(Clearwisdom.net) Since July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party's persecution has been rampant. Falun Dafa practitioners and their family members phones are tapped, and they're not allowed to move around as they wish. Those who've stood up for Falun Gong have also been harassed, threatened and oppressed -- even the lawyers. Chinese Falun Gong practitioners aren't allowed to travel and visit their relatives overseas. These people's passports are never approved. My mother, Ms. Bao Xuezhen, is one example.
My mother started to practice Falun Gong in 1995. After July 20, 1999 she began to clarify the truth, but then she was persecuted mercilessly. On the evening of June 1, 2001 the police in Changning District, Shanghai City detained her for "participating in Falun Gong activities" at her work place--the 4th Branch of the Zhongxing Corporation in Shanghai. They took her to the detention center in Changning District. On the same evening, they searched our house and confiscated many precious Falun Gong books, materials, banners, and photos. The police officers even coerced my father and I into giving them the rest of the materials. They intimidated me and asked me to turn on my computer so that they could check the hard drive. The same night they again invaded my home, and took my scanner, my printer, and the computer I used for studying.
For more than one year while my mother was detained, no other relatives were allowed to visit her. On February 26, 2002 my mother was sentenced three and a half years. Since June she has been imprisoned at the Shanghai City Prison for Women.
My mother was subjected to inhuman torture at both the detention center and the prison. She told me that she was regularly insulted and bullied by the other female prisoners. She was forced to watch propaganda video's defaming Falun Gong. She wasn't allowed to take showers or sleep, and she was forced to work a lot. She was tormented to the breaking point. Due to the deception and threats of the police officers, she was "reformed" against her principles. In 2004, my mother was released. Although she was finally out of that ruthless environment, she still didn't have her personal freedom.
After she was discharged from the prison, my mother started the passport application process in February of 2005 so she could come and visit me overseas. Ten months have passed and she still hasn't gotten her passport. The authorities in question have offered no official reason for their failure to provide her with her passport.
Below is the chronology of the difficult application process and the responses my mother received from different departments.
On February 22, 2005 she formally submitted her passport application to Entry and Exit Control. On March 3, she received the response: "Not Approved." The reason she was given was they considered her a threat to national security and the national interest, and denied her request under Article 8, section 5 of their guidelines. She asked, "How could I harm our country as an ordinary citizen? How about those officials who take money abroad? Don't they harm our country? She received no answer from the officials. They also said the police department hadn't approved her request. She found the police officer that she was told had denied her, but he said he had nothing to do with it. He told her he would look into it for her.
On March 10 the police officer said he was waiting for a reply.
On April 20 the police officer said he was still waiting for a reply. (No reply)
On May 10, my mother went to Entry and Exit Control again. They said, "We don't know you. Once the Residence Office approves your application, we will give you your passport. She went and asked the police officer again about the police rejection of her application. He said, "I'm only a police officer, I have no authority in this matter. I've asked my superiors about this several times, but I haven't been able to solve your problem. I'll ask for you again."
On May 11, my mother called Changning District Police Department. They said when they found out, they would call her. (No answer so far)
On May 16, she mailed the local political and judiciary committee secretary Liu Yungeng. (No answer)
On June 9, she called the city Women's Association. They said they were helpless where Falun Gong was concerned.
On June 14, she went to the city Appeals Office. They said they would give her an answer within 15 days. (No answer)
On July 7, she went to the police department again. Director Lu of the police station met her. He said, "I don't have the power to decide. We will ask our superiors and then reply to you. (No answer)
On August 4, she waited again (No answer)
On August 19, she registered (no. 1041) at the Shanghai City Police Department's open appeals event.
On August 24, she was asked to contact Changning District Police Department. Officials there told her, "We will give you an answer in 15 days." (No answer so far)
On September 25, she wrote city government officials Chen Liangyu, Han Zheng, Liu Yungeng, and Gong Xueping separately. Only Gong Xueping replied, and claimed that the city police department was in charge of the case.
My mother has continued asking officials for an explanation. She hopes she can bring the truth to more people who are deceived.
An ordinary citizen merely wants to visit her child, but can't get a passport or an official explanation as to why she has not been issued one for more than 10 months. She was deprived of her personal freedom and civil rights. There are more people who are not allowed to travel abroad. This is a time when human rights are said to be most respected in China!
We hope the international human rights organizations will pay close attention to human rights in Mainland China, so that Chinese people might one day possess real freedom.
