Accounts of Persecution
Practitioners Exchange Insights and Experiences
Health Benefits
Name: Du Juan (杜娟)
Gender: Female
Age: 56 (Born on March 7, 1954)
Address: Suojiafen Community, Haidian District, Beijing
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Death: June 14, 2011
Date of Most Recent Arrest: May 6, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Beijing Women's Prison
(北京市女子监狱)
City: Beijing
Persecution Suffered: Sleep deprivation, forced labor,
brainwashing, illegal sentencing, beatings, imprisonment, solitary
confinement, torture
(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Du Juan developed cancer while being persecuted at the Beijing Women's Prison. It quickly advanced into late-stage cancer and she was in critical condition. Her family requested she be released on medical parole many times. Prison authorities refused to release her using various excuses. Ms. Du died in a hospital near the prison on the afternoon of June 14, 2011. She has left behind her mentally retarded son and her nearly 90-year-old father.
Ms. Du Juan
Ms. Du suffered both physically and mentally before she died. She had to rely on taking painkillers daily to relieve the pain. Her lower body started to swell and she was very weak. Her father, a retired army doctor, wept in grief at her situation. Her family requested a medical release, but prison officials refused to release her because she had not given up her practice of Falun Gong. Later, the officials claimed that she hadn't finished half of her prison term and shouldn't get medical parole. Meanwhile, they also claimed that her illness was terminal and attempts at curing her were futile, so they did nothing more than offer painkillers and refused to let other hospitals treat her.
Ms. Du benefited physically and mentally from practicing Falun Gong. However, she was arrested for speaking with people about the practice and was sent to the Beijing Women's Prison in 2004. Liu Yingchun, director of the No. 4 Prison District, is well-known for “transforming” practitioners in Beijing's judiciary system. She used all kinds of methods to torture Ms. Du physically and mentally. She also instigated criminal inmates to monitor and abuse her.
Ms. Du was kept in solitary confinement for a year beginning August 2005. She was also monitored around the clock. The guards deprived her of sleep and forced her to stand or sit for long periods. Her legs and thighs became swollen because of the abuse. Her tail bone oozed a watery pus as a result of kicks from drug-addict inmates, and her whole body was covered with bruises from the beatings. They also verbally abused her and threatened her.
In May 2006, the prison officials started another round of abuse on Ms. Du. They increased the monitoring personnel from two to six. Six people took turns monitoring her. Four people forced her to answer questions that slandered Falun Gong and made her watch videos and read books that slandered the practice. At night, the two people monitoring her wouldn't let her sleep. After August 2006, Ms. Du was forced to do hard labor overtime. The long term physical and mental abuse damaged her health.
Liu Yingchun later sent Ms. Du's homeless son to an orphanage, shot a video of his plight, and claimed that Ms. Du was responsible for her son's condition. Afterward, they released the video to the entire prison district, causing Ms. Du to suffer ridicule, personal attacks, and insults from other prisoners.
On May 6, 2010, she was arrested again and sentenced to three years in prison. She was held at the No. 8 Prison District at the Beijing Women's Prison. Zhang Haina, director of the No. 8 Prison District, is also known for “transforming” practitioners. Ms. Du Juan was diagnosed with cancer and died after being persecuted at the Beijing Women's Prison.
Ms. Du was not the only practitioner persecuted at the Beijing Women's Prison. Ms. Zhang Chunfang and Ms. Geng Jin'e developed illnesses and died in the No. 4 Prison District. Because of the physical and mental abuse, Ms. Cao Guirong, Ms. Huang Jinxiang, Ms. Zhao Xuefeng from the No. 8 Prison District, and Ms. Li Li, Ms. Ji Lianyun, Ms. Li Fengying, Ms. Nan Xiuping and Ms. Ding Xiaolan from the No. 4 Prison District show various degrees of illness.
Related articles:
http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/6/15/126045.html
http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/6/8/125887.html
(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Liu Yujing is a farmer and Falun Gong practitioner from Shizhong District, Jinan City, Shandong Province. She was illegally arrested in her home by Shizhong District police on November 16, 2010, and detained for a long period of time. She was put on trial by Shizhong District Court on May 6, 2011. The court personnel and local 610 Office agents prevented Ms. Liu's husband and daughter from entering the courtroom.
Related article:
http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/5/24/125498.html
Several hundred villagers signed a petition attesting to Ms. Liu's reputation as a good person
On May 31, 2011, Ms. Liu's oldest daughter, Tian Guangqing, and a friend arrived at Shizhong District Procuratorate in Jinan City to report the illegal acts of the Shizhong District police— Ms. Liu's unlawful arrest, detention and the ransacking of her home during the arrest. They also reported that the Shizhong District Court had illegally put Ms. Liu on trial on May 6, 2011, and had not allowed the family to enter the courtroom.
Zhang Jisheng, the chief of the Appeals Office of the Procuratorate, received them. As soon as Zhang realized that their reports were related to a Falun Gong practitioner's case, he said, “We do not accept Falun Gong cases. We have an internal document that mandates that we do not accept any Falun Gong matter.”
Therefore, Zhang refused to accept the letter of accusation, and told them to deal directly with the Public Security Bureau and the courts. Tian requested Zhang show the “internal document,” but he refused. When Tian and her friend insisted that Zhang accept their report in accordance with the law, he became angry and threatened them. Tian and her friend left their letters of accusation and relevant evidence, and left the Appeals Office.
The evidence left by Tian Guangqing included a petition signed by over 300 villagers of Xinglong Village, where Ms. Liu's family lives, vouching that Ms. Liu is a good person.
The petition stated: “It is known to all that Ms. Liu is a good person and that she has been unlawfully detained for a long time only because she practices Falun Gong and believes in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Falun Gong teaches people to be good, and Falun Gong practitioners are good people.” The villagers had signed the petition in hopes that Ms. Liu would be released.
