Mr. Li Yuzhen and Mr. Yang Zongquan Persecuted in Prison--Families Seek Justice

(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Yang Zongquan from Wendeng City and Mr. Li Yuzhen from Jiaozhou City were arrested by officers from Beiguang Police Station of Jiaozhou in March 2011 and sentenced. They were rejected by Shandong Prison because they did not pass the physical exam. They were held in the Jiaozhou City Detention Center for two years. Their families made many appeals to have them released. Mr. Li and Mr. Yang were sent to Shandong Prison on March 15, 2013. Their families then appealed in front of the pirson by holding banners and wearing clothing covered with written requests for their loved ones' release.

Family members hold a banner reading “Falun Dafa Is Good!” to clarify the truth in front of Shandong Prison

Secretly Tried in the Detention Center

Mr. Li Yuzhen, in his seventies, is retired from Jiaozhuo City Carbon Black Plant. He started practicing Falun Gong in 1996 because of his poor health. He follows the standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, is nice to everyone, and looks inward when facing conflicts. After beginning the practice, his health problems disappeared and he experienced great changes both physically and mentally. To rescue Mr. Li, his family hired a lawyer from Beijing. The Jiaozhuo City 610 Office Court threatened to sentence him heavily because he hired a lawyer. They tried every means to prevent the lawyer from getting involved in the defense. Mr. Li and his family have been to Beijing multiple times to clarify the truth of Falun Dafa. Their home has been ransacked at least seven times.

On October 16, 2006, Mr. Li's daughter, Ms. Li Xue, was arrested because she practices Falun Gong. She was sentenced to seven years in prison and is still in Shandong Women’s Prison. Her wages were suspended and used to pay the expenses to persecute her. The 610 Office withdrew 60,000 yuan from her account, the largest one-time withdrawal.

Mr. Yang Zongquan, in his fifties, regained good health after he began practicing Falun Gong and had a happy family. He was persecuted in a forced labor camp for three years in Wendeng City. He is now being persecuted by the Jiaozhou City Court. During two years in the detention center, he was interrogated and beaten, and his hands and ankles were cuffed. He was treated like a slave. Once a physically strong man, he now has heart disease as a result of persecution.

Jiaozhou City Court secretly tried Mr. Li and Mr. Yang inside the detention center. They claimed it was an open trial, but they did not notify their worried and anxious family or lawyer from Beijing.

On August 5, 2011, presiding judge Kuang Defu, Judge Zhou Yan, and acting judge Yu Lingjuan sentenced Mr. Li Yuzhen to three years in prison, and Mr. Yang Zongquan to four years in prison, based on fabricated evidence. Mr. Yang's family did not even see the verdict.

Rejected by the Prison Three Times, Held in Detention Center for Over Two Years

Directed by Jiaozhou Political and Legal Affairs Committee and the 610 Office, police officers attempted three times to send Mr. Li and Mr. Yang to Shandong Prison. However, both of them had a relapse of the illness they had prior to practicing Falun Gong due to the brutal torture. Shandong Prison rejected them three times due to their poor health because they were afraid of taking any responsibility for their conditions.

Mr. Yang’s sister went to the Jiazhou Detention Center on January 20, 2012, requesting his unconditional release. Director Jiang Yansheng pushed her down and called the security guards several times to take her away.

Mr. Li Yuzhen was too old to withstand the torture. He fainted and fell down during a physical exam. Even so, the detention center refused to release him. Jiang Yansheng even told the family, “If he dies, I will call you. And if he does die, it is not my fault.”

Evil Cannot Be Covered Up--Angry Family Members Hold Banners Exposing the Evil

On the morning of February 1, 2013, a member Mr. Li’s family went to the court to seek his release. The court was still prevaricating as usual and dismissed her. She was wearing clothing that was covered in writing requesting the release of Mr. Li, and held a banner that said “Falun Dafa Is Good.” It was during peak office hours, so many people coming to the court on business and people passing by saw the banner. Some people came up to learn what was going on, and others just stopped to look. The staff at the court saw the banner from their window and read, “Falun Dafa is good.” Others repeated, "Falun Dafa is good."

Mr. Li’s granddaughters and grandsons haven’t seen their grandfather for almost two years. They came, along with other relatives, to the Jiaozhou Court. No one came out, because they had heard that the Falun Gong practitioners were requesting the release of Mr. Li. The family held the “Falun Dafa Is Good” banner and shouted “Falun Dafa is good!” They told the people that there was nothing wrong with Falun Gong, and that it involves following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They told more people about the truth of the persecution. Other practitioners then arrived. After thirty minutes, two young police officers came over to ask about what happened. They said, “We are not in charge of this. Just fold your banner and take off the clothing that is covered in writing that requests his release. The family member said, “We are going to appeal and request his release so he can come home to celebrate the New Year with his family.” The police officers said, “You can stay however long you would like.” Then they left. On February 6, their families visited the Jiaozhou Detention Center and held up the banner again. They also put up posters about the persecution nearby.

The families of Mr. Li and Mr. Yang went to the detention center to visit them on March 6, 2013. They asked the director, Jiang Yansheng, to release the two men. Jiang Yansheng prevaricated, “I am not in charge of this--you need to go to the court and 610 Office. (The court, 610 Office, and the detention center kept prevaricating and were afraid of taking responsibility.) The families asked again, “Could you do an early release for medical treatment since the prison rejected them?” Jiang Yansheng said, “If they stop practicing Falun Gong, it is OK, otherwise, it is not.” He said again, “The prison called to accept Mr. Li Yuzhen. Mr. Yang is not yet accepted.” The family immediately exposed his lies, “We went to the prison and learned that the prison rejected them because of their poor health. You sent gifts to them trying to bribe them so the prison would admit Mr. Li and Mr. Yang.”

On April 1, 2013, the families went to the prison to visit Mr. Yang and Mr. Li. They held the “Falun Dafa Is Good” banner to tell people that Falun Gong is innocent and the persecution of Falun Gong is illegal.

Personnel involved in the persecution:
Jiang Yansheng, director, Jiaozhou Detention Center: [phone], [phone]
Jiaozhou Police Department: [phone], [phone]
Jiaozhou 610 Office: [phone]
Zang Peihong, president, the Jiaozhou Court: [phone]