(Minghui.org)
Name: Zhou ShuquanChinese Name: 周树全Gender: MaleAge: 55City: Luan CountyProvince: HebeiOccupation: FarmerDate of Death: December 9, 2021Date of Most Recent Arrest: September 1999Most Recent Place of Detention: N/A
Since 2002, Mr. Zhou Shuquan and his wife had been forced to live in displacement to avoid being arrested for their shared faith in Falun Gong. They constantly moved from place to place, doing menial jobs with minimum pay in order to survive. The hardship of life took a toll on his health. He passed away on December 9, 2021. He was only 55.
Taking Up Falun Gong
Mr. Zhou, a Luan County, Hebei Province resident, was a very kind and hard-working person. When he married, his parents passed down a family debt to him. He didn’t complain, but worked hard to pay off the debt.
In his early 30s, Mr. Zhou developed a severe heart condition. He often felt dizzy and tightness in his chest. He couldn’t do anything while suffering a medical episode. Unable to afford medical treatment, he endured the ailment, only to have more frequent episodes.
In 1998, Mr. Zhou took up Falun Gong and his condition soon disappeared. He was full of energy and took on more work for the family. He paid off the debt and felt optimistic about the future.
Arrested and Tortured
Mr. Zhou’s peaceful life was shattered when the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution of Falun Gong a year later.
In July 1999, the village officials went to every local Falun Gong practitioner’s home, ordering them to turn in their Falun Gong books and materials, as well as writing statements to renounce Falun Gong. Those who didn’t comply were arrested. The authorities also took away the practitioners’ IDs to prevent them from traveling out of town. Anyone who had to travel or spend the night outside had to ask for permission.
Mr. Zhou was arrested in September 1999. The village officials ordered the police to tie him up. They tightened the rope every once in a while. The torture caused excruciating pain and he almost fainted. He lost feeling in his arms and legs, and had bruises here and there.
Torture reenactment: tying up
In addition to the tying torture, the police also beat him, slapped him in the face and pulled his hair. One officer burnt his wrist with a cigarette, leaving a big permanent scar.
When his family delivered food to him in the evening, they noted that he was exhausted, unable to move or eat anything. At the time, the police chief came over. Mr. Zhou gathered all his strength to stand up and tried to clarify the facts about Falun Gong to him. The chief refused to listen, but slapped him in the face in front of his family.
Mr. Zhou’s mother, wife and uncle sought help everywhere. After he was finally released, he suffered lasting pain in his back, which often prevented him from falling asleep at night. It took more than 40 days for him to recover.
Forced into Displacement
The authorities then confiscated Mr. Zhou’s ID and arranged for people to monitor him around the clock. His relatives also shunned him. Not wanting to live under such persecution, he decided to live away from home with his wife in late 2002.
The authorities looked for him everywhere. His family couldn’t live a normal life either, due to frequent police harassment.
Sometimes Mr. Zhou returned home in the middle of the night, to check how his daughter was doing. The girl later wandered around with her parents, despite the hardship. By the time she was about to go to high school, she was denied admission, as she couldn’t provide local household registration, which dealt her a heavy blow.
Without an ID, Mr. Zhou did all kinds of odd jobs to make a living, including raising pigs, and loading and delivering goods. The family stayed in a deserted mobile home, which didn’t have any light. Without heating in the winter, he had to keep all his clothes and shoes on while sleeping.
Mother’s Passing
Over the years, Mr. Zhou and his family moved from place to place to hide from the authorities. In 2012, they rented a small room. By then, her mother was in her 80s and struggled with severe kidney stones. She had trouble drinking water and relieving herself. To take care of her, Mr. Zhou took her to his rental place, only to be followed and reported to the police by someone who knew the family.
A group of officers broke into their residence on the early morning of June 9, 2012. As Mr. Zhou hadn’t come back from working a night shift, the police arrested his wife and took her to the Shijiazhuang Women’s Forced Labor Camp two weeks later.
Mr. Zhou was again forced to live away from the family. His mother, who was traumatized by the police, soon passed away. His teenage daughter was then left at home alone and struggled to take care of herself.
Years of hardship and the mental distress took a toll on Mr. Zhou’s health. He suddenly fainted while walking on the street in December 2021. Despite emergency treatment, he passed away days later on December 9.
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