taken to a brainwashing center. She held a hunger strike and was released four days later. The authorities continued to monitor the family’s daily life after that and harassed them from time to time.
Officer Long Lianghui of the Sanqu Township Police Station searched the couple’s home one day in the middle of the night in March 2005. Due to the non-stop persecution, Ms. Deng’s health declined quickly. She passed away on July 25, 2005.
While still mourning Ms. Deng’s passing, Mr. Chen was arrested again on September 3, 2005 and taken to the Chongqing City Brainwashing Center, where he was held for three days.
The authorities launched a mass harassment campaign in July 2011 and threatened to send all Falun Gong practitioners who refused to renounce their faith to a brainwashing center. Mr. Chen was forced to live away from home to avoid being arrested.
Mr. Chen was arrested on September 24, 2014 after being followed by the police while distributing Falun Gong materials. The Dazu District Court sentenced him to three years and three months on April 8, 2015. His mother, who was in her 70s, helped care for her grandson while still having to work in the farm field to support the family.
Mr. Chen was fired by the Dazu County Education Bureau following his prison sentence. After he was released, he opened a calligraphy class for children, which soon gained popularity among local parents.
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