(Minghui.org) A Huangchuan County resident in Henan Province was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 20,000 yuan on December 13, 2018, for filing a criminal complaint in 2015 against Jiang Zemin, the former leader of the Chinese communist regime who ordered the persecution of Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual and meditation discipline centered on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Since the persecution began in July 1999, many people who practice it have been arrested and imprisoned for refusing to renounce their faith.
Mr. Shi Zaihe moved repeatedly for nearly three years before his arrest in March 2018, after being put on the “most wanted” list for filing a complaint against Jiang in June 2015.
Mr. Shi left home after escaping an arrest in August 2015. The police instead arrested his wife, who didn't practice Falun Gong, and held her in the police station for 24 hours.
The police monitored the phone calls of most of his family members and friends to try to track him down and arrest him. He wasn't able to return home even when his mother passed away.
On the Run to Avoid Being Persecuted for His Faith
Mr. Shi, 47, began to practice Falun Gong in 1996. He credits the exercises and spiritual teachings for improving his health and character.
After Jiang Zemin ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, Mr. Shi went to Beijing in October 2000 to appeal for the right to practice. He was arrested and taken back to his hometown in Huangchuan County, Henan Province, where he was detained for 45 days and had 2,000 yuan extorted from him.
Not long after his release in early 2001, the police attempted to arrest him and take him to a labor camp. He was forced to live away from home to elude them.
The police harassed his family on every major holiday while he was away.
In February 2003, shortly after the Chinese New Year, the police harassed and arrested Mr. Shi's wife. They held her in detention for more than 40 days to try to force her to reveal his whereabouts.
Mr. Shi was later arrested while he was working in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, which is about 330 miles from his home. He was given two years of forced labor in Henan Province No.3 Forced Labor Camp in Xuchang City.
To try to make him renounce Falun Gong, guard Xu Shuiwang tied Mr. Shi up and shocked him with electric batons, dragged him back and forth on the ground, stepped on his feet, and beat him with a shovel. The guards shocked him with electric batons the next day.
Mr. Shi was forced to live away from home again in 2015 after the police attempted to arrest him for submitting his criminal complaint against Jiang to the Supreme People's Procuratorate and Supreme People's Court.
After being on the run for nearly three years, Mr. Shi was arrested at 6:30 p.m. on March 29, 2018, at his home in Huangchuan County by more than a dozen officers.
The police returned to his home at 8 p.m. and ransacked it without his presence. His computer, printer, Falun Gong books, and more than 10,000 yuan in cash were confiscated.
His arrest was approved on May 3, 2018.