Name: Guo Xiaojun (郭小军)
Gender: Male
Age: in his 40s
Address: Shanghai
Occupation: Former lecturer at the Computer Science
Department in Shanghai Jiaotong University
Date of Most Recent Arrest: January 7, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Tilanqiao Prison (提篮桥监狱)
City: Shanghai
Persecution Suffered: Detention, brainwashing, illegal
sentencing, beatings, sleep deprivation, home ransacked, torture,
forced labor, denial of restroom use
(Clearwisdom.net) Practitioner Mr. Guo Xiaojun was diagnosed with retinal artery problems while being illegally detained at the Tilanqiao Prison in Shanghai. His condition has recently become worse. The prison officials notified Mr. Guo that they would take him to the Shanghai First People's Hospital and the Nanhui Prison hospital for an eye exam on May 18, 2011. When Mr. Guo was taken out of the cell on the afternoon of May 18, to his surprise, the police forcibly covered his head and locked him up with heavy handcuffs and fetters, with more than a dozen armed personnel to escort him. Mr. Guo realized that the so-called medical examination was just another form of intimidation and persecution.
Because of his belief in Falun Dafa, Mr. Guo was sentenced to five years in prison in 2000, and was again subjected to four years of imprisonment in 2010. He is currently being detained at the Tilanqiao Prison.
Mr. Guo Xiaojun before being imprisoned and his son
On May 17, 2011, the day before Mr. Guo was taken to the hospital, head guard Liu Wei asked Mr. Guo for his opinion. At that moment, Mr. Guo didn’t say anything. On the following afternoon, however, the police officers came unexpectedly and quickly took Mr. Guo out of the cell. Even more surprisingly, Mr. Guo found that he was surrounded by more than a dozen armed officers, and a head covering was forcibly put over his head in addition to heavy handcuffs and fetters, which was normally the way murderers or prisoners sentenced to death were treated. The police then sent Mr. Guo in a commercial vehicle.
After arriving at the hospital, Mr. Guo found that the entire eye center was blanketed with security. There were more than 20 officers from the hospital security section and the prison.
Mr. Guo realized that the medical examination was just a setup to threaten him, and he refused to take the examination.
On June 2, Mr. Guo disclosed his suffering to his family members when they came to visit him. As soon as the conversation was finished, the family members were led by Liu Wei to a small room. They were met by a woman surnamed Hou, who claimed to be from the Prison Administration Bureau.
Mr. Guo’s family members questioned her as to why people taken out for medical treatment had to have their heads covered and be put in heavy handcuffs and fetters. She said, “This is a new regulation.” The family members asked when this regulation was first implemented. The woman said, “It just started.” The family members requested to see the documentation related to this regulation. The woman responded, “This is our own internal rule.”
Hou and Liu Wei also denied the family’s request to review the examination report, only claiming that Mr. Guo was fine. However, after the examination, Mr. Guo suffered from chest pain for several days in a row and his vision became blurred.
Mr. Guo’s condition has worsened further, and his family has been threatened by the authorities.
Related articles:
http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/4/11/124349.html
http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/1/22/122806.html
http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/8/24/119587.html
(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioners in Handan Forced Labor Camp in Hebei Province are still being very severely persecuted. Ge Qingxi is the chief of the special administration team. When many guards were not willing to brutally beat Falun Gong practitioners, he did it himself. On September 2, 2010, Ge Qingxi beat Mr. Li Zhu and Mr. Cheng Wendong with a rubber police baton, causing multiple injures. In a conference, he made the remark: “Someone said the higher authorities do not allow us to beat the detainees. Then why did they give me a rubber baton?”
Torture re-enactment: Beating using a rubber police baton
Ge Qingxi dragged practitioner Mr. Ma Baoguo to the fifth floor and beat him on December 23, 2010, because he refused to renounce his belief. Ge Qingxi and detainee Gao Fei beat Mr. Ma again on December 25 and 27, 2010.
(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Guo Feng, 30, is a Falun Gong practitioner from Dalian City, Liaoning Province. Between February and March 2009, she was tracked by the communist regime's Internet police and subsequently illegally arrested. The authorities held a secret trial and gave her three years of imprisonment without following any legal procedures. In late September 2009, Ms. Guo was sent to the Dabei Women’s Prison in Shenyang City.
While detained in the prison, Ms. Guo resisted the persecution and refused to wear the prison uniform or do forced labor. When the ward head locked her in a bathroom, she shouted “Falun Dafa is good!” whenever someone passed by outside.
After Ms. Guo's arrest, her parents both became very ill from the stress of the persecution. They endured many difficulties appealing to the authorities for justice for their daughter. Soon after Ms. Guo was sent to the prison, her grieving father passed away.
Name: Wu Suqin (武素琴)
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Address: Jiyuan City, Henan Province
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: June 7, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Xiaolangdi Brainwashing Center
(小浪底洗脑班)
City: Jiyuan
Province: Henan
Persecution Suffered: Detention, home ransacked, forced labor,
sleep deprivation, bound with shackles, shocked with electric
batons, brainwashing.
(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Wu Suqin was illegally arrested in June 2010 and detained in Jiyuan City Detention Center. That October she was detained in Xiaolangdi Brainwashing Center for almost five months. She had been arrested and detained at the Jiyuan Detention Center the previous year, and was tortured and made to perform forced labor.
On December 9, 2009, soon after Ms. Wu Suqin arrived home, her door was kicked open and she was arrested. A group of plainclothes police broke into her home, including officers Xie Hongwu, Miao Dongming and Chen Guohui from the National Security Team of Jiyuan Public Security Bureau, as well as police from Yaqiao Township. They ransacked her home, stole a portrait of Falun Gong's founder Master Li Hongzhi, a music player, Falun Gong books, and other items. Ms. Wu was detained in Jiyuan Detention Center.
In the detention center, a guard forced Wu Suqin to perform labor, making medicine boxes used in hospitals. Female guard Zhao Na intentionally increased Ms. Wu's workload, and told prisoners Liu Zixian, Liu Hongjin, and others to watch her. If she slowed down a little, Liu Zixian would hit her hands with a plastic hanger. Ms. Wu's hands became bruised, and her fingers were so swollen that she could not even bend them. The police guards always aimed for higher production, and appointed the inmate in charge of the cell to keep Ms. Wu from sleeping. They forced her to work nights continuously, which resulted in headaches and fatigue. She could not complete the extra work, so Zhao Na commanded prisoners to put heavy shackles on her and forced her to walk three rounds in the yard. As a result, her feet were ripped up, covered with blood and the flesh torn. Her legs were swollen and she could barely walk.
