(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Ma Ruitian, along with his wife, three daughters, and two sons-in-law, were arrested at their home in Jinzhou District, China, on July 6, 2012. Mr. Ma, who is in his 70s, was sentenced to eight and half years in prison, while his daughter and son-in-law received three-year sentences. His wife, who had been overcome by grief, passed away about two years later.
Mr. Ma's neighbors struggled to understand why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) destroyed this lovely family, simply because they practiced Falun Gong.
Ms. Ma Aixiong, the second daughter of Mr. Ma, gave the following account of the suffering that she and her family endured after their arrest.
Mother Passes Away
On August 2, 2014, I was sitting in my store when the phone rang. “Mother passed away!” screamed my younger sister into the phone. “Please come home as soon as possible!” I rushed home to find my mother, motionless, on the bed. “Mom, you left too early!” wailed my sister. “You should have waited until dad, sister, and brother-in-law were released from prison.” Our mother left us at only 67 years of age.
I felt deep pangs of anguish and despair as I stared down at my mother's body. I had to keep reminding myself not to collapse or panic.
Many of our neighbors were deeply saddened and commented that this would not have happened were it not for the ruthless persecution.
“If I Want, I Can Order Your Whole Family Killed Today!”
On July 6, 2012, officers from the Harbin Road police substation in Dalian City arrived at my father's home, unannounced. They forced their way in and began arresting me and my six family members.
When we asked why we were being arrested, the officers ignored us. They also failed to produce a search warrant when asked. They confiscated all of our Falun Gong books, along with 160,000 yuan ($26,037 USD) in cash, three bank deposit certificates, several computers and cell phones, and many other personal items.
When my sister and I attempted to stop the police from illegally searching our home, the officers beat us mercilessly. Officer Zhang Wugang threatened us, “If I want, I can order your whole family killed today!”
My sister and I were shocked. He treated us as common criminals, even though my family strove to abide by Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Three of my family members are still imprisoned, including my father. My younger sister rushed here and there to appeal for his release. When she went to the Dalian Development Area Inspector Office to seek legal assistance, the receptionist said, “Don't talk to us about the law here. Our orders come from high-level officials!” My sister was distraught. “There is nowhere to go to file a complaint!” she exclaimed.
In addition to having to take care of her grandson, my mother also worried about my father's well-being. As a result, her body became weaker and weaker. Nonetheless, she remained hopeful that our three family members would one day be released and fully exonerated. She believed in the principle that good will always be rewarded with good and evil will meet with retribution. Thus, we anxiously waited for some good news.
In June 2014, we found out that my father had been sentenced to eight and half years in prison while my elder sister and brother-in-law were sentenced to three years in prison. It made no sense. “Is it wrong to want to be good people and follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? Why are good people being sentenced to prison? Isn't freedom of belief stipulated in our constitution?”
From that day on, my mother's health rapidly deteriorated. She passed away on August 2, 2014.
I feel that any society that unlawfully imprisons good people while allowing violent criminals to run free, is extremely warped.
My Father's Miraculous Recovery after Practicing Falun Gong
While employed at the Dalian Jinzhou Transportation Company in 1983, my father was involved in an accident that fractured five of his vertebraes and left him partially paralyzed. Since he was unable to work, my mother became the sole bread winner in the family. She did everything she could to feed her family including working as a bricklayer, a house cleaner, and a laborer.
Despite her gallant efforts, she struggled to make ends meet. Thus, we seldom ate nutritious meals. As a result, my father suffered from kidney stones and severe bone hyperplasia, among other diseases. My mother had to care for her three young daughters all by herself.
When Falun Dafa began spreading across China in 1996, my father took up the practice. Not only did my father quickly recover from his illnesses and walk again, but he was also able to carry a 100-pound propane tank to the sixth floor of our apartment building, without breaking a sweat.
Filled with gratitude, my father closely followed the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in his daily life. One day, while working as a street cleaner, he accidentally brushed the pants cuff of a business executive with his broom, just as the man was stepping out of his limousine. The man hurled a few angry insults at my father then slapped him hard.
Instead of striking back, my father profusely apologized to the man. Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, teaches that practitioners should not fight back when beaten nor curse back when cursed. Such a good man was unlawfully imprisoned for more than eight years.
My father, elder sister, and brother-in-law are law-abiding citizens, yet, the Chinese regime insists on persecuting kindhearted people. The Party has always resorted to lies and violence in an effort to control the populous, thus it cannot tolerate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
During the CCP's 15-year-long brutal persecution of Falun Gong, practitioners have peacefully and rationally clarified the truth to the world's people. Now, increasing numbers of righteous lawyers are stepping forward to defend innocent practitioners.
I call on all kindhearted people to help rescue my three family members who are languishing in prison simply because they strive to be good people!
