Former PLA officer Major Hu Jianhua has suffered years of persecution and is currently in poor health.

Former PLA Hero Now the Victim of Persecution (Photo) 

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Hu Jianhua was a Major in the Chinese People's Liberation Army and won the First Class Merit Citation as an honor. He has been arrested several times by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for following the principles of Falun Gong, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He was sentenced to one year of forced labor and then to seven and a half years imprisonment.

 Mr. Hu Jianhua

Lingering Illnesses

Mr. Hu Jianhua was born in Qianjiang City, Hubei Province on September 1, 1961. During his ten years of army life, Mr. Hu suffered from various illnesses including high blood pressure, hyperlipemia and erosive gastritis. Later, he also contracted heart disease. He developed hepatitis, cervical spondylosis, migraines, sciatica, chronic sinusitis, chronic pharyngitis, a long-term recurring stomatitis, trachoma, tinnitus, irregular teeth, hemorrhoids, and more. It seemed that nothing was functioning properly in his body.

In 1993, Mr. Hu was decommissioned owing to his poor health and was assigned to work at Qiaokou District Commerce and Industry Bureau in Wuhan City, Hubei Province. He searched every avenue for a cure of his illnesses, but had little success. As a result, the relationship between him and his wife began to deteriorate, which had a great impact on his work.

Happy to Learn Falun Gong

In August 1995, Mr. Hu began to learn Falun Gong and not long after that all his illnesses disappeared, thus he was in high spirits. What had happened to his father was even more miraculous. Mr. Hu's father suffered from lung cancer. When he was hospitalized he read Falun Gong and practiced the five exercises. One month later, he had fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital. Now, he is over 80 years old and still in very good health. Cultivating Falun Gong brought Mr. Hu's family many blessings. His relationship with his wife became harmonious and he was fit himself. This saved him a lot of medical expenses and also made it possible for him to work well.

Persecuted

Since July 1999, Mr. Hu Jianhua had been persecuted many times by the CCP. He was detained for 16 days in accordance to a security administrative decision and locked up in a police station for two more days after being released from detention. Besides, he was detained and held at a brainwashing center three times, arrested four times and his home was ransacked four times. Mr. Hu's father and wife were summoned to the Hanjia Police Station many times. One day the police from the Security Section of the Qiaokou District Police Sub-department forced Mr. Hu's family to pay three thousand yuan before releasing Mr. Hu. However, the police grabbed the receipt away when they ransacked his home so that they could split the money among themselves. The evildoers stopped his salary many times and when he was detained at the brainwashing center and forced labor camp, they did not even pay him a living allowance. All this was done without a legal basis.

Experience in a Forced Labor Camp

On November 29, 2000, Mr. Hu was arrested at work by the police from the Hanjia Police Station. He was first held in a dark and damp house at the neighborhood committee for three days before he was transferred to a detention center. Seven days later, he was sentenced to one year of forced labor and was held at the Hewan Forced Labor Camp in Wuhan City.

When he arrived at the forced labor camp, Mr. Hu was forced to recite the rules and regulations of the camp, to stand still for a long time as well as watch the video programs or read books and newspapers articles that slandered Falun Gong. The prison guards did not let the practitioners sleep and tried to force them to write the Three Statements. Those who refused to renounce Falun Gong were forced to do hard labor and undergo corporal punishment including "training" in the snow. These practitioners were punched and kicked, and they were forced to carry big rocks or cement slabs, which weighed hundreds of kilograms each. They were also forced to pick up taro in the biting cold water in a ten-meter deep pond, dressed only with shorts and barefoot. The camp authorities turned a blind eye when seeing their frost-bitten and swollen feet. In the summer, practitioners were forced to stand still under the scorching sun for a very long period of time. All this was because the forced labor camp had received orders from above that they could receive 5,000 to 20,000 yuan bonus if they could pressure a practitioner to renounce his/her belief. Therefore, some of the prison guards ordered criminals (mainly drug addicts) to beat up and torture these practitioners. These evildoers dragged practitioners into toilets or places where no one could see and hear them and then beat them. In the winter they poured cold water onto practitioners and did not let them sit or sleep for a long time. They also deprived the practitioners' rights of correspondence and being visited by their family members. Practitioners were kept in isolated cells for as long as half a year. During their detention, they were not allowed to buy any living necessities and could only eat two meals a day. It was a common practice that the terms of practitioners in the forced labor camp were extended.

