(Minghui.org) There is village called Zhouguantun in Fu Township, Hebei Province. In 2012, something happened in this small, little-known village that shook Zhongnanhai, the seat of the government in Beijing.
To Vouch for a Dafa Practitioner, 300 Villagers Put Their Fingerprints on a Petition
Around 40 officers from the Botou Police Department arrested Dafa practitioner Mr. Wang Xiaodong, a villager from Zhouguantun, on February 25, 2012. To vouch for Mr. Wang's character, one member from every household in the village signed and fingerprinted a letter requesting the release of Mr. Wang. The village committee also stamped the letter with the village stamp. The letter containing “300 red fingerprints” eventually arrived at Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Chinese central government. This astonished the upper officials.
Arresting Good People and Stealing Personal Property
Botou Police officers had broken in to Mr. Wang Xiaodong's home at 6:00 a.m. on February 25, 2012. Without a search warrant or any identification and without his permission, they searched his home for “evidence.” The police confiscated everything they could take, including household tools such as pliers, a wrench, a flashlight, etc. They also took away 20,000 yuan in cash that Mr. Wang needed to buy fertilizer, which is how Mr. Wang makes a living. Ignoring the cries of Mr. Wang's 70-year-old mother's begging and his seven-year-old son, the police dragged Mr. Wang into a police car with a down coat over his head. Later, ten or so officers from the Botou Police Department pocketed a large amount of the confiscated cash. After logging part of Mr. Wang's property into the department files, somebody even took home Mr. Wang's electric drill. When Mr. Wang asked the police why they took his money, they ridiculed him, saying, “You have no money, the money is ours now.”
300 Signatures and an Official Seal on the Petition to Vouch for Mr. Wang Xiaodong
To ensure that the local police agency processed Mr. Wang's case according to the law, Mr. Wang's sister, Ms. Wang Fengru (whose nickname is Xiaomei), spread the news about the arrest in the village. She asked the villagers to attest to the character of Mr. Wang and his family and to call for his immediate release. The villagers knew that Mr. Wang was a good person and they were more than willing to help him. 300 signed and fingerprinted the letter. The village committee also imprinted the village stamp on the letter to “vouch for the character of Mr. Wang Xiaodong.”
According to Ms. Wang Fengru, she and her sisters walked around the village and collected 110 signatures on the petition. She said, “We do not have powerful positions, money, or influence. We don't know how to treat people to dinner nor have the means to do so. We do not have the ability to promise or coerce the villagers. They signed the letter completely out of their sympathy toward Mr. Wang Xiangdong. The next day, some of the villagers went out of their way to find us after hearing about the situation and said, 'We will sign too if it will help him get released!'” The petition was a true reflection of public opinion. The kindhearted villagers expected the Botou Police Department and court to give a fair judgment. However, when Ms. Wang Fengru tried to submit the petition to the Botou Police Department and the procurator's office, both agencies refused to accept it. Later, someone who wanted to help wrote about the incident and put a copy of the petition on the Internet. Eventually, this “letter with 300 fingerprints” arrived at Zhongnanhai and captured the attention of the Politburo.
A Family Destroyed Only Because Mr. Wang Xiaodong Wanted to Be a Good Person
Mr. Wang Xiaodong's mother said, “Those who know Xiaodong well all agree that he is a good person. Especially after he started to practice Falun Gong, he was very kind to the elderly. Honestly, I willing allow my children to practice Falun Gong. It is good for their health and moral character. They never drink, gamble, or display any other bad behavior. Put simply, they have done nothing wrong. Just because he practices Falun Gong and wants to be a good person, he and my other children have been arrested and beaten numerous times for no reason. Last year, my daughter-in-law could not take it any longer and divorced Xiaodong. Such a good family was torn apart just like that! I don't blame my daughter-in-law; everyone wants to live a better life. Is it possible to be a good person in this world? Do good people have to be ruined and put to death? Isn't there any justice? Now, lawless officials are persecuting Xiaodong and my daughter. Our perfect family has been torn apart. Xiaodong has been detained at the Botou Detention Center for four months. He is forced to work 18 hours a day, his fingernails have been worn away from working so hard, and he eats meals that a normal family would not even feed to their dogs and cats. He also has to endure torture. In a very short period of time, he lost over ten pounds. He is my flesh and blood. Don't those policemen and prosecutors have children, too?”
