(Minghui.org) After spending five years on the run to hide from the police, Mr. Zhang Chaobin was arrested in 2019 and later sentenced for his faith in Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
During a group arrest of more than 30 Falun Gong practitioners in Tonghua City, Jilin Province on September 2, 2014, Mr. Zhang was seized by the police while waiting for a bus to go to work.
He was held in detention for nine days and then released on bail due to a severe heart condition.
Mr. Zhang, an engineer in his 60s, went into hiding after being released in order to avoid further persecution.
He was arrested again in June 2019 and appeared in Liuhe Court on June 30, 2019. The judge sentenced him to three years with five years of probation on December 2, 2019.
Wife Passes Away One Year Before His 2014 Arrest
Mr. Zhang and his wife, Ms. Song Yuhua, both took up Falun Gong in May 1995. Mr. Zhang credits the practice for curing his heart condition, severe insomnia and bursa inflammation in his left elbow. Ms. Song, who had become paralyzed after a stroke, regained mobility.
With the onset of the persecution in 1999, they were targeted by the authorities for not giving up their faith.
Ms. Song was arrested in April 2007. The police confiscated her Falun Gong books and some cash.
At Changliu Detention Center, the police took turns interrogating her and didn’t allow her to sleep. They also starved her and threatened to order her workplace to fire her if she didn’t renounce Falun Gong.
After four months of abuse at the detention center, Ms. Song developed a severe heart condition. She lost all of her teeth, and her hair turned gray. Her body weight dropped from 160 lbs to 105 lbs.
Ms. Song was later sentenced to three years with five years of probation. Her son was extorted 20,000 yuan by the judge, who insisted on holding Ms. Song in custody during the 15-day appeal window.
The police frequently harassed Ms. Song during her probation and ordered her to submit a “thought report” every month. She was under tremendous mental pressure and her health kept declining for the next few years. She passed away on February 26, 2013.
Related reports:
Dozens of Falun Gong Practitioners Illegally Arrested in Tonghua City in One Day