Even under such cruel circumstances, Mr. Hu Jianhua was able to change the prison guards and inmates alike with the compassion and tolerance of a practitioner. He wrote a sharing of over 20 pages detailing the benefits he had received by practicing Falun Gong. He handed it to the prison guards and it was widely circulated among the inmates. Many people awakened after reading his sharing and expressed their wish to learn Falun Gong when they were released. Both the inmates and the prison guards all respectfully addressed him as "Battalion Commander" (He was a Deputy Battalion Commander when serving in the army).

Leaving Home to Avoid Arrest and Harassment

On November 1, 2001, Mr. Hu was released from the Forced Labor Camp after one year detention. Upon returning to his work unit, he was put under surveillance. Seven months after returning to work, it was July 20, 2002, which was considered a "sensitive day". The police from the local police station attempted to arrest him. Thus, Mr. Hu was forced to leave home and went to Guangzhou to avoid being arrested.

Extracting a "Confession" by Torture

On March 29, 2003, Mr. Hu was arrested by over 20 police officers from the former Dongshan District, Guangzhou City at 6354 Room, Greatwall Construction Guesthouse, former Dongshan District, Guangdong City. Twenty-four police officers from the Guangzhou City's "610 Office", the Guangzhou City police, procuratorate and court as well as the police, procuratorate and court of the former Dongshan District, were divided into three groups to interrogate Mr. Hu in turn. This lasted for 5 days and 5 nights. As a result, Mr. Hu's heart disease recurred and his blood pressure surged to 120/180 mmHg. On the fifth day, he also suffered from diarrhea and was on the verge of collapsing. However, the evildoers still did not let him go, but turned down his request to go to toilet several times. Finally, they tried to force Mr. Hu to sit in double lotus but he refused. Then 7 or 8 evildoers pushed him to the ground and moved his legs into the double lotus position and then handcuffed him behind his back. They tied his legs with four towels that were torn into stripes so that he could not move. Then they stepped on his hands, which were handcuffed.

Sentenced to Jail

Since no evidence was found, which could prove that Mr. Hu had committed any crimes, the police in Guangdong fabricated a confession, which they dared not to show to him. Mr. Hu's term of detention had been extended, therefore he was held until May 6, 2003. Then he was arrested and charged on September 8, 2003 and was put on trial on December 16, but the entire process was very sneaky. In the morning of the trial, Mr. Hu's head was covered with black gauze and he was brought to court secretly. During the trial, he was not allowed to defend himself. Seven days later, the judge went to the detention center and asked Mr. Hu to sign the trial notes, but did not allow him to read it, thus Mr. Hu refused. Then the judge threatened him, "If you do not sign, I will sentence you to several years in jail." When the verdict of seven and a half years imprisonment was handed down, Mr. Hu wanted to appeal. He wrote three petitions and asked the prison guards to present them to the court. One month later, the court staff came and said, "We know you have appealed, but we did not see your petition for appeal. You must write another one." Apparently they were deliberately trying to delay or stop the appeal because they did not want Mr. Hu to report the fact of extorting a confession by torture and illegal sentencing. On March 23, 2004, the Guangzhou City's Intermediate Court affirmed the original judgment.

Clarifying the Truth in the Detention Center

Mr. Hu was held at a detention center in Guangzhou City for more than a year. During his detention, he clarified the truth to every inmate. He wrote a dozen pages of sharing and truth-clarification materials, which detailed the benefits he gained after cultivating Falun Gong. His kinds words and compassion touched a lot of hearts. When they learned the truth, they either expressed their willingness to learn Falun Gong on the spot or inveighed against the Chinese Communist Party.

