(Minghui.org) A 56-year-old resident of Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, was harassed at work on July 3, 2024 for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
Ms. Peng Zhaoqun’s harassers were three local government employees. They ordered her to sign statements to renounce Falun Gong but she refused to comply. Prior to this latest persecution episode, Ms. Peng was arrested multiple times for her faith. She was detained for ten days after she was arrested on December 9, 2015. Following another arrest on September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to three years and fined 8,000 yuan on August 24, 2021. She was released in September 2022.
Details of Latest Harassment
Ms. Peng lives in Jianpai Village, Huangyi Town, Jiangyang District, Luzhou City. She was working at her own clothing repair shop around 10 a.m. on July 3, 2024 when two women and one man came in. The two women were Guo Xiaoling (Women’s Federation Chair of Jianpai Village) and Huang Lei (a Jianpai Village official). The man was Yang Xiangpeng, an employee of Huangyi Town Justice Bureau.
After a brief introduction, Huang began to photograph Ms. Peng. She stopped her and Yang said it was fine for them to not photograph her. He then asked if Ms. Peng still practiced Falun Gong. She said of course and shared her story.
Ms. Peng suffered from numerous diseases in the past, including tuberculosis, gastroenteritis, enteritis, sciatica, and urinary tract infections. Her poor health also made her irritable and selfish. Sometimes she even spanked her son to vent her frustration and anger over her miserable life.
Her fate changed in 2005 when someone introduced her to Falun Gong. In less than one month, all her illness symptoms disappeared. She also became more upbeat and outgoing. She was full of joy and hope. She told her son that she’d never spank him again. He was beyond thrilled.
Ms. Peng’s husband also benefited even though he did not practice Falun Gong himself. He recovered from his bronchitis and was delighted that his wife no longer complained about him and everything else in life.
The family’s happy life didn’t last long. Upon learning of her practice of Falun Gong, Ms. Peng’s brother even called 110 (equivalent to 911 in the U.S.) to “help” her. Even casual acquaintances tried to stop her from practicing Falun Gong, having been misled by the communist regime’s hate propaganda. Ms. Peng’s husband started opposing her practice of Falun Gong. She held firm to her faith, and he often beat her, especially after he got drunk. On May 30, 2013, he again came home drunk and began to beat her. He dragged her outside at one point and continued the beating, shocking their neighbors. They all suggested she get a divorce but she did not. She understood her husband’s fear of being implicated. She still treated him well and he eventually came around and supported her practice again.
After listening to her story, Yang asked if she organized gatherings of Falun Gong practitioners. Ms. Peng replied that there was no organization or membership in Falun Gong.
Yang then produced a pre-filled statement to renounce Falun Gong for Ms. Peng to sign and fingerprint. She refused and said no law in China criminalizes Falun Gong. She urged Yang and the two women to stop participating in the persecution of Falun Gong.
They then left.
Related Reports:
Four Sichuan Residents Sentenced for Their Faith
Four Sichuan Residents Tried for Their Faith
Luzhou City, Sichuan Province: Four Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Two Hours
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