The Ravages of the “Red Terror”
As the kind villagers were waiting for a just reply from the Botou Police Department and the procurator's office, about 10 people from the Domestic Security Division of the Botou Police Department, includingWang Wensheng, Gao Guiqi, Sun Xiquan, and others, visited the village Party secretary. This group videotaped and questioned the villagers who had signed their names to the petition and forced the village officials to hand over the original petition letter. All of a sudden, Zhouguantun Village was steeped in “red terror.” Officers from the Botou Domestic Security Division found the villagers who had signed their names to the petition, and forced them to sign the “Reject Cult” family commitment cards. The police went from household to household and would not leave until the people signed. If the villagers refused to sign, policemen would threaten to report them as having a relationship with Falun Gong.
Mr. Wang Xiaodong's relatives were also affected. One of his relative's car was confiscated. Others incurred money and property damage, and the authorities put a lot of pressure on them as well. Officers from the Botou Domestic Security Division harassed Ms. Wang Fengru's husband's family and forced them to write and sign a “self-criticism” letter.
The Party committee in Fu Township in Botou had a town meeting for all the village officials. At the meeting they condemned Falun Gong and asked the Party secretaries and directors of all the villages to openly state their opposition to Falun Gong. They were to say insulting words about Falun Gong and at the end of the meeting they had to declare their dislike of Falun Gong. Slogans slandering Falun Gong were posted in Zhouguantun Village.
Ms. Wang Fengru and her friend, Ms. Tang Jianying from Cangzhou, were arrested by the Botou Police Department in a residential community in Cangzhou. They are detained at the Cangzhou Detention Center.
Harassed by the Party, Some Just Villagers Said: “I Think Falun Dafa Is Good”
Under the cloud of the Party's terrorist tactics, there were still some villagers who said, “No.” A villager was asked why he signed the letter to support Mr. Wang Xiaodoing. Officers from the Domestic Security Division asked him whether he thought Falun Dafa was good or “pitied Mr. Wang Xiaodoing?” The villager said he thought Falun Dafa was good. The police were speechless and let the villager go.
Awakened Villagers Stood Up to the Persecution and Said “No”
Currently, many villagers have expressed regret for signing the “Reject Cult” family commitment cards. Residents from neighboring villages are gathering signatures to support Zhouguantun Village's “300 Fingerprints.” Mr. Wang Xiaodong's elder brother is looking for a lawyer and has set his mind on winning this lawsuit for his brother. He will also file a lawsuit against the officials who broke the law.
The Significance of the “300 Fingerprints”
History is like a play, and different dynasties take turns on the stage. Each time the curtain goes up, different characters appear on the stage, and there are always some that depart in disgrace. Throughout history, “upholding justice and awakening one's conscience” has been the eternal theme. No matter how complicated and confusing the play, insisting on what is right is the true meaning of life. Zhouguantun's “300 Fingerprints” has shone a bright light on the stage and chased off the dark minded persecutors. More ordinary people will awaken and stand up to the persecution.
The Persecutors Will be Severely Punished by Law
These words are for those who are involved in the persecution. They are from the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West: “A thought arises in one's mind, heaven and earth know. If good is not rewarded with good and evil not with evil, then the universe must have selfish thought.” For the 610 Office agents and police officers who are deluded by the current illusion and have participated in the persecution of Dafa disciples, have they thought about this: “Can someone come to a good end after he has harmed an unarmed good person?” Besides, bad begets bad and good begets good. In the end, you cannot escape your legal responsibility.
There is not one law that states that practicing Falun Gong is a crime, and there is not one law that states that Falun Gong is a cult. It is said that the relevant government agency intends to charge Mr. Wang Xiaodoing with “using a cult organization to interfere with the implementation of law.” However, if you ask a lawyer or legal expert and do some research on relevant legal information, you will find that this so called “charge” comes from Article 300 of the Criminal Law. It is a misuse and violation of this law. Those involved in the persecution of Falun Gong are the ones committing the crimes. The Chinese government's official document, the Ministry of Public Security's “notice about identifying and banning cult organizations,” identified 14 cults. Falun Gong is not on the list. As individuals involved in the persecution awaken to their humanity, the criminals will be held responsible.
Helping Dafa Disciples Is Helping Ourselves
As Dafa disciples continue to clarify the truth to the general public, more and more people have recognized that not living up to the human moral standards is dangerous. In a society of bad etiquette, music and moral decline, those who are following or fueling it will eventually become victims of the decaying society. Dafa disciples risk being beaten and arrested and have even lost their lives to tell people the truth about Dafa. Dafa teaches people to distinguish good from bad, and helps people to regain their moral character in a society on the downslide. The goal of every Dafa disciple is to truly save people. Extending a helping hand to Dafa disciples will ultimately not only help them but also help humanity.