(Minghui.org) Mr. Lei Bifu, a 59-year-old resident of Linjiang Town, Kai County, used to be quite ill, had no appetite, and was always suffering from joint pain. He had visited hospitals for a diagnosis, but no doctor was able to diagnose his illness.

A friend recommended that he practice Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, in 1998, and soon after he stepped into this cultivation practice he recovered from all his illnesses. The practice also changed Mr. Lei's outlook on life. He turned into a better person, because he followed the Falun Dafa principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Those who witnessed his recovery praised the practice.

However, Mr. Lei was repeatedly arrested, detained, and even imprisoned twice after the Chinese communist regime started the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999.

Below is his personal account of the nearly two decades of persecution and torture that took a toll on him and his family:

Seven Years of Homelessness

The police chief from Linjiang Town Police Station came to my house in July 2001, after being told that I attended a meeting with some Falun Gong practitioners. Having learned that they were going to arrest me, I went into hiding. When the police couldn't find me, they ransacked my home, and confiscated my television set, DVD player, recorder, Falun Dafa books, and other personal property. I had to stay away from home to avoid being persecuted.

My family told me later that after I left, the police and village committee members came unannounced several times. The village cadre even cut off our family's only source of income by confiscating more than three acres of our contracted land.

Family Persecuted

Though my wife is not a practitioner, she supports Falun Gong. In 2004, she went out with other practitioners to paste Falun Gong-related posters, and was arrested. She was detained for 15 days.

My son, who was in high school at that time, was summoned for interrogation. He dropped out of school, as he was afraid that his teachers and classmates would discriminate against him.

First Arrest and Sentence

I returned to my hometown in September 2008, and set up a stall at the local farmers market.

However, three months later on December 11, 2008, several police officers from the Linjiang Police Station came to the market and arrested me. They shot me with a tranquilizer gun, forced me to the ground, and beat me with electric batons. They also broke my right leg. In the end, the police pulled my arms to my back and tried to raise them up while pushing my head downwards, causing me great pain.

The violence from the police attracted many people and many of them admonished the police for their actions. One of them, a young man in his 20s, said, “He was just practicing Falun Gong yet you police hit him. I knew that he was a sick person in the past. Why do you hit people?”

The police tried threatening the crowd, but when they saw that everyone was angry, they arrested me and my wife, and took us to the police station. My wife was also beaten by police.

After reaching the police station, the police locked me in a room where about eight officers took turns beating me while I remained handcuffed. My hands became swollen within a short time.

While being beaten, I tried to tell the police that it was not wrong to practice Falun Gong, thus I should not be beaten. They said, “We just want to hit you! We are just enforcing the law. We had been admonished by the higher-ups, because we couldn't catch you. You've made us look bad.”

In the afternoon, my wife and I were taken to the Kai County Police Department. She was later released, while I was taken to the Kai County Detention Center.

I was put on criminal detention on December 12, 2008, and was sentenced to three years of prison on July 14, 2009. I appealed against the verdict but the sentence was upheld.

First Persecution in Yudu Prison

I was taken to the No. 7 ward in Yudu prison in September 2009. On arrival, the guards assigned three inmates to “transform” me, claiming that my sentence could be reduced if I “transformed”. I did not believe them.

Later, the prison instructor ordered the three inmates to make me swear at my Master, and to deprive me of sleep until I had sworn not to practice Falun Gong. I said, “Fine! I'll go on a hunger strike starting tomorrow morning!” Hearing this, the instructor was stunned, and told the inmates to forget what he said.

Next, the prison guards and police forced me to sit on a small plastic stool from morning to near midnight. My bottom started to rot after sitting for three months, causing difficulties when walking. I still haven't recovered, even after 10 years.

Torture re-enactment: Sitting on a small stool

Then, the inmates started humiliating me, because I refused to be transformed. They also hit me, but stopped when I shouted loudly that they were hitting me.

I agreed to be “transformed” after three months and was forced to write the guarantee statements, that I would give up Falun Gong. Despite being already “transformed”, I was made to write reports every week. These reports were for the authorities to see if I had truly “transformed”. They also forced me to perform labor.