Torture re-enactment: Heavy shackles
The guards forbade Ms. Wu Suqin from talking or moving around. She was forced to continue laboring. Ms. Wu suffered both mentally and physically, resulting in her condition deteriorating. Her ability to work also decreased. Zhao Na put her into a closed room alone and used an electric baton to repeatedly shock her in seven or eight rounds. Ms. Wu's whole body was bruised and injured, and she lost the ability to walk. Ms. Wu Suqin was tortured for 35 days in the detention center and eventually released.
Torture re-enactment: Shocked with an electric baton
Ms. Wu Suqin was working in a roadside flower field in Zhicheng Town, Jiyuan on June 7, 2010. A police car pulled up next to her, and then several officers led by Xie Hongwu forcibly grabbed Ms. Wu and pushed her into the car. They took her to Yaqiao Township Police Substation, and then to Tiantan Hospital, where they forced her to have a physical exam. The result showed that she had very high blood pressure. Despite her condition, Xie Hongwu, Miao Dongming, Chen Guohui, and others still forcibly sent her to Jiyuan Detention Center. The detention center refused to take her, but the group of officers left her there and quickly departed.
Ms. Wu continued to suffer in the detention center. When officials discovered that Wu Suqin had helped a new prisoner, they increased her work quota by 50 extra medicine boxes a day.
On October 12 of the same year, Jiyuan Political Judiciary Committee Secretary Li Gang, local 610 Office director Zhao Nianbo, and Liu Tianguo lied to Ms. Wu about her being released, and instead transferred her to the Xiaolangdi Brainwashing Center from the detention center. She was detained there for five months and suffered even more. During the brainwashing sessions, Falun Gong practitioners were forced to watch CCTV's “Focus” program, as well as TV programs made by the Chinese Communist Party which slandered Falun Gong. They included the staged Tiananmen Square “self-immolation,” as well as other propaganda. CCP officials ordered practitioners to swear at the founder of Falun Gong, and write pledges not to practice. They also forced practitioners to learn and practice another qigong based on animal movements. They threatened Wu Suqin's family and tried to use them to force Ms. Wu to give up her belief under enormous pressure.
Those involved in the persecution of Ms. Wu:
Wang Lixin, Deputy Director of the Public Security Bureau:
86-13949690888 (Cell) 86-391-6693389, 86-391-6291876
Zhao Nianbo, Deputy Secretary of the Political Judiciary Committee:
86-13782758811 (Cell), 86-391-6633611 (Office), 86-391-6638811
(Home)
Li Gang, Jiyuan Political Judiciary Committee Secretary
(Clearwisdom.net) Today's news from China includes incidents of persecution that took place in 21 cities or counties in 11 provinces. In this report, five practitioners were subjected to mistreatment during their detention, and at least 36 practitioners were illegally arrested.
1. [Shenyang, Liaoning Province] Ms. Tang Huiyun in Critical Condition due to Persecution
Personnel from Ms. Tang Huiyun's workplace forcefully took her to a brainwashing center at Luotaishanzhuang Law School in Fushun City on May 16, 2011. Her health is in imminent danger after being tortured in the brainwashing center.
2. [Hegang, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Zhu Ruiqiu Illegally Arrested
Ms. Zhu Ruiqiu went to visit her relatives in Beijing. She was illegally arrested in her hotel room on May 25, 2011.
3. [Anshan, Liaoning Province] Ms. Zhang Lifeng, Mr. Cheng Jirong and Ms. Wang Guiying Arrested
Police officers from Tanggangzi Police Station arrested Ms. Zhang Lifeng, Mr. Cheng Jirong and Ms. Wang Guiying at Tanggangzi Resort Hospital on June 1, 2011. Then they sent them to Anshan First Detention Center.
Tanggangzi Police Station: 86-412-2410356
Anshan First Detention Center: 86-412-2960506
4. [Mulan County, Heilongjiang Province] Ms. Sun Lizhi and Ms. Mei Guangqin Arrested
Ms. Sun Lizhi and Ms. Mei Guangqin were distributing DVDs of the Shen Yun show at the market in Xinmin Town in Mulan County on the morning of June 4, 2011 when police from Xinmin Town Police Station arrested them.
5. [Dandong, Liaoning Province] Ms. Yang Jingmei Arrested
Officers from Jiuliancheng Police Station in Dandong and Zhenan District Police Patrol arrested Ms. Yang Jingmei on June 2, 2011. They also confiscated her laptop computer, a Falun Dafa book, a copy of Minghui Weekly and several copies of the Shen Yun DVDs. The police extorted 5,000 yuan from Ms. Yang's family before releasing her.
Zhenan District Police Patrol in Dandong City: 86-145-4167599
6. [Heishan County, Liaoning Province] Ms. Wang Yufeng Arrested
Ms. Wang Yufeng was arrested on May 27, 2011. She is currently detained at Jinzhou Detention House.
Lou Dali, deputy chief of the Heishan County Police Bureau:
86-416-5523622, 86-416-5529858, 86-13904062688
Wang Weijing, captain of the Domestic Security Division in the
police bureau: 86-416-5512076, 86-416-5538118, 86-13604162232
Xiao Zhongying, deputy captain of the Domestic Security Division:
86-416-5522800, 86-416-5565833
7. [Nanjing, Jiangsu Province] Ms. Shen Chuanying Arrested
Ms. Shen Chuanying, in her 30s, is from Dachang District of Nanjing. She was arrested on June 2, 2011 and her home was ransacked. She is currently detained at the Jiangdongmen Detention Center.
Another practitioner, Mr. Zhang Mingshun, was also arrested. The details of his arrest are still under investigation.
Xiejiadian Police Station: 86-25-57791563
Jiangdongmen Detention Center: 86-25-84420914, 86-25-84420960,
86-25-84420964
8. [Tianjin] Ms. Guo Defen Arrested
Ms. Guo Defen is from Hexi District. She was reported to the police only because she was handing out DVDs of the Shen Yun show on May 31, 2011. Ms. Guo is currently detained at the Wushuidao Detention Center in Hexi District.
