(Clearwisdom.net) Ningxiang County Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Zhou Jingcheng was arrested on August 20, 2011. He has been detained at the Ningxiang Detention Center for more than four months. He has developed many serious health problems and was once in critical condition as a result of mistreatment in the detention center. In mid-December, under the orders of the Ningxiang 610 Office, Mr. Zhou was sentenced to five years in prison.
Mr. Zhou is the manager of the Renmingnan Road Feed Factory in Ningxiang County, Hunan Province. He began practicing Falun Gong in 1996. Following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, he often helped others. He made multiple donations to the community, and became well-known for his kindness.
After the Chinese Communist Party began its persecution of Falun Dafa in July 1999, Mr. Zhou was repeatedly arrested. He was detained eight times, held in a forced labor camp twice, and illegally sentenced to prison once before. He was subjected to severe beatings and torture at the detention center, forced labor camp and prison. He is a survivor of severe torture.
On the afternoon of August 20, 2011, Mr. Zhou was reported while distributing informational materials about Falun Gong. He was arrested by officers from the Xiaduopu Town Police Station and taken to the Ningxiang County Detention Center. He went on a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention. On October 12, Mr. Zhou was tried by the Ningxiang County Court. He had been on a hunger strike for more than 50 days and was emaciated and very weak. Several people helped him into the court. Many people who sat in on the trial, along with Mr. Zhou's family and relatives, appealed to the court to release him. The judge had to recess the trial.
Mr. Zhou was not released, but was still detained. He developed many illness symptoms such as dizziness and general weakness. He even had difficulty grasping a pen and writing. His family went to the Ningxiang County 610 Office, the Domestic Security Division, the Police Department and the court to request his release. The person responsible either avoided meeting with them or claimed not to be the person responsible. The Ningxiang County Court personnel alleged that the case had been submitted to the higher courts: Changsha City Intermediate Court and Hunan Province High Court. In mid-December, Mr. Zhou was sentenced to five years in prison by the Ningxiang County Court.
In September 2004, he was arrested for speaking about the persecution of Falun Dafa to others in Shoashan, and was secretly sentenced to six years in prison. While Mr. Zhou was imprisoned at the Wangling Prison, his mother passed away in July 2007. He was not allowed to see her before she died.
Mr. Zhou was released in September 2010. Less than a year later, on the afternoon of August 20, 2011, he was arrested again.
Earlier reports:
Factory Manager Mr. Zhou Jingcheng Faces Trial on Day 50 of His Hunger Strike Protest (Photos) (http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/11/1/129135.html )
