Jilin Man Denied Legal Representation, Convicted for His Faith in Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) Having been deprived of legal representation since his arrest last July for practicing Falun Gong, a 47-year-old Changchun City, Jilin Province resident was recently sentenced to 1.5 years. Mr. Wang Peng’s family is very worried about him, as the detention center he is held at has reported many COVID cases.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Cao Hui, deputy chief of the Caiyu Street Police Station, led an officer to Mr. Wang’s home on July 20, 2022, looking for his mother, who also practices Falun Gong like him. Upon finding out that his mother, who once shared the residence with Mr. Wang, had been living away from home to hide from them, the police raided the place and took away Mr. Wang’s computers, cellphone and Falun Gong books. 

Mr. Wang’s raided home

The police put Mr. Wang on criminal detention at the Weizigou Detention Center. His family soon hired a lawyer for him. When the lawyer went to the detention center to visit him, the guards did not let him see Mr. Wang, claiming that he had to secure permission from the Domestic Security Office. 

Mr. Wang’s family then hired another lawyer. Yet the Domestic Security Office refused to approve the lawyer’s visitation request.

The family called the mayor’s hotline to file a complaint against the police, only to be told that the Changchun City Political and Legal Affairs Committee has a policy, banning Falun Gong practitioners from being represented by lawyers.

The Kuancheng District Court held a hearing of Mr. Wang’s case at the detention center on November 21, 2022. His family recently confirmed that he has been sentenced to 1.5 years. They are very worried about his health, given the COVID outbreak in the detention center.

Past Persecution

Mr. Wang had a bitter childhood. After his parents divorced when he was four, he gradually became withdrawn and isolated. He picked up many bad habits such as smoking and drinking when he was a teenager. In 1996, at the age of 20, he took up Falun Gong and became much more positive. His long-term headache problem also disappeared. After he started working in 1997 at the Jilin Chemical Fiber Factory, he provided financial support to his mother and sister.

Once, a coworker accidentally cut the artery on Mr. Wang's arm while operating a machine. He suffered severe bleeding that required many stitches. Mr. Wang didn’t hold a grudge against the coworker or seek compensation from his workplace. Instead, he simply did the Falun Gong exercises and soon recovered.

Despite his excellent work performance, the factory still fired him after the persecution began, as he refused to renounce Falun Gong.

Tortured in the Police Department

Mr. Wang was arrested in January 2001 shortly before the Chinese New Year. At the Huadian City Police Department, the police tortured him for two days without allowing him to sleep or eat. They put him on a torture instrument and took turns beating him. In another torture episode, they twisted one of his arms behind his back and handcuffed it to his other wrist, pulled over his shoulder from the front. The pain was so intense that he fainted. 

Mr. Wang held a hunger strike to protest the persecution and was force-fed salt water.

Sentenced to Six Years

Mr. Wang was arrested again on March 7, 2005. The police interrogated him and deprived him of sleep for five days. After more than 20 days at the police station, he was transferred to the Tiebei No. 1 Detention Center. He held a hunger strike to protest the persecution, and was again force-fed high-concentration saline water. The guards also forced him to wear a straitjacket. The Lyuyuan District Court sentenced Mr. Wang to a term at the Shiling Prison in December 2005.

Torture illustration: straitjacket

After he was released, Mr. Wang started to work as a home renovation contractor. He always tried his best to bring down the cost for his clients and many of them became good friends of his. A friend once did some DIY work for her son and Mr. Wang provided free consultation to her. 

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Zhang Bo (张波), chief, Caiyu Street Police Station: [phone]Sang Zhenyue (桑振越), deputy chief, Caiyu Street Police Station: [phone]Dong Yihong (董屹红), judge, Kuancheng District Court: [phone]

(More perpetrators’ contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)