Taoyuan Police Station of the Hexi Police Sub-Bureau:
86-22-232253895
Dayingmen Police Station of the Hexi Police Sub-Bureau:
86-22-23395336
Xiawafang Police Station of the Hexi Police Sub-Bureau:
86-22-88216148
Hexi District Detention Center: 86-22-28385518
9. [Qinghuangdao, Hebei Province] Mr. Jing Yanwu and Mr. Yang Wenquan Arrested
On the afternoon of June 11, 2011, Ren Xiuliang, head of the Tumenzixiang Police Station in Qinglong County; Kong Xianmin from the Tumenzixiang government and others broke in the homes of Mr. Jing Yanwu and Mr. Yang Wenquan. They arrested both practitioners and took them to a brainwashing session in the Qinglong County Law Education Center.
Kong Xianmin, Tumenzixiang government: 86-22-28385518
Ren Xiuliang, Tumenzixiang Police Station: 86-139303215
10. [Wuan, Hebei Province] Ms. Wang Aiying and her Husband Mr. Wang Hongliang Arrested
Police officers from the Wuan City Domestic Security Division broke into Ms. Wang Aiying and Mr. Wang Hongliang's home and arrested them on the morning of June 1, 2011. They also confiscated more than 10,000 yuan in cash and a computer. Afterwards, they sent the couple to the Wuan Detention Center, where they are still detained.
Liu Qingchang, Law Office of the Wuan government:
86-310-5653296
Chen Fuhe, deputy chief of the Wuan City Police Bureau:
86-310-8102018, 86-310-5610806, 86-13603105609
Zhang Lihua, Domestic Security Division: 86-310-5569565,
86-310-5610822, 86-13931066836
Wuan Detention Center: 86-310-5610878
11. [Nanjing, Jiangsu Province] Mr. Cao Zhiyun Arrested on May 31, 2011
12. [Weifang, Shandong Province] Mr. Zhao Yancheng Arrested
Mr. Zhao Yancheng, 70 years old, is from Qiaoxi Village in Changle. He was arrested in the early morning on May 14, 2011. His current whereabouts is unknown.
13. [Tangshan, Hebei Province] Ms. Zhai Yuping and Ms. Li Yaping Transferred to Shijiazhuang Women's Forced Labor Camp
Ms. Zhai Yuping, Ms. Li Yaping, Ms. Zhao Ye and Ms. Xie Guoxiang were transferred from Kaiping Forced Labor Camp in Tangshan to Shijiazhuang Women's Forced Labor Camp sometime in the middle of May 2011.
14. [Pi County, Sichuan Province] Mr. He Ping Arrested
Mr. He Ping is 19 years old and from the Bi County Institute of Technology. Officers from Xipu Police Station arrested Mr. He while he was distributing truth clarification materials on May 27, 2011.
15. [Guangzhou, Guangdong Province] Mr. Zhang Yuanbo Persecuted
Mr. Zhang Yuanbo was arrested at home in July 2009. A judge at Tianhe District Court in Guangzhou sentenced him to four years in prison in May 2010. Three months later, in August 2010, he was transferred to Jiangbei Prison in Shaoguan. During his detention, his wife, Ms. Yang Ying, was forcibly taken to a brainwashing center.
16. [Huanggang, Hubei Province] Ms. Wang Qin Arrested
Ms. Wang Qin works for a design company in Bujinongquan Villa No. 14 in Shenzhen. Police from Nanling Police Station arrested her on May 24, 2011 and confiscated her work computer. Ms. Wang is currently detained at Longgang Detention Center in Shenzhen.
17. [Chongqing] Mr. Xu Zhen Arrested
Mr. Xu Zhen from Hechuan District of Chongqing was arrested in Wuhan City on the afternoon of May 28, 2011. His current whereabouts is unknown.
In 2006, Mr. Xu was imprisoned for four years only because he was handing out truth-clarification materials. During his imprisonment, he was injected with an unknown drug. To this day, he has not fully recovered from the effects of the drug.
18. [Yiyang, Hunan Province] Ms. Li Tao Arrested
Ms. Li Tao was arrested when she gave materials that clarified the truth of Dafa to an instructor at Nanzhou Town Police Station on the afternoon of June 1, 2011. Ms. Li is currently detained at the Nan County Detention Center.
Yan Qing, Nan County 610 Office: 86-737-5243610
Wang Tifu, chief of Nan County Police Bureau: 86-737-5248388,
86-13907379633
Yang Wenqing, head of the detention center of Nan County Police
Bureau: 86-13907375518
Huang Aiwu, head of the detention house of Nan County Police
Bureau: 86-13607375100
19. [Jiutai, Jilin Province] Fourteen Practitioners Transferred to Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp
On May 24, 2011, 14 practitioners detained in the Yinmahe Forced Labor Camp were transferred to Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp in Changchun.
20. [Chengdu, Sichuan Province] Retired Teacher Ms. Yu Huijun Taken to Xinjin Brainwashing Center
Sixty-eight-year-old Ms. Yu Huijun from Tianhui Town is a retired teacher. When she talked to people about Falun Gong on June 1, 2011, police officers took her to Xinjin Brainwashing Center.
21. [Yichang, Hubei Province] Mr. Zheng Dejun Detained
Mr. Zheng Dejun was arrested on June 2, 2011 and is currently held at a detention center.
Yichang First Detention Center: 86-717-6551775,
86-717-6553602
Yu Weidong, director of the Xiling District 610 Office:
86-717-6768097, 86-13997731566
Cao Xiaoping, Xiba Police Station: 86-717-6271230
Cheng Rui, deputy head of Xiba Police Station: 86-717-6271230
22. [Wuhan, Hubei Province] Mr. Zhang Tao and Others Arrested in Yichang
Mr. Zhang Tao and Ms. Ye Fangli were arrested in Yichang on June 3, 2011 and detained at Yichang Police Station. The police officers also ransacked their homes.
Xiling District 610 Office in Yichang, Hubei Province:
86-717-6271230, 86-717-6271230
Cao Xiaoping, Xiba Police Station in Yichang: 86-717-6271230
(Clearwisdom.net) A "Solemn Declaration" is a person's public statement to the world that whatever he or she has done or said under duress or deception that was against Falun Dafa is null and void. These statements have come from Falun Dafa practitioners in China who wish to express regret that, in the face of physical torture and brainwashing, they signed documents renouncing Dafa and guaranteeing not to practice again. Now, they hereby declare their intention to resume practicing Falun Dafa. Here are some examples of the Solemn Declarations: Please click here for more Solemn Declarations.
