(Minghui.org) A 76-year-old woman was dealt another blow when her only son was arrested again on August 23, 2018, for refusing to renounce Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a mind-body practice based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since July 1999.
Ms. Zhang Li once had a happy family of five, but her daughter-in-law divorced her son when he was first arrested in 2002 for his faith. The health of Ms. Zhang's husband, who suffered from complications of strokes, was in decline, as he terribly missed their grandchild, who lives with their ex-daughter-in-law. He died around 2005.
Ms. Zhang wrote 18 letters to various government agencies calling for her son's release, but she hasn't received any response as of this writing. Her son remains in detention.
Ms. Zhang was a head nurse at the Jianping County Hospital in Liaoning Province before her retirement. Her son, Mr. Guo Hao, was a doctor at the hospital. He followed Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to conduct himself, and refused to take bribes from patients, as do most of his colleagues.
Mr. Guo's job was terminated after the persecution of Falun Gong began. His wife divorced him and left with their son when he was given three years of forced labor in 2002. After his release, the police continued to harass him, and he had to stay away from home three different times to avoid further arrests.
Mr. Guo's father, Mr. Guo Yuanzhong, was a teacher. He very much missed his grandson, all the while suffering from complications of strokes. He became unable to take care of himself and died three years and four months later.
The younger Mr. Guo relied on his mother's pension to get by. Living in stress, he developed high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression.
Officers from the Chengxi Police Station went to Ms. Zhang's home on August 23, 2018. They took Mr. Guo away, saying that he was needed to verify some information. Later that morning, officers sent him to a detention center and notified Ms. Zhang that her son had been officially arrested.
Ms. Zhang suffers from some leg problems and has trouble walking up and downstairs. Despite her health condition, she delivered 18 letters to the county court, Procuratorate, police department, county government, and county congress, appealing for her son's release. She has not received a response.
The police kept saying that they were not the ones who made decisions when it came to Mr. Guo's multiple arrests. They said that they were just “carrying out orders.” They also dismissed statements from Mr. Guo or Ms. Zhang that Falun Gong practitioners did nothing wrong by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to become better people.
One day in 2016, officers from Jianping County Procuratorate met with Mr. Guo about the mistreatment he had experienced for his belief. During the conversation, an officer said, “This is a case monitored by the 610 Office. So it is out of my control.”
The 610 Office is an extra-legal agency tasked with carrying out the persecution of Falun Gong and given power to override the judicial system.