(Minghui.org) Since 2018, the government officials and police in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province have repeatedly come to a local elderly couple’s small snack store to harass them for their faith in Falun Gong, an ancient Chinese mind and body practice persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Niu Wanjiang, a former statistician of Lanzhou City Railroad Bureau, and his wife Ms. Zhang Zhenmin, both around 60, lost their jobs and were incarcerated in labor camps, prisons, and brainwashing centers for upholding their faith.
They managed to open a snack store to make a living. However, Lanzhou City Political and Legal Affairs Committee and Chengguan District 610 Office instructed Ju’an Community Residential Committee and Railroad West Village Police Station to harass the couple repeatedly at their store. The couple compassionately told the harassers the facts about Falun Gong, their personal experience of benefiting from the practice and the consequences of their actions.
Three staff members from local residential committee and two police officers, including Su Jundong, the new deputy chief of the police station, and officer Xu Junqing, went to Mr. Niu’s store in early August 2020.
Su carried a law enforcement recorder on his shoulder, and one person began to take pictures. As Mr. Niu wasn’t present, Ms. Zhang tried to stop them. At this time, their son, who happened to be at the store, also took pictures of the group with his cellphone, which deterred the agents from taking anymore pictures.
Su told Ms. Zhang that their visit that day was to check how they were doing and if they still practiced Falun Gong.
Ms. Zhang told them, “Falun Gong is not listed among the 14 cults announced by the State Council and the Ministry of Public Security. And you know that the principle of justice has always been making decisions based on evidence and in accordance with the law. Where is the evidence and legal basis for the TV propaganda against Falun Gong? All of them were false and fraudulent.”
They did not have much to say. After a while, they put down a carton of eggs, some milk, and some drinks before getting ready to leave. Ms. Zhang refused to accept the food, knowing it was to persuade her to give up Falun Gong. She asked them to take them away, but they insisted on leaving the food there.
After a few days, four of the above five people, except Su, came back to the store. This time, Xu Junqing was carrying a law enforcement video recorder on his shoulder. They said that they were instructed to come as part of the “zero out” campaign, a concerted effort to force every Falun Gong practitioner on the government’s blacklist to renounce their faith.
Ms. Zhang asked: “How am I supposed to transform? I was such a hot-tempered person before I started practicing Falun Gong that I would fight with anyone who took advantage of me. I ended up with poor health and had difficulty even going up and down the stairs. No one came to check on me back then. I got better by practicing Falun Gong but was unjustly imprisoned for eight years. But now you came to transform me. What kind of person are you transforming me into? A real criminal?”
They all said no.
Ms. Zhang continued, “When my husband and I were behind bars, ten years for him, eight years for me, our son was unattended. None of you ever came to check on him. Later after we were released, our family was in a state of destitution. Our son did not have a job, and the whole family had no income. None of you came to ask about us. We went to the community to apply for a low-income subsidy, you rejected us with all kinds of excuses. Now we have borrowed money and opened this store. We are working hard to make ends meet, but you keep coming to interfere with our business.”
They also said that they simply came to complete their assignment.
Four people came again a few weeks later. This time, the police officer was Ms. Zhou (given name unknown). They said hello to Mr. Niu.
Mr. Niu first asked for their names and then said: “You have repeatedly come to the store, which has seriously interfered with our normal life. This is illegal. I will sue you if you don’t stop.”
One person said that they were required to come to talk to Mr. Niu every day and they had already done them a favor by coming once every few weeks.
Mr. Niu said, “No matter who ordered you, or what their ranks are, you have to use your conscience to do things. I sincerely tell you, no matter when and what you encounter, don’t do anything that goes against your conscience.”
He continued to give them the examples of officials who were brought to justice for persecuting others.
The same four persons came again a week later. One told Mr. Niu that they only wanted to know whom he usually contacted and what activities he participated in.
Mr. Niu said, “Practicing Falun Gong is good for the society and should be protected by the law. It was Jiang Zemin who made the personal decision to persecute Falun Gong. I welcome you all to my store as individuals, but not as officials with power to do things against Falun Gong. I will not cooperate! It is illegal, and I am standing up against it for your own good!”
Some time later, the same four people came back again. Mr. Niu and Ms. Zhang felt sorry for them.
Ms. Zhang said to them, “Liang Zongang, the former 610 Office director and deputy chief of the local police station, was in a car accident in 2014. Many people thought that we would gloat at the news since he was involved in persecuting us, and we would hate him. In fact, we felt sad when we learned of the tragic scene where he was hit by an oncoming vehicle at the intersection!”
Mr. Niu continued, “He knew that Falun Gong practitioners are all good people. But he decided to continue with his job of arresting and persecuting practitioners. He said it was because he was a member of the CCP.”
Ms. Zhang said, “We wanted to talk to him and asked him to stop by a couple of days before his accident. But the tragedy happened before we had the chance to talk to him. We have always regretted that we did not explain to him in time the principle of karmic retribution, before the accident happened. He chose to listen to the CCP and lost his life at the age of 46, leaving his wife and young son in despair. We really do not want such a regret to happen again!”
Fang Peng, the Party secretary of Ju’an Residential Committee, went to Mr. Niu’s store by himself on August 6, 2021, and ordered the couple to sign some paperwork. He claimed that they would not be bothered again if they signed it, but if not, they should expect visits from local officials and police again.
Ms. Zhang told him, “Our refusal to sign is for your good. When justice is served in the future, our signature would become the evidence against you.”
Fang Peng also asked their son to persuade the couple. Their son told him, “Impossible! They did not give in while in prison, let alone now.”
Fang Peng did come back on September 1, 2021, with police officer Xu Junqing. They took prepared paperwork and ordered the couple to sign again.
The couple firmly refused and repeated what they had told them before: Falun Gong is legitimate; the harassment was illegal; and how Falun Gong gave them good health and turned them into better people.
Fang Peng tried to get their son’s help and offered to help him find a job. Their son turned it down.
When Mr. Niu was busy preparing to open his store on September 23, 2021, Qi Guohong, director of Railroad West Village Street Emergency Management Office, a staff member of residential committee, Zhou, and policeman Xu Junqing came. Qi ordered Mr. Niu to go with them, citing an order from the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. Mr. Niu refused.
At this time, Ms. Zhang saw that Xu and Zhou kept taking pictures. She complained about their frequent harassment and interruption of their business. She requested them to show the document for the harassment, but they did not have any.
As she was talking, Ms. Zhang saw that two additional women were secretly videotaping her and her son with their cell phones not far from their store. Her son went over to them and took pictures of them as well. He asked for their identities, but they refused to answer and left.
Perpetrators involved in the harassment of the couple:Yang Jinquan (杨金泉), secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Lanzhou CityXiao Zhengming (肖正明), secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Chengguan District: +86-931-8473201, +86-13993121175Gao Lina (高丽娜), deputy secretary of the Chengguan District Political and Legal Affairs Committee, director of the Chengguan District 610 Office: 86+13919366270Su Jundong (苏俊东), deputy chief of Railway West Village Police Station: +86-13399310638, +86-13399317805, +86-931-2166868Xu Junqing (胥军庆), police officer of Railway West Village Police Station: +86-13399311504Qi Guohong (祁国红), director of Railroad West Village Street Emergency Management Office: +86-17752115707Fang Peng (方鹏), secretary of Railway West Village Ju’an Community