(Clearwisdom.net) More and more people in China are awakening to the truth and realizing that they were deceived by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) into participating in the persecution of Falun Gong, either directly as government officials, police, labor camp guards, etc., or indirectly as practitioners' family members, who in many cases may have cursed Dafa, burned Dafa books, or interfered in various other ways to prevent practitioners from following their beliefs. As a result of this awakening, the Minghui/ Clearwisdom website is receiving increasing numbers of heartfelt messages from non-practitioners who wish to publicly express remorse for their wrongdoing and announce their intention to rectify their words and deeds in the future. The editors will periodically choose representative messages of this type and publish them as articles entitled, "Solemn Statements from Non-Practitioners."
Here are some examples of the Solemn Declarations:
Please click here for more Solemn Declarations.
(Clearwisdom.net) I started practicing Falun Dafa on April 18, 2011. It seemed accidental, but when I look back, I feel that how I obtained the Fa was miraculous.
My husband, my eldest son and I went on a Caribbean cruise on April 9, 2011. On the last day of the trip, despite my husband's constant objections, I insisted that we both participate in a skating game on the ship. We went and I had a hard fall. My ankle swelled up immediately. I was in a considerable amount of pain and unable to walk. After emergency treatment on the ship, I needed to use walking canes to go back to my cabin. I ended the last day of my trip with regret and pain, and went home in a wheelchair.
My husband went out of town on business the day after we arrived home. Only my eldest son and I remained. I had to rely on the support of two canes to walk. It was difficult. I also had to do housework and take care of my son. I felt so helpless, and yet I had no other choice but to keep doing what was expected of me. I felt deeply ashamed that it was because of my desire to play that I was in this state.
I was unable to move easily, and could only stay at home. I decided to surf the Internet one day and started to watch videos on YouTube. There were news stories on there that are blocked in China, so I was very interested in them. While browsing through the videos, a website suddenly caught my eye. I clicked on it without a second thought, and saw the Falun Dafa website. I clicked on the Chinese link and immediately saw information about Falun Dafa. I then clicked the audio link and started listening to the Dafa music.
A kind of force, with which I was totally unfamiliar, made me fold my legs without realizing it, and I did not worry about my bad leg either. While I was listening to the music I couldn't help but to shed tears. The music was so touching. When I became a practitioner and studied the Fa, I gradually realized that it was my knowing side crying. I had lived countless lives and experienced numerous tribulations in search of this Fa, and Master had now bestowed it upon me, taking me out of an inconsequential life. My appreciation to Master is beyond description.
I got up after awhile and went to prepare dinner for my son. I stood up and started walking, forgetting about using my canes. I was shocked when I realized that I was walking, because I used to have unbearable pain when I walked, even with the support of my canes. I later started reading the Dafa books on the website. While I was reading and listening to the Dafa music, I frequently went to the restroom. I noticed that a lot of filthy things were discharged from my body.
I used to have many illnesses such as inflammation of my stomach, bowels, mammary glands and I also suffered from dysmenorrhea. I had spent a lot of money on treatments and tried therapy, Chinese medicine and acupuncture, but none seemed to work. Yet after studying the Fa for only a short time, all my illnesses disappeared and my entire body felt so wonderfully light. I did however experience a resurgence of pain in my joints, especially in my back, where I often had unbearable pain since giving birth to my two sons, both delivered by cesarean. A previous X-ray had shown that I suffered from excessive thickening of bone tissue in my neck and lower back. However, this pain soon went and never appeared again.
The majority of residents in my area are westerners, and Falun Dafa had not reached there yet. I found the contact details of a practitioner and started talking with him over the phone. At the same time, I began reading a lot of reports on the Minghui and The Epoch Times websites, as well as information about Shen Yun. I bought Dafa books, music CDs, and an exercise instruction DVD from the Tianti Books website, and started learning the exercises by myself. I studied the books every day, and listened to Master's lecture in Guangzhou. As I was learning the Fa, Master often gave me hints and guided me further in cultivation. The practitioner later taught me how to send forth righteous thoughts.
I now do the three things every day and try to do them well. Daily Fa study and cultivation during this time helped me to build a firm belief in Dafa. As I progressed in cultivation, I no longer feared what I had feared before, nor worried about what I had worried before.
Master with His boundless grace has bestowed blessings on me and gave me this miraculous experience. Master gave me the chance of a new life. I deeply understand that I'm a life who committed sins and has accumulated karma lifetime after lifetime. But Master did not judge me or turn His back on me. Rather, he dragged me out from hell and cleansed me with His compassion.
(Clearwisdom.net) I began to practice Falun Gong in 1998. When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Gong, I was illegally sentenced to one and a half years of forced labor. After I was released from the forced labor camp in 2003, I failed to study the Fa well and thought that I must hand out more truth-clarification materials to make up for the loss of time. Then, I was sentenced to forced labor again.
While in the detention center, I sent forth righteous thoughts, did the Falun Gong exercises, memorized the Fa and looked inward. I really understood that in cultivation practice, I must not neglect the cultivation aspect. I also realized that I must not acknowledge the persecution by the CCP, but cultivate in line with Teacher's Fa and negate the persecution.
I did not obey the evildoers in the detention center, refused to read anything with the Party ideology and refused to recite the prison rules and regulations. On the day I was to be transferred to the forced labor camp, my fear emerged. My heart started racing when the guard called my name. However, I instantly thought of Teacher's poem “What’s to Fear?” (Hong Yin, Volume II) and repeatedly recited it to strengthen my righteous thoughts. When the guard wanted to handcuff and hang me up, I did not look at her. She asked me to stretch out my arms to put on the handcuffs, but I questioned her, “Why don't you wear them?” She looked at me and remained speechless for quite a while. Then the deputy head rushed over and said, “She is a law enforcement officer.” I replied, “I am a law-abiding citizen.” The guards called in five or six people to drag me into a cell. They punched me and verbally abused me while cuffing me. Then they brought me downstairs.
