Mr. Cui dies soon after his return home from his third labor camp experience.
In April 2008 Ms. Zhang and other Falun Gong practitioners were given 5 year terms. She has already suffered long term imprisonment and torture.
Mr. Cui Guangyong Dies from Persecution in Wangqing County, Jilin Province
Mr. Cui Guangyong, 38, was a Falun Gong practitioner who lived in Zhuanjiaolou Village, Dongxin Township, Wangqing County in Jilin Province. After he began practicing Falun Gong in 1996, he became physically and spiritually healthy. He was ready and willing to help others and became a popular accountant.
However, after the persecution began on July 20, 1999, he was not allowed to practice Falun Gong because of pressure applied by the local police departments. Some of the village officials frequently went to Mr. Cui's home to harass him, both physically and psychologically. He was forced to leave his job and was sentenced to forced labor twice. Those same officials extorted several thousands yuan from his family.
Mr. Cui's parents became so fearful that they trembled when they heard someone knock at the door. Mr. Cui provided the only financial support for the entire family. In October of 2007, during the harvest season, police officers from the county department arrested Mr. Cui without any legal paperwork, and he was again sentenced to forced labor. His health declined due to injuries from torture at the forced labor camp. After he was released, he died on May 29, 2008, as a result of this persecution.
Ms. Zhang Mengxia was born in 1967 and is employed by the Shirengou Iron Mine at the Tangshan Steel Corporation in Tangshan City. Before practicing Falun Gong she was weak and suffered from Meniere's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. In October 2000 she started practicing Falun Gong. After reading Zhuan Falun twice, all her illnesses disappeared. From then on she started walking on the path of cultivation and strictly disciplined herself according to Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.
Because Ms. Zhang refused to write a guarantee statement in May 2002, officials at the Shirengou Iron Mine escorted her to a brainwashing center to "reform" her. While in the center, Ms. Zhang was deprived of sleep for over two weeks, which created swelling in her legs. However, the ruthless abuse did not stop her from practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Zhang eventually escaped from the brainwashing center with the power of her righteous thoughts. She chose to become homeless to avoid further persecution. In October 2002 she mailed truth-clarification materials to people at the Shirengou Iron Mine. The officials discovered that the materials were from Chengde City. Shirengou Iron Mine general manager Xia Desheng and Security Division supervisor Zhang Guoshen sent someone to Chengde who arrested Ms. Zhang. She was imprisoned in the Zunhua Detention Center where her four limbs were cuffed together, and she was subjected to brutal physical tortures.
Despite all the hardships, Ms. Zhang persisted in her belief and refused to be "reformed." In March 2003, under huge pressure from the government, her husband, Yang Fujun divorced her and was granted custody of their daughter.
In April 2003, Ms. Zhang's parents took her to their home in Tangshan City. It is said that they spent a large amount of money to bribe the authorities to release her.
In 2005, Ms. Zhang was once again arrested in Tangshan and was released after a 15-day hunger strike.
On October 1, 2007, Ms. Zhang, accompanied by practitioners Xu Shuqin, Li Liping, Zhao Fengxia, Zhang Yuehua, and Wang Cuihua, went to the Eastern Royal Tombs of the Qing Dynasty (a tourist attraction) in Zunhua City to distribute truth-clarifying materials. The Eastern Tombs (Dongling) Culture Heritage Department and local police station officers arrested her and detained her in Zunhua Detention Center, where she is still being held. She has been brutally force-fed, causing her hands and face to be covered with blood. It was too miserable to look at.
On April 17, 2008, six other practitioners and Ms. Zhang were sentenced at Zunhua Municipal Court. She was given a five-year term.