Cao Dong’s Wife Tells the Story of His Detention in Tianshui City Prison, Gansu Province

By Yang Xiaojing in Mainland China

I am the wife of Cao Dong, a Falun Gong practitioner from Beijing. On May 21st, 2006, Cao Dong met with Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and told him about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Two hours after the meeting, Cao Dong was arrested by State Security agents. Before the Chinese New Year’s Eve, Cao Dong was sentenced to five years in prison. His defence lawyer said that the only “evidence” used to sentence him was a false oral confession.

During the latter part of May 2007, Cao Dong was sent to the Tianshui Prison in Gansu Province. Since the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue was being held in Europe at that time, his lawyer told me that his original sentence was unchanged and the ruling was kept secret. Nobody told me where my husband had been sent. The court officials told Cao Dong’s parents that they had been “criticized” and could not be told anything. Cao Dong’s lawyer was under a lot of pressure so he suggested that the parents go to the local police department to enquire.

In January of this year, Cao Dong overcame many difficulties and was able to send out an appeal letter from within the prison. Actually, right after his meeting with Edward McMillan-Scott, he was arrested and detained in the Beijing Security Bureau Detention Centre. He was handcuffed to a chair for more than a month. The cruel torture caused a massive haemorrhage in his stomach. Since Mr. McMillan-Scott gave the lecture in Hong Kong about China’s human rights, the officials from the State Security Bureau cursed my husband as a”traitor.”

One month later, because my husband refused to “admit his guilt,” the police went to his parents. They deceived his parents by telling them that Cao Dong had committed a big crime and his sentence would be reduced only if he cooperated. Not only did the police fail to tell them the truth about Cao Dong being arrested for meeting with overseas officials who were only concerned about China’s human rights and the fact that he didn’t do anything illegal, they also threatened his parents. His elderly parents begged Cao Dong with tears in their eyes, and asked him to cooperate with the police to provide them with a false confession. They also said that they would die in front of him if he refused to do so. The State Security Bureau officials recorded this scene and sent the video to Cao Dong to further threaten him. They told him that if he refused to cooperate, they would arrest all of his friends on his mailing list book that they seized. At the same time, they promised him that he would be released if he would cooperate. This was how the false confession was coerced. With the confession and Cao Dong’s meeting with Mr. McMillan-Scott causing the critics of China’s human rights to affect China’s reputation, he was sentenced to five years in prison.

In May of 2007, Cao Dong was secretly sent to the Tianshui Prison in Gansu Province. This prison is the headquarters for persecuting Falun Gong in Gansu Province. All the practitioners in the province who refused to renounce Falun Gong were sent there for concentrated persecution. Liu Zhirong, a practitioner who intercepted TV signals to broadcast a Falun Gong video exposing the persecution, was tortured to death within a month of detention here. Those practitioners who refused to renounce Falun Gong were tortured in various ways: sleep deprivation, brainwashing, deprivation of their normal rights (such as taking breaks, purchasing daily necessities, family visits or writing to family members). Cao Dong was being pressured to “obey the law,” which meant stating that he approved of his sentence, or in other words, to admit that telling people the truth is a crime. Cao Dong refused to accept his sentence and we are trying to file an appeal.

As his wife, I started to look for a defence lawyer for him in August, 2007…I consulted Lawyer Li Heping. He told me that this kind of case would bring a lot of pressure to whoever agreed to take it on, and it was better to hire two lawyers. At the end of September 2007, Lawyer Li Heping was beaten up by police for several hours. All the materials that I gave him were taken away. Practitioners Ms. Zhuang Yanhong and Ms. Xiang Guilan, who accompanied me during the visit to consulting lawyers, were arrested and sentenced to forced labour. My home was ransacked. Although the police didn’t find any Falun Gong materials, they still took me away to a hotel. They interrogated me and asked me if I still practised Falun Gong, or if I participated in any “illegal activities.” Liu Yugang, a section chief in the Dongcheng District Police Department, told me that they would detain Cao Dong in Gansu Province and me in Beijing. They would not allow the two of us to see each other. It was obvious that they have been covering up Cao Dong’s case, and all the regular legal procedures were blocked.

Recently, during my trip to Gansu Province, the police still continued their surveillance of me. Our friend Xu Na was released from prison in 2006 after a five-year sentence. Last year, local police asked her to guarantee not to talk to any foreigners during the Olympic games. On January 26th, 2008, Xu Na and her husband, Yu Zhou were arrested. On February 6th, 2008, Yu Zhou was tortured to death at the age of 42. I heard that many practitioners in Beijing were arrested for only one reason - to guarantee that the foreign visitors would not run into anyone who would tell them the facts.

I hope that the international community will pay attention to the situation of Falun Gong practitioners detained in the Tianshui Prison. I also hope that other related organizations will come to this prison to investigate the human rights status of detained Falun Gong practitioners and the cause of Liu Zhirong’s death.

Cao Dong’s address:

P. O. Box #100, Education Department
Tianshui City, Gansu Province, 741000

Responsible police officer, Liu Jiantiao: 86-938-8278945

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/4/17/176649.html

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Denver Practitioners Commemorate April 25 Appeal with a Candlelight Vigil

(Clearwisdom.net) Denver Falun Gong practitioners marked the anniversary of the April 25th appeal with a candlelight vigil near the Colorado State Capitol. The practitioners renewed calls for the Beijing regime to end a nine-year campaign of suppression that has recently escalated with the approach of the Olympics.