One inmate from Hunan Province suffered from an acute pain in his stomach when he first arrived at the detention center. Mr. Hu Jianhua told that man, "If you want your illness cured you just need to chant silently 'Falun Gong is good!' and 'Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance is good' and beg Teacher Li for help. If you are sincere it will be very effective." This man did in accordance to what Mr. Hu had told him and also said he believed in Falun Gong. The result was very good and the man was very grateful to Falun Gong.

Another inmate, a 20 year old young lad from Human Province was imprisoned for robbery. He slandered Falun Gong many times and would not listen to kind advice. One evening when he was taking a shower, he was standing by the edge of a horse-pond and interfered with Mr. Hu's efforts in clarifying the truth and said many bad things about Falun Gong. All of a sudden he fell from the edge of the horse-pond into the pond, and received a very deep cut of over a dozen millimeters long. He had to have more than 20 stitches. People in the ward all knew that he was suffering from retribution. Taking this opportunity, Mr. Hu clarified the facts to him again. As a result he dared not to slander Falun Gong any more.

Mr. Hu created an environment in the detention center and could do the exercises freely. Some suspects would learn from him. The prison guards would come to check, but the inmates in the ward would cover for him. Gradually even the prison guards would turn a blind eye.

Tortured at in Sihui Prison

On May 14, 2004, Mr. Hu Jianhua was sent to Sihui City's Prison in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province. At the beginning, he was detained in the newly established No. 18 Ward, where already sixteen practitioners were being held. At that place, they had a special group, which was maltreating practitioners. The group was headed by a man with the surname of Chen and its members included the prison guards with the surnames Lin, Xie and Li. They arranged four inmates to monitor one practitioner, whose personal freedom was completely taken away. During the day, these practitioners were forced to sit on the tile floor in the hall with two inmates watching one practitioner. The practitioners were not allowed to talk, move, read, nor go to toilet during the day. During the evening, they were forced to sit on the ground in the cells and were not allowed to go to bed until after midnight.

On July 6, practitioners, who were not held at this ward, were dragged to the drill-ground and had to sit under the scorching sun in the name of "confession". The prison authorities did not give them any water. If the practitioners did not cooperate with them, they were forced to stand in an "army corps" position as punishment. This torture of being exposed under the scorching sun went on for more than three months.

Starting in early November, officials in the prison intensified their maltreatment of practitioners in every ward. During the day, practitioners were forced to watch video programs that slandered Falun Gong and in the evening they had to write a confession. If someone was willing to write a confession, that person was allowed to sleep for half an hour and to move around. If you did not write, you were not allowed to sleep nor move around, but to sit on a plastic stool for a long time. During the process, practitioners were not allowed to wash, eat the food they bought themselves, had to live in isolation and could not contact other people. The longest time of sleep deprivation was over 20 days. During the time of sleep deprivation, Mr. Hu's blood pressure reached a dangerous level and he suffered from myocardial ischemia. Even at that time, the evildoers still did not let him go, but tied him to a tiger bench. They also carried him to the window and exposed him to the ice cold wind or an electric fan. When he was released from the tiger bench, the evildoers hit his head or face with a book.

At a roll call one evening, Mr. Hu refused to answer. A prison guard with the surname Wang incited inmates to pull Mr. Hu out and held him to the ground. Then in front of all these people, they punched and kicked him, and forced him to answer their questions. Mr. Hu remained silent and looked into the eyes of the prison guard Wang. As a result, this prison guard no longer dared to continue his criminal acts. The inmates all showed their respect toward Mr. Hu. They all said that they would report the tortures to the prison authorities. The leaders of the ward were afraid that the issue would be made public, so they called a meeting and criticized that prison guard and asked him to apologize to Mr. Hu.

