(Minghui.org) Cheng Tao lost his son in 2007, was soon divorced, and died at the still young age of 50. So what was it that happened to Cheng, the associate political director at the Longchiqiao Police Department in Macheng City, Hubei Province?

While some people felt sympathy for the tragedies that beset him, many also pondered if it was his own bad deeds that led to the tragic outcome that beset Cheng and his family.

The Story of a Couple Persecuted by Cheng

Cheng was the associate director of the Longchiqiao Police Station. He led a mass arrest of Falun Gong practitioners on June 22, 2007.

About 100 agents, including those from the Macheng 610 Office, State Security Division, and various police departments from numerous towns, took part in the arrests. More than 20 practitioners were detained that evening, and among them was Mr. Bai Zijian, who lived in the Longchiqiao region.

Mr. Bai and his wife, Ms. Zhang Shuiying, both practitioners of Falun Gong, had been arrested, detained, and tortured on several previous occasions as well.

The couple had already gone to bed when six officers arrived at their home at midnight on June 22.

After breaking into the house, three officers pushed Mr. Bai into a police van. Ms. Zhang, who had not even the time to put her clothes on, resisted and called aloud for help. The officers then tried tying her up, but failed. In a rage, they beat her ferociously with electric batons until she lost consciousness. When she came to, they beat her again until she lost consciousness once again.

Dozens of neighbors, shocked by the brutality, began condemning the officers. The officers nonetheless continued beating Ms. Zhang and then left.

The injuries sustained by Ms. Zhang after being beaten by officers on June 22, 2007

Ms. Zhang had epilepsy in the past, but the symptoms disappeared completely after she began practicing Falun Gong. After this arrest and beating, however, the illness recurred. With a young child and her husband's elderly mother at home to care for, Ms. Zhang's life suddenly became much more difficult.

What Lessons Can Be Learned?

The experience of Mr. Bai’s family is only one example of what has befallen millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China. As a law enforcement officer, Cheng should have had a good understanding of the validity of law as well as a basic understanding of Falun Gong. However, he chose to blindly follow orders issued by the communist regime. In doing so, he orchestrated the beatings and mistreatment of innocent citizens rather than listening to his heart.

Cheng’s loyalty to his job won him many awards such as “excellent worker” and “model government officer.” But this didn't save him and his family from tragedy.

One month after the mass arrest in 2007, his son, who was a sophomore in high school, drowned during summer break. Not long after that, Cheng’s wife divorced him, citing domestic abuse.

Cheng died on June 23, leaving behind a second wife, in her 30s, and a one-year-old child.

Which Path to Follow

Cheng’s experience is tragic, but it is hardly surprising. In traditional Chinese culture, people believed that good is rewarded with good and evil is met with evil. In the West, it is often said that, “What goes around, comes around.”

Many communist officials like Cheng have met with untimely ends after following orders given by the communist regime to persecute kind and morally upright people. Such instances include Luo Xuejian (political and security officer), Deng Zusheng (detention center associate director), Tu Qingsong (director of the Nanhu Police Department), and Peng Honghui (director of the Yanhe Police Department). Additionally, Chen Kaiyuan, former director of the Macheng Police Department, was fired after beating a practitioner to death.

Coincidence? Or karmic retribution?

Conscience is a basic principle underlying the fundamental laws and policies that guide human conduct and advancement. When Falun Gong practitioners are severely tortured for their belief of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, everyone, including government officers and law enforcement agents, should step forward to support what they know to be good.

Additional information (in Chinese): http://library.minghui.org/victim/i42260.htm