Many vehicles slowed down as they approached our banners, and many passing motorists honked their horns after reading the messages on the banners, “China Concentration Camp Mass Killing Falun Gong Practitioners, Harvesting Organs, Cremating Bodies” and “Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong in China.”

A reporter from an Asian media came out to conduct interviews and take photos of the event.

The practitioners said they could feel the serenity that night, and that it reminded them of the silent, peaceful appeal of 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners back on April 25, 1999.

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I Miss My Mom

By Lina, the daughter of Falun Gong practitioner Liu Yanchen

(Clearwisdom.net) I am the daughter of Falun Gong practitioner Liu Yanchen from Jidong County, Heilongjiang Province. Unfortunately, I can no longer see my dear mother, since she was illegally arrested and repeatedly beaten by Communist Party officials because she practiced Falun Gong. After her detainment, she could not do the exercises for a long time, and eventually she died from a stroke.

When I was young, my mother was not healthy. She suffered from high blood pressure, heart disease, hives, and rheumatism. We spent all of our savings attempting to cure her diseases. We even sold our house, but we could not find a cure for her. In 1995, Mother started to practice Falun Gong, and all of her illnesses disappeared instantly. In July 1999, the government outlawed the practice of Falun Gong, and all practitioners, including my mom, felt very sad. In the winter of 1999, my mother went out to post truth-clarification materials, and she was illegally arrested and detained for 48 days. I was only six years old at that time, and it was really sad for me to live without my mother.

In the summer of 2000, my mother was reported on again and sent to a detention center. She was beaten by Li Qinghua, the leader of the Jidong County National Security Team, and her blood pressure rose to over 200. She went blind and was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. My father tried to borrow money from many people to have her treated. Afterwards the police were afraid of being held responsible, so they had to send my mom home.

One evening in 2002, over ten policemen and the National Security Team took my Mom away and ransacked our home. They confiscated our Falun Gong books and some truth-clarification materials. At that time, I was only nine years old and there was no one to take care of me.

This time, Mom was beaten by the police again, and her blood pressure rose to over 300. She was sent to the hospital in shackles and handcuffs, and was also watched over by police officers. Later they sent her back to the detention center. There, she suffered from some other diseases. They asked my father to send her some medicine, but she did not get it. They wanted to send my mom to Harbin Forced Labor Camp, which is far away.

Because my mom’s blood pressure continued to rise, they sent her home again. After that, our home was never quiet. The director of the Neighborhood Office and police officers came to harass us frequently. As a result my Mom’s health became worse and worse.

In 2003, my mom’s blood pressure was high for a long time. She was in the hospital three times because of cerebral hemorrhaging. On November 14, 2004, she was again taken away. I was 12 that year.

For several years, my father suffered tremendous mental pressure and had several breakdowns. His health was bad all the time. My mom was taken to a forced labor camp three times. Doctor’s bills, cash deposits, and penalties totaled over 30,000 yuan. My family was heavily in debt, and my father was ill. My aunt had to adopt me, so that I could go to school in Jixi City. But my aunt could not afford the high tuition. In the summer of 2007, I came back to Jidong City to study. In order to get by, my father had to work outside, but what he earned could barely sustain us.

At that time I was in the third grade and we did not have a house. I felt lonely living by myself, but it could not compare to the sadness of losing my mom.
Chinese version available

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When seawater turn sweet

Professional Opera Singer: The Spectacular Blew Me Away (Photos)

By Zhen Yuyan

(Clearwisdom.net) The Divine Performing Arts presented its opening show of the Chinese Spectacular in Romania at the Teatrul National Bucuresti, the magnificent national theater, on the evening of April 7, 2008. At the end of the performance, the audience lingered in their seats after the cast responded to three curtain calls.

The audience breaks out in enthusiastic applause

Victor King is a music professor as well as a singer of opera and popular songs. He was apparently enthralled when the reporter approached him during intermission. As he said, “I teach music and I’ve seen tons of operas and ballets. I can say that this performance is gorgeous, and skill-wise, it’s of the highest caliber. Frankly, I was flabbergasted with the incredible range of colors that appeared both on the costumes and the backdrop tonight.”

He eagerly looked forward to the second half of the show, “I haven’t seen such breathtaking costumes for a long time. The dances are stunning and the female dancers are beautiful and youthful. I love it. I think the theater will be even more packed tomorrow.”

King said he learned through the Spectacular that ancient China is vastly different from modern China, adding, “I’ve never seen any show about Chinese culture prior to this one and I’ve never been to China. However, I oppose the torture and slaughter that is taking place in China right now.”

His predictions came true, as the following night saw numerous Romanian artists and entertainers as well as an enthusiastic crowd in the theater. When the curtain fell on the final scene, tumultuous applause resonated throughout the theater, and the cast answered three curtain calls due to overwhelming response from the audience. Actress Oana Abu commended excitedly about the Spectacular, “A charming world, a mesmerizing culture! The performance is extremely professional and the dance moves are utterly precise. It’s obvious the performers worked very hard for this show.”

Reflecting from a more philosophical perspective that she gained from the lyrics, Ms. Abu said, “For me, the message is for us to examine our lives and our hearts and don’t forget to endure.”

Actor George Pirou compared enjoying the Spectacular to enjoying fine tea

Actor George Pirou compared the Spectacular to savoring the fragrance of good Chinese tea, “These people come from a place far away to put on a show. Among us, I feel extraordinary warmth, a beauty and a wonder that is different from anything else in the world. The rich emotions expressed by the performers, the colors, dances and music all impressed me deeply.”

“I really hope to see more from the Divine Performing Arts. I hope they will thrive forever and perform here on a more frequent basis.”

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