Once downstairs, I saw the guards holding electric batons. One of them purposely said that he needed to check if the batons had enough power; he turned on several electric batons, which sent out electric sparks. However, I did not have any fear in facing the torture; my mind was filled with the Fa. I knew my mission there was to let all of the people in the detention center know that Falun Gong is good and that our Teacher is innocent. I began to shout these things out. Just at that time a guard came and took me to a car.
There were two CCP agents in the car. On the way to the forced labor camp, I talked about the greatness of Falun Gong and recited poems from Hong Yin, and they remained silent. Since I did not cooperate with prison officials in anything they asked me to do upon arriving at the labor camp, they forced me to sit in the division leader's office during the day and ordered drug-addict inmates to monitor me. Only when all the other people had gone to bed, did they allow me to wash my face and brush my teeth. They also forced me to get up prior to everyone else in the morning. Therefore, I did not meet any other practitioners in the camp.
One evening, the inmate on monitoring duty told me to stand in the hall while she chatted with the guard on duty. When she finally told me to go and take care of my personal hygiene, it was two o’clock in the morning. She then forced me to get up at four o'clock in the morning and to stand still in the hall again. I thought, “Why is she treating me like this?” Shortly thereafter, she started to read aloud a book that slandered Falun Gong in front of me. While she did that, I recited the Fa, with my voice overpowering hers.
I then thought that I should not cooperate with her, so I sat down and began to do the sitting meditation. She became very scared and begged me, “Please get up!” I ignored her and continued doing the exercises. The guards got up and asked some inmates to drag me into the office. I began to shout, “Falun Dafa is good!” The head of the No. 5 Division jumped on me and grabbed my neck, saying viciously, “I will choke you to death!”
Only after I was gasping and couldn't breathe, did the guard stop choking me. Then the guards sent me to the unit for intensive persecution. When I got there, every room was covered with curtains, with only a small hole in the middle. You could only look into the cells, but could not see anything from the cell. There was only one practitioner in each room, with five to six monitors. There was one bed in the room. Every day the practitioners could only sit on the floor and were not allowed to move. They could not look sideways and could not talk. They were forced to sit from 5 a.m. to midnight every day. At every meal they were only given a quarter of a steamed bun and a small amount of rice porridge. A monitor sat on each side of the practitioner. These monitors used every opportunity to try to “transform” me. They wrote down everything in the notebook and reported to the prison authorities. They did not allow me to take a shower or to change clothes for over a month. It was August at the time, with the scorching summer heat. I was only allowed to take a shower when it was late September.
During that period of time I did not just endure the suffering, but also looked inward to find my shortcomings, while at the same time sending forth righteous thoughts to suppress the evil factors. Each time the guards came to make trouble for me, I would talk to them, “Don't act like that. You will only add karma to yourselves,” and each time they would stop upon hearing this.
After that I was transferred to the No. 3 Division. Every day we had to do forced labor during the day and the prison organized a “comments meeting” in the evening. At the meeting everyone was required to speak. Since I did not have any opportunity to clarify the facts about Falun Gong elsewhere, I used this opportunity to clarify the truth. I talked about the fact that the Tiananmen Square self-immolation had been staged. The monitor assigned to watch me and four other collaborators stood up to stop me. On the following evening, the monitor skipped me when it was my turn to speak.
The CCP intensified its efforts to search and arrest practitioners around the country in 2008 because of the Beijing Olympics. Once again I was sent to the forced labor camp. I did not attend the prison's events around that. The guards forced me to stand with a fixed posture as punishment from the time I got up until midnight on a daily basis. One month later, my legs and thighs were badly swollen. I said to the guard, “Look at my legs. They are very swollen. You use such a cruel method to persecute me. How can you sleep well at night?” She said, “This is because you did not attend the prison training.” I told her that I had not violated the law, so I should not attend any prison activities that are designed for criminal inmates. She later stopped enforcing the punishment.
Through the difficulties and hardships over the last ten-plus years, it is Teacher's merciful salvation and compassionate care that has made it possible for me to cultivate to this point. When I was falling, He pulled me up; when I was able to walk, He encouraged me to walk well. I must let go of all of my human attachments, seize the time to clarify the truth and return home with Teacher.
(Clearwisdom.net) The evil recently took advantage of my attachments, and I was therefore arrested while discussing the facts about Falun Dafa. By looking inward as a result of this incident, I have come to a deeper understanding on the cultivation of speech.
During my detention, the police mentioned detailed information about practitioners who interacted with me, hoping I would tell them about local material production sites. All the information that was disclosed came from discussions at our group Fa-study site, and they should not have been known to others except for me and that practitioner. Apparently, the evil took advantage of our loopholes, as we did not pay much attention to minding speech, especially when using cell phones.
Security on the telephone and cultivation of speech have been serious issues in my area. In the past 10 years, many practitioners have been arrested as a result of tapped phones. Some practitioners, however, still neglect this issue, thinking that everything will be all right as long as their thoughts are righteous. Some of them became aware that their phones had been tapped as they had been consequently harassed. The authorities knew the exact time of group Fa-study, along with other information from those practitioners who attended the Fa-study.
Some practitioners, especially certain elderly ones, are more careless when talking over the phone. They casually mention planned activities and directly say other practitioners’ names. This leads to further tribulations for practitioners, making their cultivation paths even harder. Not paying attention to our speech amounts to helping the evil to some extent and interfering with local practitioners’ efforts to validate the Fa. In my understanding, we are practitioners that cultivate openly and above board. There is no secret that we cannot share with others; however, this does not mean we need to allow the evil to know about everything. In addition, even if some practitioners assume that it is all right due to their righteous thoughts, there is no guarantee that other practitioners also possess sufficiently strong righteous thoughts. Therefore, please be mindful of this security issue, since every one of us is part of the group as one body.
Here I hope that all practitioners can look within. By improving our cultivation of speech and eliminating related human notions, we will be more mature and do better in validating the Fa during the remaining days.
(Clearwisdom.net) I would like to share my experiences in distributing Shen Yun Performing Arts DVDs face to face at universities. Please kindly point out anything improper.
Since I recently graduated from a university, I'm quite familiar with university campuses and life. I feel relatively relaxed in that environment and frequently go to universities to save sentient beings.
