(Clearwisdom.net) Wei Haiwu and his wife Yin Fengqin live in Dakanxia Village, Bailong Township, Mancheng County, Hebei Province. The couple has suffered brutal persecution for practicing Falun Gong, including having their home searched and their phone tapped, detentions with extended terms, illegal fines, brainwashing, threats and other atrocities. In July 2002 Mr. Wei Haiwu was sentenced to two years of forced labor and was sent to the Balizhuang Forced Labor Camp in Baoding City. His wife Yin Fengqin has been sent to the same labor camp twice: once in April 2001 and again in May 2003. On the morning of August 7, 2005, Wei Haiwu was arrested once again in Baoding City while at work.
The following is an account of what Wei Haiwu and his family have suffered and their current circumstances.
Wei Haiwu's Arrest
At around 6:00 a.m. on August 7, 2005, Yin Fengqin suddenly found several people assembled in the yard. When she rushed out to see what had happened, Wei Haiwu had already been taken away.
Later, Yin Fengqin discovered that those people were police officers and their car license was counterfeit. Over ten days passed. No one informed Yin what happened. After inquiring around, she finally found out that it was personnel from the Baoding National Security Bureau who had arrested Wei Haiwu.
Yin Fengqin's Inhuman Suffering while Searching for Her Husband
When Yin Fengqin first went to the Baoding National Security Bureau to look for her husband, her family members accompanied her. They were stopped at the bureau gate. A person with the last name Hu came out and told the family that Wei Haiwu was arrested because of his involvement with Falun Gong, claiming, "Wei Haiwu was involved in tapping into a TV broadcast network."
A security staff person named Zhang loudly admonished them for gathering together "to cause trouble" and called the police to come to arrest them. Yin Fengqin was so upset that she started to cry and collapsed to the ground. She lay down on the ground in pain and had difficulty breathing. The two children were frightened and started to cry. However, the security staff just stood there and ridiculed them. Yin Fengqin lay on the ground for several hours in the heavy rain. At last, the county police department was informed and police officer Liu Guishuan came to get them. They didn't get any reasonable response to their inquiries.
Two days later, Yin Fengqin again went to look for her husband with her children. Unfortunately, Yin Fengqin fell ill again. She had suffered from an illness since her detention in the forced labor camp. She had suffered so much in the camp that her legs had become paralyzed for a while, she had uremia, became bedridden and had almost lost her eyesight. However, the security personnel still threatened to arrest the family and threatened to call the children's school and force the school to expel the children.
Around 6:00 p.m., after the mother and two children had persevered under the hot sun for a whole day, authorities came to take them home.
Two days later Yin Fengqin and her daughter went for the third time. At 9:00 a.m. when the daughter and her mother walked into the Municipal National Security Bureau yard, a person who looked like someone in charge rushed out and yelled, "Take them away! Take them away!" Not listening to anything they had to say, the guards carried Yin Fengqin out and deposited her along the street. The crying child held her mother up and they tried to enter the gate again, but the gate was locked.
Yin Fengqin went to the security bureau over 40 times, but was unable to get inside. The guards always dragged her several meters away from the gate. Yin Fengqin decided to sit in front of the gate from 4:00 p.m. until midnight every day, no matter whether it was raining or cold. She firmly insisted on staying there to declare her husband's innocence and tell of his sufferings.
Yin Fengqin endured hunger and once she didn't eat anything for two days. The Security Bureau personnel were afraid to take responsibility if she died and hired police to take her back to Mancheng County late at night. Since the persecution went on for years, her family was in extremely poor financial shape. Her house had been in ill repair and in an un-livable condition for a long time. The police were also afraid the village people would find out what they did, so they first took Yin Fengqin to the home of Wei Haiwu's brother. After that family refused to cooperate, they took her to her work unit where she works as an hourly contractor. After the work unit refused to take her, they took her to a hostel. Later they threatened Wei Haiwu's brother-in-law and forced them to take in Yin Fengqin, otherwise he and his wife might lose their jobs.
The Family's Current Circumstances
Wei Haiwu is still detained in the Baoding Detention Center. Neither the police nor the Security Bureau informed the family of his condition. From indirect sources it was learned that Wei Haiwu had been on a hunger strike for many days and was in poor physical condition. His current status is unknown. Yin Fengqin still lives in her brother-in-law's home. The related authorities often threaten her, saying that if she continues to go to the Security Bureau she will be sent to a forced labor camp again. They also intimidated her brother-in-law, saying that if he didn't watch her closely or if Yin Fengqin escaped from his home, he would lose his job. The pressure has affected his health.
The couple's two children are temporarily staying with other relatives. They go to school and are good at their studies. Her daughter works as a tutor to pay for basic living expenses. Ever since their father has been in prison they have had to borrow money to pay the son's tuition. The whole family suffers financially because of the persecution.
We call upon the international community to help the family, to help the illegally detained Wei Haiwu, and to help stop the brutal persecution in China.
Related people and work units:
Baoding National Security Bureau:
Address: No.385 Tianezhong Road, Baoding City, Hebei Province, 071000
Ding Yaping, Head of the bureau, 86-312-3135050 (Office), 86-312-3115958 (Home), 86-13903225266(Cell)
Jiu Zhenguo, Politic Department, 86-13011907721(Cell), 86-312-3137076 (Office)
Baoding Police Department:
Address: No.10 Dongfengzhong Road, Baoding City, Hebei Province, 071000
General Operator, 86-312-3071000
Team heads: Dong Yuan, Feng Yong
Baoding Detention Center:
Phone: 86-312-5027634, 5015804, 5028774
Mancheng Police Department:
Zhao Hongxiang Deputy of the county police department, 86-13803279827(Cell)
