(Minghui.org) A 74-year-old retired middle school teacher in Shanghai has been detained for more than a month for spreading information about his faith in Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Officers broke into Mr. Fa Zhengping’s home on February 16, 2020, and claimed that someone had reported him for giving out informational materials about Falun Gong. The police ordered him to sign a document. When he refused to cooperate, they pushed him down and carried him into the police car.
The police ransacked Mr. Fa’s two residences and confiscated his printer and Falun Gong books.
The next day, the police ordered Mr. Fa’s family to go to Zhoudong Police Station to pick up his criminal detention notice. He was charged with “undermining law enforcement with a cult organization,” a standard pretext used to criminalize Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Mr. Fa’s family next went to the local detention center to deliver clothes to him. The guards refused to accept them, citing the strict management during the coronavirus epidemic.
Prior to his latest arrest, Mr. Fa was held in labor camps twice for a total of four years and sentenced to three years in prison.
In the labor camps, he was force-fed, given unknown drugs, and deprived of sleep. In the summer, the guards forced him to wear a thick sweater and down jacket and kept him tied up for days at a time. Sometimes, they shocked him with four electric batons at the same time.
As a result of the torture, he suffered some brain damage and had significant hearing, vision, and memory loss. His legs and arms were bruised after being tied up for long stretches. He was unable to lift his arms and had difficulty walking. He also suffered from extremely low blood pressure and his blood turned dark due to lack of oxygen.
While he was in prison, the inmates picked at the inside of his cheek with their fingers. The injuries took a long time to heal. He also had injuries to his face and ear from being beaten by the inmates. He often fainted after returning home, and his urine was brown. After he resumed practicing Falun Gong, he recovered his health.
Mr. Fa Zhengping is in Critical Condition at the Qingpu Labor Camp Hospital