(Minghui.org) Dr. Zou Xiangyang from Changchun Engineering College has filed a complaint against former dictator Jiang Zemin for initiating the persecution of Falun Gong. Dr. Zou has been arrested, sentenced, and harassed many times over the past 16 years, just for practicing Falun Gong.
Dr. Zou used to suffer from many ailments before he took up Falun Gong, such as genetic heart disease and chronic anxiety. With his poor health, he even had to suspend his studies for his doctorate degree. However, he regained his health just one month after he started to practice Falun Gong and subsequently finished his degree.
Given Three Years of Forced Labor for Appealing for Falun Gong
Dr. Zou went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong in July 2000. He was arrested and detained for 15 days.
In his complaint letter, Dr. Zhou wrote: “I was arrested again in March 2002 in the middle of giving a lecture. The police blindfolded me and took me to the Jingyuetan Police Department.
“During my detention, I was tied to an iron chair while the police used electric batons to shock me. They slapped me in the face and beat me with a metal rod. They also put a metal bucket over my head from the afternoon till late evening. I was held at the Tiebei Detention Center for a month. Afterwards, I was given three years in the Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp.”
Mentally and Physically Tortured in the Labor Camp
In the camp, Dr. Zou was forced to sit on a small stool for a long time each day. In the end, the skin on his buttocks split, and his underwear stuck to his bottom. It was extremely painful when he tried to remove his underwear. Due to the poor conditions, he later got scabies.
The food he ate sometimes had gone bad and smelled rotten. The rice and flour they were given was old and stale.
“I was forced to do some hard labor in the camp. I had to dig the ground in the spring and pick corn in the autumn. We had to process the corn in the winter, and in our spare time we did building work and made paper bags,” Dr. Zou added.
“The mental torture was the worst. I was forced to watch videos and read an array of materials that slandered Falun Gong. We were also forced to write a 'thought report' once a month. This 'thought report' had to meet their standard, otherwise we would be tortured more severely. I was forced to sit on the concrete floor and was deprived of sleep for not writing the report they wanted.
“In the evening of April 7, 2004, guard Wang Kai directed criminal inmates to beat and threaten all the practitioners and keep them from sleeping because they didn't sign their names on the report.”
In September 2003, Dr. Zou's wife and son were told to go to the camp. The guards pressured his wife to divorce him in an attempt to pressure him into renouncing his belief.
Dr. Zou's health deteriorated as a result of the severe persecution. He lost nearly 40 pounds and developed both tuberculosis and pneumonia. He had difficulty walking and was released on medical parole on May 25, 2004.
A Second Forced Labor Term
Dr. Zou was arrested again at home on April 24, 2007, and the police ransacked the place. The book Zhuan Falun, two electronic books, an MP3 player, and a computer were confiscated. After a month in detention, he was again assigned to a year in a forced labor camp.
The Family Suffers
Dr. Zou wrote about his family's suffering in his complaint:
“My arrests and years in forced labor camps took a toll on my mother. She died in October 2002 as a result of pressure from the authorities and stress over my situation.
After she died, my wife went to the labor camp and asked if I could attend my mother's funeral. The guards used this as an attempt to blackmail me into giving up my belief, but I refused. After two hours at an impasse, I was allowed to go to my mother's funeral.
During the past 16 years, I have been harassed countless times. My wife and son have suffered a lot of harassment as well. They were not told where I would be detained after I was arrested, so my wife had to scour all the local police stations, police departments, detention centers, labor camps, and brainwashing centers to find for me. She was frightened and depressed and suffered great financial losses. She had to bring our son up on her own.
My son also suffered when he was growing up. I wasn't there to look after him or be with him. Other children have their parents take care of them or spend time with them having fun. But my son didn't have that.
One Chinese New Year, some children set off fireworks with their father, but my son just stood there alone and looked at them.
He was bullied and discriminated against at school and developed bad behavior as a result. He has a bad temper and doesn't like to study.”
Financial Loss
Dr. Zou was due to be promoted to be an associate professor in October 2000 but was passed over because he refused to give up his belief in Falun Gong. He was also removed from his position of lecturer and made to work in a laboratory.
His monthly salary was 500 yuan lower compared to that of an associate professor. Over the past 16 years, he has lost nearly 180,000 yuan in income.
His wages were stopped during his detention in the camp, adding up to a total loss of 108,000 yuan in wages.