My job involves contacting university labs and research institutions. There are dozens of colleges and universities in my city. I planned to go to one college or university each day to distribute Shen Yun DVDs. Since I'm self-employed, my schedule is flexible. I listen to Master's lectures while traveling to and from my clients, and send forth righteous thoughts while riding on the bus. After finishing my work-related business, I immediately begin distributing the DVDs on campus. Sometimes, if I'm too busy and have no time to do it during the day, I will do it in the evening. While sending forth righteous thoughts on the hour before and after distributing the DVDs, I will add one thought: that is, to let more predestined people learn the truth. During this process, I've had the following understandings:
1. Overcoming fear and improving xinxing
My experience distributing materials is not the same every time. It is not a simple mechanically-repeated task. One may encounter different situations which require one to improve xinxing and to correct oneself. We should not miss any such opportunities to improve, as even just a small step is improvement.
The first time I went to L University, I saw a former teacher and wanted to give him a DVD. Somehow he walked away and I tried to catch up with him. However, it seemed the more I tried to catch up, the faster he walked. I realized I must break through my fear of distributing DVDs face to face. Even if he refused to take the DVD, I still wanted to clarify the truth to him, so I sped up to reach him. After briefly introducing the DVD, he gladly accepted it and thank me repeatedly. My first DVD was given out in such a way that it seemed to be not so difficult. Just as Master said,
“Why don't you give it a try when you return home. When you are overcoming a real hardship or tribulation, you try it. When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible. If you can actually do it, you will indeed find: "After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!"” (Zhuan Falun)
Once I went to W University and saw five or six older female teachers exercising. I wanted to give them the DVDs, but became a little afraid. I calmed down and thought I should try anyway even if they refused me. I adjusted my mindset and talked about the beauty of Shen Yun Performing Arts to them. Four or five of them accepted the DVDs. When I realized they had been waiting to hear the truth, I was really happy for them.
I also had a similar breakthrough in my personal cultivation after stopping drinking alcohol. Once during a gathering with my classmates, I overcame my fear and told them that I no longer drink alcohol since I practice Falun Gong. My classmates suddenly all understood and stopped trying to make me drink. Later when I went out to have a meal with my clients, I felt I risked losing their business, but I told them I do not drink because I practice Falun Gong. However, there was no any impact whatsoever in our business relationship after my clients knew the truth.
2. Always rectifying oneself according to the Fa
One must be calm when encountering unexpected situations while doing the three things. I always look inward to see whether there are any thoughts I need to rectify. Things change once one rectifies oneself. For example, once when I went to L University to distribute DVDs, I had a doubt whether people would watch it. As I tried to hand out the DVDs, some people said they didn't have DVD players or they were not interested. I remembered Master said,
"Under trying circumstances of any type, you must all keep steady in thought. Just by staying unaffected you will be able to handle all situations." (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in the Midwest-U.S.”)
I adjusted my mind. Then when I gave the DVDs to two ladies, they gladly accepted and thanked me repeatedly.
Once a young man asked me, "It seems it is related to Falun Gong, isn't it?" I calmed down and told him, "It's not important who the artists are. This is a beautiful high level performance of classical Chinese culture. The classical stories of five millennium of China's history are showcased in the performances, including Falun Gong. These are extremely high level performances and you will enjoy watching them. You will not be disappointed after watching this DVD!" He nodded and agreed with me.
3. Sentient beings are anxious to know the truth
Dafa practitioners should be even more proactive about saving sentient beings and should not feel shy or disappointed after doing the three things because of some people's attitude. More people will be saved if our starting point is compassion.
Once I went to Y University, and I only distributed one DVD after walking around the entire campus. I decided to make another round and try again, since it was not easy for me to go there. After walking a short distance, I suddenly encountered a crowd of people who had just come from a concert. After I offered one DVD, the other people hurriedly asked for one too and I immediately handed out more than 10 DVDs, all that I had brought. I regretted not bringing more with me.
I realize there are people who cannot be saved, even if our minds are in the right state. We should not be affected and continue saving other sentient beings. Once, a middle-aged woman at a bus stop looked at me disdainfully when I tried to give her a DVD. I was not moved and calmly introduced the DVD to an elderly woman sitting beside her. The other woman gladly accepted it.
As long as we can rectify our minds, get rid of the mentality of fear and apply the wisdom Master and Dafa have bestowed on us, with reason and a clear head, we can do well in doing the three things to assist Master in Fa rectification, no matter how trying the circumstances.
(Clearwisdom.net) There are many Falun Dafa practitioners who have had experiences in which they were in dangerous situations, but emerged safely. The following are only a few examples taken from many of these events.
1. One of my relative's entire family practiced Falun Dafa around 1995. They lived in a one-floor house with a yard and a well on the grounds. The well was several meters deep and filled with water and mud. On one occasion, my relative was carrying a washing machine into the yard, but didn't see the well. He stepped into the hole and fell down the well. A second relative was helping him carry the washing machine, but didn't see what happened and wondered how he had disappeared. Then, he saw someone's upper body emerge from the well, covered by blackish mud. He pulled him out, and his entire body was covered with the black mud except for his white teeth when he spoke. He said, “When I fell inside, the water was so deep that I couldn't touch the bottom. Suddenly, I was pushed all the way out of the well by an unseen force.” This was incredible, because his feet couldn't touch the bottom and there was nothing for him to push against. What force helped him up? The type of well he fell in had a small opening, but was much larger on the inside. When someone falls into this type of well, he most likely won't be able to escape without help. We all knew that he practiced Falun Dafa, and we understood that Teacher's law body saved him. This was also an opportunity for him to repay some of his karma.
