8/18/2003

(Clearwisdom.net)

Concerning:

Mr. Tian Jinling, 38 years old, lived at Heping Street, Wanghui Area of Fushun City, Liaoning Province

Mr. Tian worked in the Fushun Steel Factory. For practicing Falun Gong and appealing in Beijing, he was sentenced to a forced labor camp in 1999. In autumn 2002, he gave a truth-clarifying VCD to the Party Secretary at the steel factory. The Party Secretary threatened to send him to a forced labor camp, so he was forced to live away from his home and his family to avoid arrest. After a few days, he was arrested without grounds and detained in the Fushun Shizi Building. In February 2003, he was sentenced to four years in prison.

Tian Jinling suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis before practicing Falun Gong, and had recovered after becoming a practitioner. After severe physical and mental persecution during detention, Mr. Tian suffered a relapse of his illness. When he was tortured nearly to death, the police from the detention center finally sent him to the Fushun Fourth Hospital. After one month of treatment, the police asked his family to pay 20,000 Yuan [Yuan is the Chinese currency. The average monthly salary of an urban worker in China is 500 Yuan]. Later he was transferred and detained in the clinic of the Tieling "Reeducation" Center. His family was charged 1,000 Yuan each month for medical expenses. His condition is still very serious. Mr. Tian's illness is contagious. According to regulations, he should be released under medical bail for treatment; however, the police have refused to release him. Meanwhile they have hinted many times to Mr. Tian's family that they would release him for treatment in return for a large amount of cash. His family does not have much money and they have been victimized by the authorities' extortion schemes many times. They are not able to borrow such a large amount of money yet again.

Currently, Tian Jinling is still enduring severe persecution.