(Minghui.org) Chris Gueffroy, 20, was the last person shot and killed when attempting to cross the Berlin Wall from East Germany into West Germany on February 5, 1989. The four border guards involved received an award from their commander, Erich Wöllner.
But the story did not end there. After the German reunification and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the four guards were prosecuted and Ingo Heinrich, the one responsible for the fatal shot, was jailed. Their commander Wöllner was also sentenced for “multiple [cases of] manslaughter and attempted manslaughter or aiding and abetting.”
Lessons from the Ming Dynasty
Across history and cultures, it is known that whoever persecutes the innocent will be held accountable in the end. Another example is Wei Zhongixian, a high-ranking official in the late Ming Dynasty who was known as the most ruthless eunuch in Chinese history. With his rising power, which rivaled that of Emperor Tianqi, many officials bowed to him while those who refused were detained and tortured to death. This included Zuo Guangdou, who was tortured to the point of being “no longer in human form” before death.
After Emperor Tianqi died, Wei also lost power. Many officials and scholars filed complaints against him to the new emperor. Wei was forced to commit suicide, with his corpse dismembered and displayed as a warning to the public. His followers, especially those in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the imperial secret police, were also executed.
Modern Day Terror
After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took power in 1949, it launched several waves of political campaigns to target those it deemed “enemies,” including farmers (Land Reform in the 1950s), business owners (public-private partnership, 1950s), and intellectuals (“anti-rightists” in the 1950s, the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s). In recent decades, the regime turned to dissidents (Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989) and Falun Gong practitioners (since 1999).
Similar to those tragedies that happened at the Berlin Wall or in the Ming Dynasty, many people have blindly followed the CCP’s order to suppress the innocent. Little do they know that, although their “hard work” may bring personal gains in the near future, those “accomplishments” could one day serve as evidence to hold them accountable for their crimes.
Twenty-three years have passed since the CCP began to suppress Falun Gong in July 1999, but the tragedy continues. In the first six months of this year, 92 practitioners died due to the persecution, 366 were sentenced, 1,447 arrested, and 1,260 were harassed by the authorities.
Over the years, Minghui has documented a large number of cases where practitioners were detained, tortured, imprisoned, or subjected to brainwashing for their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, with over 110,000 perpetrators involved. If these perpetrators do not stop doing bad deeds, they may face serious consequences in the future.
Cause and Effect
Edgar Cayce, an American clairvoyant known as “the sleeping prophet,” found that many people’s illnesses were caused by karma in the past.
One case was about a 16-year-old boy who suffered a spinal injury in a car accident and was paralyzed. His mother went to Cayce for help. While in a trance, Cayce found that the boy was a solider in the Roman Empire who enjoyed persecuting Christians. As a result, he suffered a spinal injury now for his sins.
Another person was nearly blind and Cayce saw that he was solider in ancient Persia, who had blinded enemies with hot irons. In this life cycle, he was in turn suffering something similar.
It is written in the Bible, “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword.” Like the stories above, many CCP officials, police officers, and other people who participated in the persecution of Falun Gong have also met with consequences. Some consider those consequences to be retribution according to the heavenly law.
Wang Jizhong was a director of the 610 Office in Laoting County, Hebei Province. When Falun Gong practitioners urged him not to persecute Falun Gong, he dismissed them and yelled, “I don’t believe in retribution. It’s nonsense!” His father-in-law agreed, “We will catch all of you [Falun Gong practitioners].” Not long after that, Wang died in a car accident and his father-in-law also lost his life due to a brain bleed.
Ji Shaochun was a police officer in Quzhou County, Hebei Province, who often suppressed practitioners. Practitioners told him that doing so was not good for him. “Yes, I did persecute Falun Gong,” Ji replied, “but there is nothing you can do about it. Right?” When Ji was driving a police van in August 2012, he ran into a tractor and died at the scene.
Yang Dongsheng was a judge in the Lushan County Court in Henan Province who had an accident in August 2011. Out of the 10 people in the police van, three people died, including Yang. All three of the deceased had sentenced Falun Gong practitioners previously. When practitioners had explained to them the facts of Falun Gong, Yang dismissed it. “I don’t care about faith or laws – I only want to align with the Party. No mercy for Falun Gong,” he replied. “The CCP asks me to sentence Falun Gong practitioners, and I will do it – there is nothing you can do about it!”
There are other similar examples, such as Zhang Zhongsheng (a police officer from Leifeng Police Station in Fushun City, Liaoning Province), Wang Xiaodong (a police officer in Fushun City), and Li Zhen (deputy director of the Wanghua Court), who all died, either from accidents or illnesses.
Making the Right Choice
As time continued, some officials have listened, and learned from practitioners what Falun Gong is and have chosen to stop doing bad deeds.
Not long after the 2022 Chinese New Year, two elderly practitioners – Hui and Mi – went out distributing materials that countered the CCP’s hate propaganda. Someone reported them to the police and they were taken to the police station. Several police officers then took Hui to her home in the afternoon for a home search. Hui’s son brought lunch and Hui ate slowly since she had no teeth. The police officers left and came back about two hours later. Seeing that the officers would take Hui away, her son asked when he could pick her up. An officer said 5 p.m. Both Hui and Mi were then released at 5 p.m.
One time, three practitioners went out distributing New Years calendars with information related to Falun Gong. A pedestrian contacted the police and all three of them were taken to a police station. At the police station, an officer took out the practitioners' calendars and laid them out on a table next to the practitioners. After a while, another police officer came in and saw the calendars. He picked up several, placed them under his coat, and walked away, as if no one was in the room. Then a third police officer came in and did the same thing. This way, all the calendars were gone and the practitioners were soon released.
In late spring this year (2022), two practitioners were reported to the police when they handed out Falun Gong informational materials. An officer took the practitioners to the police station where they explained to him what Falun Gong is and asked him not to persecute practitioners. The officer then took the practitioners to their homes after he promised to release them that same day.
“I have received lots of materials and phone calls from you practitioners,” he explained. “One practitioner I arrested was sentenced to a five-year term. I am so regretful.”
A practitioner suggested that he could help rescue the sentenced practitioner. “No, it is too late since she is already in prison. Plus, another one was also jailed for a 7-year term. I am so ashamed of myself,” he said, almost crying.
Soon after that, the officer released both practitioners.
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Category: Perspective