2. I have another relative whose backyard had a pigpen with a stack of cornstalks next to it used for firewood. The stack of cornstalks was about two or three meters high. Around May 1999, he wanted to clean up the stack a little, and to avoid the trouble of getting a ladder, he just climbed onto the stack by stepping on tree branches and stumps. Just as he stepped onto the top of the stack, he fell off, head first. He didn't see that his head was about to hit a metal pig trough, which would've caused serious injury. A miracle occurred at that critical moment. A tree branch somehow caught onto his pants pocket, and his body hung in the air. He then was able to turn around and step down to the ground. The only damage was that his pocket was torn, but he wasn't hurt at all. From this experience, he, and everyone around him realized that what Teacher said was indeed the truth:
“Therefore, some dangerous things may occur in the course of cultivation practice. When these things take place, however, you will not be scared, and neither will real danger be allowed to happen to you.” (Zhuan Falun)
3. Around 1996 or 1997, there was a farmer living in Jilin Province, who was probably a little less than 60 years old. He and his wife were making pickled cabbage at home. The way that northeastern Chinese make pickled cabbage is to first dip the cabbage in boiling water, and then pickle them in big cylinders with additional water and other ingredients. Then, they put weights on the top, and wait for them to ferment. That day, they were home alone. They were using a lot of firewood, because there was a lot of cabbage to pickle. In northeastern China, people usually sleep on kang, and fire burns in the stove below it. There were mats, leather covers, and other items on top of the kang, but the fire below got too big, and these items became overheated and caught on fire. Then, the curtain next to the kang also caught fire. There was a motorcycle nearby with a full gas tank, which was very dangerous. When the couple saw the fire, the flames were already very big. Their children were not at home and there wasn't time to go to the neighbors for help. With no other options and without thinking, the elderly man picked up a washbasin with just a little water in it, and splashed it on the fire. Then, a miracle happened - that big fire was put out with only this little amount of water. Later, he explained to others that the flames were so big at the time, that they were about to reach the ceiling. The ceiling had several layers of paper glued together, and would have easily caught on fire. Yet for some reason, the flames didn't rise, but instead were all turned downwards. Their home was saved, and many people visited them to see what had happened for themselves, and realized that Falun Gong practitioners were protected by their Teacher whenever they encountered dangerous situations.
4. There was a very large insect infestation in a rural area near Changchun, Jilin Province around June and July of 2008. The unanimous solution by the farmers was to use pesticides. There was a female practitioner whose husband was working in another town and not home at the time. She was opposed to using pesticides. One day, she went to the farm and said to the insects, “If I use pesticides to kill you, it is killing and not in accordance with the Fa. If I don't use pesticides, you'll eat all my crops. If I don't use pesticides on you, will you all go elsewhere?” She went home, and after several days, she went back to the field. To her surprise, there were no insects left on her field. The fields on both sides of hers still had insects, but there were none in her field. Other farmers used lots of pesticides, but still suffered losses.
5. There was a major drought in Qian'an County, Jilin Province in 1998. Everyone saw on the news that even the leaves on the cornstalks were dried out and brown. However, out of the entire county, only Qizijing had plenty of rain. It was as if the rain knew the village borders, because the villages and towns next to Qizijing had no rain at all. Many people said that this was because there were a lot of practitioners in Qizijing, who all followed Falun Gong's requirements to cultivate themselves, and everyone there benefited from it.
6. There was a major flood in Liaoning Province in 1998. One village was completely destroyed, except for one little house. When the water reached this house, it circled around without touching it. The local people all thought that it was miraculous. Reporters went there to interview them and take videos. What was so special about this house? The owner was a Falun Gong practitioner.
(Clearwisdom.net) Whenever I think of Master’s immense mercy and infinite grace, I am always full of gratitude that cannot be expressed in words. Today I’d like to share some of the miraculous things I have experienced to validate the miracle of Dafa.
After I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1998, all my illnesses, such as rheumatoid disease, heart disease, bleeding in the eye, and cerebral vascular insufficiency, disappeared in about two months. Master purified my body and let me reach a state free of illness. Besides the miraculous healing power, I have also experienced other miracles of Dafa.
Teething in My 50s
I’m 54 this year. In 2001, I managed to escape from the Heizuizi Women’s Forced Labor Camp in Changchun City. Soon after I returned home, the filling that had repaired my decayed tooth decades before disappeared, exposing a hole in my tooth and causing me much trouble when I ate. Then I thought, “It would be nice if a new tooth grew and filled in the hole.” Several days later, I surprisingly found a small, new tooth in the hole. It surfaced very quickly and soon filled in the entire hole. The bad tooth was afterward replaced with the new one.
New teeth (red arrows), Growing small tooth (blue circle)
After that, whenever an old tooth fell out, a new one quickly appeared. So far I have six new teeth. Once a new tooth grew in, but it wasn't the correct shape. It had an extra tip on the top that faced outward like a point. I said to this tooth, “Everything of Dafa disciples is righteous. You formed in an incorrect shape and that’s not acceptable. You need to rectify yourself.” The following day, to my surprise, the extra part on the top had disappeared. The tooth was completely normal.
I shared my experience of “teething” with an older woman. She thought it quite miraculous and afterwards began to study Master’s teachings.
Transferring Pain
I was illegally arrested at a material production site in 2006 and then detained in a local detention center. In order to resist the persecution, I went on a hunger strike and ended up in critical condition many days later. One day, a guard brutally beat me and kicked me in the pit of my stomach. After her second kick, I felt severe pain and had difficulty breathing. An inmate was scared by my condition, asking, “Are you OK? Kicking someone like that can easily cause death.”
At that very moment, I sent out a firm thought in my heart, “Let the severe pain be transferred onto the guard’s body!” A miracle happened immediately and all the pain at once disappeared. I fell asleep comfortably and slept very well. The next day I felt very good, as if I had never been kicked.
Accessing the Internet with a Wrong Password
Last year, I couldn’t connect my computer to the Internet for quite a while. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t access the Internet. One Friday morning, I gave it a last try, thinking that if it still didn’t work, I would go to another practitioner’s home to use the Internet. Unexpectedly, I successfully logged on without any trouble. As a result, I canceled my trip to the practitioner’s home. Later, I heard that the practitioner I had planned to visit was arrested at home that same day and his home was ransacked.
Afterwards, it turned out that that was the only day that I was able to log onto the Internet. After that day, no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn’t log on. When I eventually contacted the network company, I found out that the password I was using was incorrect. Putting all the events together, I realized that it was because of Master’s protection that I was able to access the Internet that day, even with an incorrect password, and thereby escaped arrest.
Everything of mine was granted to me by Dafa. I have personally experienced and witnessed how Master saved me and provided salvation. I cannot repay Master’s immense mercy and infinite grace. Only by striving forward diligently and doing well on the three things can I live up to Master’s expectations.
Thank you, Master!