Disabled Wife Appeals for Her Husband's Rescue

By Zuo Lihua

My name is Zuo Lihua. I live in Fengyingzi Village, Fengyingzi Town, Chengde City, Hebei Province. My husband, Li Tang, is a Falun Gong practitioner. On July 13, 2008, using the excuse of security prior to the Olympic Games, the local police arrested him. He has been detained since then and will be brought to trial at Shuangqiao District Court on December 15, 2008. I am a disabled person calling for help from all circles in Chengde City in hopes of gaining support and aid from righteous people.

When I was 21 and doing farm work for the commune, my leg was severely injured. To save my life, the physician amputated my leg. With the care of a fellow villager, I survived. Later, I got married and had a son. When my son was two years old, I became pregnant again. Based on the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) family control policy, I was forced to have an abortion. Just after the abortion, I received a phone call from home and was told that my son was in a traffic accident. I lost my two children within one day, and I collapsed mentally. Afterwards, I refused to talk or sleep. Only after my family's urging did I fall asleep. I soon fell ill with various kinds of diseases. I could not work and needed to be cared for. At that time, dying meant more than living for me.

In early 1999, I began practicing Falun Gong, which taught me to do good deeds and be considerate of others. Just a few days later, a miracle occurred. All my diseases vanished. I was filled with the hope of life again. I began doing household duties and became considerate of others. I followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and experienced miraculous changes in both my body and mind.

Joy came back to my home. Witnessing my big change, my husband began practicing Falun Gong as well. I was grateful to Falun Gong from the bottom of my heart. The practice gave me a second life.

On July 20, 1999, the CCP launched the senseless persecution of Falun Gong. I went to Beijing with the support of my crutches to tell the everyday people that Falun Gong was good, that it heals diseases, helps people stay fit, and teaches people to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I was arrested and detained in the Chengde City Detention Center, where I was subjected to abuse. After that, such acts of persecution repeatedly occurred in my family.

One time, my husband had just arrived at home after doing business, and police officers from Fengyingzi Town Police Station and Chengde City Police Department rushed into my courtyard. They lied and said that there was a problem with our vehicle and asked my husband to go with them. He was then arrested and detained in the Xiabancheng Detention Center, where cold water was poured over him and he was burned with cigarettes. He suffered three months of abuse and the police extorted 30,000 yuan in cash from us before he was released.

My husband had just returned after delivering ice cream, and police officers from Fengyingzi Town Station, including Gong Dianzhen, Si Niandong, An Xiujun, and Nan Dalin, and agents from the 610 Office in the Chengde City Police Department arrested him for the second time. He was detained in the Xiabancheng Prison for more than 80 days and released after the police extorted a huge amount of money.

At midnight on the 50^th anniversary celebration of the Royal Summer Resort at Chengde City, Hebei Province, officers and agents from Fengyingzi Town Police Station, Chengde City Police Department and the City 610 Office pried open the door to our home and broke in. They searched my home and arrested my husband. They also seized 2,000 yuan in cash and two cell phones. My daughter and son-in-law tried to stop the police officers from taking away their father, but they were both were also arrested wearing only their underwear. My daughter and son-in-law were detained in a brainwashing center located in Luzhaizigou Community, Chengde City. They were released after the police extorted 2,000 yuan. My husband was detained in the Xiabancheng Detention Center for two-and-a-half months. My vehicle was also seized. The police extorted more than 20,000 yuan before they released my husband and the vehicle.

In 2008, the CCP arrested my husband again, allegedly for the sake of the Olympic Games. At about 3:00 p.m. on July 13, 2008, Yang Zhe, director of the Fengyingzi Town Police Station, Yang Jiukui, Liu Mingcheng, An Xiujun, and agents from the 610 Office in the Chengde City Police Department broke into my home. They covered my husband's head with a black plastic bag and forced him into a police car. They searched my home and seized expensive items. They also destroyed my electric fan. My husband has been detained in the Shuangfengsi Detention Center for more than five months, and we are not allowed to visit him. Recently, we learned that he will be brought to trial at Shuangqiao District Court on December 15, 2008. I call for the immediate release of my husband.