(Minghui.org) Mr. Liu Hongshu’s family lost touch with him merely months after he finished serving a three-year prison term for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. They suspect he was likely arrested again, this time for filing complaints against the perpetrators who sent him to jail in the first place.
The three-year sentence served by Mr. Liu, a 56-year-old resident of Qishan County, Shaanxi Province, stemmed from his arrest on September 27, 2020. He was ordered to serve time in Yangling Prison after he was sentenced in September 2021. He was brutally tortured in the prison. He went on a hunger strike in protest, only to be force-fed and shocked with electric batons. The guards used a prybar and screwdriver to pry open his mouth during the force feedings. One of them even stabbed his abdomen with the screwdriver, causing him to bleed.
Mr. Liu was released on September 26, 2023, only to learn that his father had passed away while he was jailed. The elderly man had gone to the Qishan County Police Department to seek his son’s release, but was rejected. He was so distraught that he took a fall in the courtyard of the police department. He passed away not long after, without seeing his son one last time.
Saddened by his father’s death, Mr. Liu filed complaints against the police department, the Qishan County Procuratorate, and the Qishan County Court for his wrongful arrest, indictment, and sentencing. It’s unclear when exactly he submitted his complaints to which agency, but he has since not been heard from or seen.
Earlier Persecution
Mr. Liu was hit by a car on March 31, 1989 and sustained severe brain injuries. Despite two surgeries, he suffered from complications for the next decade, until he took up Falun Gong in early 1999. He soon recovered and was well enough to care for his parents and chronically ill brother.
Mr. Liu held firm to his faith after the persecution began in July 1999, and was repeatedly targeted. The Minghui.org website has reported in detail about his persecution. Refer to the related reports at the end of this article.
Below is a quick recap of Mr. Liu’s ordeal prior to his arrest in 2020.
When the persecution began in 1999, Mr. Liu was working in Xinjiang Province. His employer fired him for his faith and he was later arrested and given a labor camp term for talking to people about Falun Gong. He moved back to his hometown in Qishan County, Shaanxi Province after his release. He was arrested again in July 2013 and held at a brainwashing center for an unknown amount of time.
Mr. Liu went out of town to do odd jobs in 2014. His hometown police broke into the home he shared with his parents on March 25 of that year to look for him. They forced his parents to open his bedroom, and confiscated his Falun Gong items. The elderly couple was also forced to sign the list of confiscated items. They were terrified and both fell ill. Upon learning of the incident, Mr. Liu filed a complaint against the concerned officers but never received a response.
Mr. Liu was arrested in Henan Province on October 23, 2017, while enroute to Zhejiang Province to do odd jobs. He went on a hunger strike in protest and was brutally force fed until his mouth bled profusely. He was taken back to his hometown five days later.
Related reports:
The Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners Jailed in Weinan Prison
Shaanxi Man Sentenced for His Faith, Elderly Father Dies in Distress
Shaanxi Man on Hunger Strike to Protest Arbitrary Detention, in Serious Condition
After Repeated Arrests for His Faith, Shaanxi Man Targeted Again—Elderly Parents in Distress
Copyright © 2023 Minghui.org. All rights reserved.