I was very weak when I was released home on March 11, 2011, but I regained my health after I resumed practicing Falun Gong.

Second Arrest and Sentence

I went with a practitioner to distribute Falun Gong informational materials on December 4, 2013, and was reported to police. The police chief of Linjiang Police Station, and a dozen police officers ransacked my house.

I asked them to tell me what law had I violated. When they couldn't, I took out a pile of law books to show them. I then carried a high stool from home to the street to attract people's attention.

I stood on the stool and told the crowd on the street, “I am a Falun Gong practitioner who practices this cultivation system to keep fit. However, these policemen are being unreasonable!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd criticized the police for attempting to persecute me. The police then pulled me down from the stool and took me to the police station. They also confiscated my law books, Falun Gong books and related materials, as well as 700 yuan, which they still have to return.

The police tried to lock me to a ground ring at the police station. I struggled to free myself. The police then tried to have me confess.

I said, “I have nothing to confess. I was just practicing Falun Gong. There's nothing to say.” Upon hearing this, they rushed up and started hitting me.

I told them to turn on their surveillance cameras so that their evil deeds could be recorded. I also asked them which law had Falun Gong practitioners violated.

I said, “I opened a food business. While others are selling highly priced expired products, I am selling premium and fresh products that are cheaper than others. The locals feel safe buying from me as I am being responsible for their health. Tell me, which law have I violated?”

The police were speechless, and told me to sit on a chair for inmates. I refused and pulled over a plastic stool to sit. However, they got together to force me into the chair. Later, they called their higher-ups for help when they couldn't control me.

The officers from 610 Office came shortly after, and threatened to sentence me to five years of imprisonment.

Later, the officers took me to an unknown place. Several young men told me to follow the rules or I would be beaten. Then, they pulled me from the car and pulled my hands to the back before raising the hands up. Next, they started beating me and tried to lock me to a ground ring. They tortured me the whole night.

I was taken to the hospital the next day for a physical exam before being transported to the detention center. At the center, the police kicked my waist and took me to a place without surveillance cameras to beat me, because I refused to wear the center's uniform. However, one officer took me to a room when I shouted “Falun Dafa is good!” as he was afraid someone might see him hitting me.

The police and officers from the 610 Office came on the third day and put me on trial three times. They arranged for a few witnesses to frame me. As my lawyer whom my family hired was threatened by the authorities, he did not dare to defend me. Thus, I testified in my own defense. However, the court sentenced me to four years of prison on December 19, 2014. When I tried to appeal, no one would submit my appeals letter for me.

Second Persecution in Yudu Prison

I was taken to the No. 8 ward in Yongchuan Prison in February 2015. When the authorities saw that I refused to be “transformed”, they transferred me to the No. 11 ward. Seven days later, I was taken to the No. 9 ward in Yudu Prison.

Once I arrived at Yudu Prison, the inmates forced me to stand facing the wall while they beat me, causing two of my front teeth to be knocked out. When I asked to go to the restroom, the leader of the inmates told me to defecate in my pants.

The prison also arranged eight inmates to monitor me around the clock, and demanded that I write guarantee statements. They also told me to perform labor, such as sweeping the floor, making leather shoes, carrying cloth, folding boxes, and making red packets.

I was released home in March 2017 after serving my term.

Recent Harassment

The village committee and officers from the 610 Office came to my house and harassed me in May 2017. Once they arrived, they started recording with their camera. When I asked them if they came because I practice Falun Gong, they replied that they were trying to show their concern for me. However, they quickly left when I went to the street and started telling everyone that they were harassing me.

The village committee came with the police in April 2019, and broke into my home. Once inside, one man started videotaping my home with his phone. I quickly stopped them and pointed out that they were infringing on my right to privacy. I later went to the village committee officers' home and asked for an explanation for the visit. This made them feel uneasy, as they were afraid that I might expose their misdeeds to the public.

Parties involved in persecuting Mr. Lei Bifu:

Kang Wei, police of the Linjiang Town Police Station: +86-18723553210Zhang Mei, secretary of the village committee in Linjiang Town: +86-15823768606Lei Youping, village cadre of Linjiang Town: +86-17783519351

(More participants in the persecution contact information is available in the original Chinese article.)

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