(Minghui.org) Ms. Zhang Xiaobo and Ms. Zhang Yuling were illegally arrested when they gave out materials about Falun Gong on July 5 in Puyang City, Henan Province. They are now Puyang Detention Center and could soon face sentencing.

Their Arrest

Someone reported their activities on July 5, and they were arrested by Zhang Yan and other officers from the Zhongyuan Road Police Station. Later, two other officers, Zhang Wei and Ruan Haibo, from the Puyang Domestic Security Division searched the ladies' homes and confiscated their personal property.

Ms. Zhang Xiaobo was beaten by officer Ruan because she refused to be photographed.

Both practitioners most recently worked at Zhongyuan Oil Field, with Ms. Zhang Xibo taking a buyout offer in 2013 and Ms. Zhang Yuling an early retirement package in 2012.

On July 11, Zhang Zhonghua and a few others from the 610 Office at the oil field went to the detention center to exert pressure on their two former employees. They threatened to rescind or cut benefits of one's buyout offer and the other's retirement package if they didn't renounce their belief.

After their arrest, Ms. Zhang Yuling’s husband, who currently works in the same oil field, was also threatened at work since his wife would not give up Falun Gong.

Ms. Zhang Xiaobo

Ms. Zhang Xiaobo was held in a forced labor camp for one year in 2000 and two years in 2003. While in the camp, she was beaten and threatened by guards and prisoners, deprived of sleep, forced to stand for long periods of time, and forced to do heavy labor.

Due to torture, she lost some of her range of vision and developed tuberculosis. She was eventually released on medical parole and sent home. Her husband then divorced her, and their son was taken into the care of Ms. Zhang's mother.

Ms. Zhang Xiaojun

In 2002 Ms. Zhang Xiaobo's sister, Ms. Zhang Xiaojun, was arrested and sent to Dongming County Forced Labor Camp in Shandong Province because she said something the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) prohibits: “Falun Gong is being framed by the CCP!”

She was later transferred to the Zhen Zhou Shibali River Forced Labor Camp and held there for three years.

She was put through a torture called “Confining Clothes” for three days. This form of torture can break the shoulders, wrists, and elbows; it can also cause spinal fractures and death.

Torture illustration: Confining clothes

Their Mother's Endless Turmoil

Their mother, Ms. Zhang Guizhen, suffered from many ailments, including gastric ulcers, heart disease, arthritis, tracheitis, and hypotension, before she began to practice Falun Gong. However, after she started to live according to the practice's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, her health improved dramatically, and she no longer needed any medication.

Since the CCP started persecuting Falun Gong in 1999, Ms. Zhang has been arrested numerous times. She was picked up in July 2006 and held in a forced labor camp for 15 days; she was held at the Nanli Detention Center in October 2008; she was arrested from her home in February 2009 and sentenced to three years in prison in June; and in August 2012, she was arrested again for giving out materials about Falun Gong.

Parties Involved in Persecuting Ms. Zhang Xiaobo and Ms. Zhang Yuling:

Du Liugen (杜留根), deputy secretary of the Puyang City Political and Legal Affairs Committee, director of the Comprehensive Management Office: +86 13703489359Li Bing (李斌), head of the Puyang City Domestic Security Division: +86 13603838256Zhang Wei (张伟), police officer: +86 13903932866