(Minghui.org) A man in Suining City, Sichuan Province, was recently admitted to Jiazhou Prison to serve a 3.5-year term for practicing Falun Gong. Details about Mr. Zheng Wenzhi’s sentencing aren’t clear.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Mr. Zheng, 54, was arrested at home on November 10, 2021. Three other practitioners were also arrested on the same day and had their homes ransacked, including Mr. Liu Taiguo, in his 70s; Ms. Zhang Suzhen, in her 90s; and Mr. Zheng Xuedong.
Mr. Liu and Ms. Zhang were soon released. Mr. Zheng Xuedong was taken to Yongxing Lockup. His current status remains to be investigated.
Mr. Zheng Wenzhi was held in the Pengxi Brainwashing Center and then transferred to the Yongxing Detention Center.
Mr. Zheng took up Falun Gong in 1996. He credits the practice for curing his sciatica. His parents also began to practice Falun Gong after witnessing his changes. His father, Mr. Zheng Lun, saw his deformed fingers return to normal.
For appealing to the government for the right to practice Falun Gong after the persecution started, Mr. Zheng Wenzhi was arrested in October 2000 and held in the Lingquansi Detention Center for eight months before being sentenced to three years in Yaan Prison. He was released on October 2003, only to be arrested again a month later and taken to a brainwashing center, where he was held for two months.
Mr. Zheng’s father went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in September 2000 and was arrested on the train. The police beat him and extorted 1,000 yuan from him. Due to the physical and mental distress, he passed away in 2005.
Mr. Zheng’s mother, Ms. Zhang Suqing, was arrested at home in April 2002 and detained at the Chengbei Detention Center and Lingquansi Detention Center. The police continued to harass her over the years.