Ma Hengchao from Tangshan Arrested Again after Four Years of Imprisonment

Name: Ma Hengchao (马恒超)
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Address: Tangshan Banking Building
Occupation: Employee at the Industrial and Commercial Bank, Tangshan Branch
Date of Most Recent Arrest: February 25, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Tangshan Detention Center No. 1 (唐山第一看守所)
City: Tangshan
Province: Hebei
Persecution Suffered: Sleep deprivation, brainwashing, illegal sentencing, imprisonment, solitary confinement, torture, fired from workplace, home ransacked, detention

(Minghui.org) Mr. Ma Hengchao from Tangshan was arrested by the police of the same city on February 25, 2012, and his home was ransacked. His wife, who does not practice Falun Gong, was also taken away. Mr. Ma was first taken to a detention center and later to the No.1 Detention Center in Tangshan. Before that he was sentenced to four years of imprisonment and fired from his job at the Tangshan Industrial and Commercial Bank.

Mr. Ma graduated from the Changchun Tax Institute and was assigned to work at the Tangshan Industrial and Commercial Bank, because he was smart and capable.

On February 25, 2012, Mr. Ma left home at around 5:00 a.m. and was arrested by officers hiding outside his home. They grabbed his key and opened the door. A dozen or so officers forced their way into his home and ransacked it. They confiscated a computer, a printer, and some Falun Dafa books. His non-practitioner wife was also taken to Daliru Police Station and they confiscated her mobile phone. The police even attempted to arrest Mr. Ma's mother, who is over 70 years old, but were stopped by her daughter. Mr. Ma's wife requested the release of her husband many times, but the police just yelled at her. The head of the police station threatened to sentence her with a charge of being offensive and covering for criminals. They did not release her until 10:00 p.m. that day.

Mr. Ma was taken to the brainwashing center in Tangshan, later to the detention center there, and was eventually sentenced to four years in prison, because he had gone to Beijing to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong in 2000. He was incarcerated in Jidong Prison for five days in 2001 and then transferred to Baoding Prison. In order to pressure practitioners to give up their belief, prison officials adopted all kinds of inhuman methods to use on them. They set up an “Intensive Assault Unit” to abuse Mr. Ma and other practitioners. The methods they used included being locked up in a small cell and “stewing the eagle.” This prevents practitioners from sleeping. After being tortured for five or six days, practitioners are extremely sleepy and tired. This is very cruel.

When Mr. Ma was released on April 12, 2004, he was taken straight to the Tangshan Brainwashing Center and not released until July.

Mr. Ma not only suffered abuse, he was also fired by the bank and lost his source of income. He had to depend on his wife's slender income. After so many years of abuse, Mr. Ma's health was ruined, and he was very thin. His wife also suffered a great deal raising their child.

Mr. Ma was arrested again and the family computer was confiscated. Their child's study material was saved on the computer. The accounting data and tax data from Mr. Ma's work unit were also saved on the computer. His family went to the police station to request that they return the data and study materials, but to no avail. Currently, Mr. Ma Hengchao is still being held at the Tangshan Detention Center No. 1.

Units involved:

Lubei Sub-department, Tangshan City Police Department

Address: The Switch Board of Northern Side of Lubei District Government: [phone]

Dali Police Station (Formally Xingyuandao Police Station merged with Dali Police Station)

Dali Police Station: [phone], 2253200, 2236108