(Minghui.org) A Yongji County, Jilin Province resident has been detained since his arrest on April 22, 2020 for practicing Falun Gong. When Mr. Sun Zhiwen's family went to the Jilin City Detention Center to deliver clothing to him in September 2020, they were told he was no longer there. They suspected that he might have been sentenced to prison, but they had received no notification from the local court.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual and meditation discipline based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since July 1999.
Mr. Sun, in his 30s, was first arrested on February 4, 2020 for putting up posters with information about the persecution of Falun Gong.
Although Mr. Sun was released at 7:00 p.m. that evening, he was arrested again on April 22 and detained at the Xishan Detention Center in Yongji County. He was later transferred to the Jilin City Detention Center in early May 2020.
When his family inquired about his case at the Yongji County Court, they were told that for all Falun Gong cases, the judge wouldn’t inform the family members of their hearings. His family also learned from insiders that there was a special department in the court handling Falun Gong cases and they don’t follow legal procedures.
Mr. Sun's family is currently being kept in the dark about where he is detained and whether he has been sentenced.
Mr. Sun had a difficult childhood. He not only suffered from poor health, but also struggled to take care of himself when his parents were both arrested numerous times for upholding their faith in Falun Gong. One family friend once came to check in on him and saw him struggling to make fire to cook dinner for himself (his family didn't have gas or an electric stove and he had to use firewood). The friend had tears in her eyes and felt so sorry for such a young child who was deprived of his parents’ tender care because of the persecution of Falun Gong.
Mr. Sun’s health was still poor in his 20s and he couldn’t even hold a job. Things changed in 2016 when he started to practice Falun Gong. His health improved quickly and he became full of energy. After his grandmother fell ill, he took good care of her. She was very touched and encouraged him to continue practicing Falun Gong.
Mr. Sun’s good health also enabled him to land a job quickly. Mr. Sun worked very hard at his job and never competed for personal interests with his colleagues. While others always wanted to team with fast workers, he never complained when paired with slower workers on tasks that paid everyone the same based on the total amount of products finished.
One summer each worker at his factory was given 800 yuan after a flood caused damage to the plant, but he declined the money as he felt there were others more in need of the help. When his neighbor heard one worker didn't take the money, he told Mr. Sun's parents that he was sure it was Mr. Sun because he knew how the young man had been striving to be a good person by following Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
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