After the New Year, a new round of persecution started. The prison guards put Mr. Hu in an isolated house and ordered five inmates to watch him. They were Yang Bin (from Qiangjiang City, Hubei Province), Ni Yun (from Hunan Province), Zhang Cinan (from Hunan Province), a drug addict with the surname Cheng (from Guangdong Province) and A Shui (from Guangdong Province). They tied Mr. Hu onto the tiger bench for eight days and nights. Whenever he blinked his eyes, they would hit his ankle, which caused a lot of pain. They did not allow him to do anything, neither washing, taking a shower, brushing his teeth, nor going to the toilet. At midnight on the eighth day, when inmate Zhang Cinan saw Mr. Hu blinking his eyes, he hit his head with such a force that the baton broke. Then they punched and kicked him until his nose was bleeding. At that time, Mr. Hu demanded to see prison guards. They did not let him go and only said that the prison guards would not want to see him. When Mr. Hu asked them if it was true that they took orders from the prison guards, they did not dare to answer him. Finally, only when they realized that Mr, Hu was on the brink of dying and since they did not want to take the responsibilities, did they report to the prison guards to cancel the isolation.

Special Ward for Persecuting Falun Gong at Sihui Prison

On March 5, 2005, Mr. Hu was transferred to the special ward, which was set up by the prison's "610 Office" for persecuting Falun Gong. It was first set up inside the 6th Ward. Then the prison authorities set up a logistic ward and this special ward was put under it and eventually it became an independent ward. The head of the "610 Office" with the surname Lin, the party secretary of this special ward with the surname Zhang and three deputy heads of the ward, formed a leadership group for persecuting Falun Gong. They selected over 30 prison guards, who had a better educational background from different wards. Two to three prison guards were responsible for transforming one practitioner. If they were able to have the practitioner renounce Falun Gong, they were promoted and given bonuses. Therefore, these prison guards worked very hard.

The practitioners were separated and each one was put in one room. Four personal cangues were assigned to work on one practitioner, two in the evening and two during the day. They forced the practitioner to sit on a round stool with their legs joined together and their hands on top of their knees. The practitioner had to sit upright and could not move, otherwise they would be beaten. According to the rules, the practitioners could only go to the toilet twice a day, five minutes each time, not to exceed ten minutes. Those who refused to cooperate were confined in a solitary compartment or sent to a strict control group. If they could not make the practitioner renounce Falun Gong within three months, they automatically extended it to six months.

One practitioner, who was an officer at the Headquarters of the PLA General Staff, was held in the strict control group for half a year and had been kept in an iron cage. He went on a hunger strike, but the inmates force fed him. They also forced him to take psilocybin, a hallucinogen.

Practitioner Mr. Liu Qifeng from Northeast China was given an injection with an unknown drug when he was held at the strict control group, because he did not cooperate with the evildoers. As a result, his legs were paralyzed and he was unable to walk. The prison authorities blamed Falun Gong for causing the paralysis in an attempt to cover up their crimes.

Mr. Hu Jianhua's backside was covered with bedsores, which festered and discharged pus as a result of sitting on a plastic stool for a long period of time. Whenever he sat down, it was extremely painful.

Prison Authorities Pocket Money And Belongings

During the persecution over these last years, Mr. Hu's families went a long way to visit him but the prison authorities did not let them see him. His friends and relatives sent him 1,000 yuan as a living allowance, however the prison officials pocketed the money. Mr. Hu did not know it until he received a letter from home in which they told him about the money they remitted. When Mr. Hu went to the prison authorities to ask for the money, he was told that they had never received it. Mr. Hu's high quality suits, famous brand jumpers and underwear were all confiscated on his arrival at the prison. Some were torn into pieces and others were divided up among the prison guards themselves. Clearly the prison officials did not comply with the rules and regulations, which stat that personal belongings should be kept safely in the prison. When Mr. Hu was transferred from the detention center to the prison, the detention center personnel transferred all his personal belongings to the prison, including the written judgment, verdict, letters from his family, a cell phone, a cassette recorder, keys and 300 yuan cash. However, the prison officials did not hand these items back to Mr. Hu. All the correspondence, which went in and out of the prison was checked by different groups of people, so it took two months for the letter to reach Mr. Hu. Some of the letters were withheld by the prison authorities, so Mr. Hu never received these letters.

Mr. Hu Jianhua has experienced brainwashing, detention, arrest, corporal punishment, being fired and having his home ransacked, all because he believed in the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Mr. Hu has suffered both mental and physical torture. He experienced serious illness, his heart has been severely damaged, and he sufferers from myocardial ischemia and high blood pressure. His life is currently in danger.