(Minghui.org) A native of Qingyuan County, Liaoning Province, is facing further prosecution for not renouncing his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Zhang Jinsheng was arrested at a hotel in Beijing on May 29, 2019, shortly after he received a visa to travel abroad. The police also harassed his daughter, who resides in Meihekou City, Jilin Province, the same day.
Mr. Zhang was detained as a criminal in the Meihekou City Detention Center (about 50 miles from his hometown of Qingyuan). His lawyer went to the detention center on June 7 and June 10 but was denied meetings with him both times. The detention center claimed that any lawyer wishing to visit Falun Gong practitioner-clients must be approved by Jilin provincial government officials.
When Mr. Zhang's family visited him on July 6, 2019, they learned that the Domestic Security Division had already submitted his case to the Meihekou City Procuratorate and he is now facing further prosecution for his faith.
Mr. Zhang's latest arrest came shortly after he was released from a 13-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong, which he credits for improving his character and helping him get rid of many bad habits.
Because Mr. Zhang and his wife had helped organize Falun Gong practitioners’ activities before the persecution began, they were considered key targets by the authorities. His wife was held in forced labor camps twice, while he was sent to a forced labor camp for two years and then sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The couple's daughter, who was only 14 when the persecution began, was forced to drop out of school when both of her parents were imprisoned.
Deaf in His Left Ear after Being Beaten in Detention Center
Mr. Zhang was detained in the Dashagou Detention Center following his first arrest in October 1999. The guards slapped him in the face and he became deaf his left ear. They also covered his face with wet newspaper, trying to suffocate him.
After three months of detention, Mr. Zhang was sent to the Fushun City Forced Labor Camp for two years.
The police and residential committee members continued to harass him after he returned home. They also arranged for people to stay outside of his apartment and live next door to him in order to monitor his daily activities and people who came to visit him.
He couldn't live a normal life and was forced to live away from home to hide from the police.
Sentenced to 13 Years
The police put Mr. Zhang on a “wanted” list and distributed his photo to taxi drivers in Liaoning and Jilin provinces. They also posted a 30,000-yuan reward for information to his whereabouts.
Mr. Zhang was arrested on April 25, 2004, and taken to Dashagou Detention Center.
He appeared in Qingyuan Court on September 6, 2004. The judge initially sentenced him to eight years in prison. But because he shouted “Falun Dafa is good” in the courtroom, the judge became infuriated and extended his prison term by five more years.
Mr. Zhang served time briefly in Dabei Prison in Shenyang and Qingtaizi Prison in Fushun, before being transferred to Shenyang No.1 Prison in late 2007.
He started a hunger strike on May 23, 2009, to protest the torture death of a Falun Gong practitioner and was force-fed every five days. He was emaciated and almost died from heart failure during the procedure. The prison denied his family visits after he started the hunger strike.
Related report:
For Shouting "Falun Dafa is Good" in Court, Zhang Jinsheng's Sentence Extended by Five Years
