Falun Gong Practitioner's Mother Pleads For Her Son's Life
(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings, Officers: I am Zhang Jianbo's mother. At present Jianbo is being illegally detained in
the Shiliping Forced Labor Camp in Longyou County, Zhejiang Province. He has
been on a hunger strike for over four months (over 120 days) and is in critical
condition. I would hope that you would be interested in the truth and would
support our family's effort to take him to a hospital for treatment. Please,
help us save a life in dire peril. Zhang Jianbo graduated from Hubei University in 1994 and was working in
Xiaoshan, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. Unfortunately he was infected with
hepatitis B. He tried all kinds of medical treatments but his condition did not
improve. Hepatitis B is an infectious disease that neither traditional Chinese
medicine nor Western medicine can effectively cure. Therefore the patient and
his family have to bear tremendous psychological pressure. Seeking an effective
treatment, Jianbo tried traditional healing methods, one of which was qigong,
but it did not have any effect. In 1996, Jianbo decided to register for the
entrance exams to the Master's degree program at the university in order to find
a job suited to his health condition. In 1997 he was admitted to Zhejiang
University of Technology to study for a Master's degree in computer science. At
the university, his poor health affected his studies. To make things worse, in
June of 1998, Jianbo was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The doctor suggested that
the tumor should be removed as soon as possible. Due to the hot weather,
recovery from surgery would have been difficult and therefore the surgery was
delayed until September. As his mother, having to witness Jianbo's suffering, I
also felt a great deal of pain. My own health was also quite poor at this point. I suffered from serious
anemia and rheumatoid arthritis and had to wear a sweater or even a padded
cotton jacket at home, even when the weather was hot. I had poor resistance to
diseases because of the anemia. I often had to go to the hospital, which put a
financial and mental burden on my family. In addition, I also suffered from a
stubborn neurosis and pleurisy and had problems with my female organs and other
ailments. Since I was in pain and tired all the time, I was psychologically
unbalanced and often flew into a rage for no reason. There was no peace for me
inside or outside of my home. Fortunately, in the beginning of 1997, I learned
about Falun Dafa. I was convinced by its concise but profound principles. All my
diseases were gone after one month, as soon as I started to cultivate with
determination. I ate well and slept well and my relations with my neighbors and
relatives became friendly. In the summer of 1998, I persuaded Jianbo to try practicing Falun Gong
because of my own positive experiences. Jianbo accepted my advice and began to
read Zhuan Falun. While he was reading Chapter 4, he told me that he
thought it was an outstanding book that allowed him to truly understand the
meaning of life. After one month, all his diseases disappeared. In September
1998, when he returned to school, Jianbo went to the hospital for a check up and
was told that the brain tumor was gone. After suffering from diseases for so
many years and having tried various qigong and medical treatments, it was hard
for him to believe it was true. Through practicing Falun Dafa, Jianbo understood
the true value and meaning of life, and he started to cherish and love life. In ancient times cultivators always said, "It's hard to obtain a human
body; it is hard to be born in the land of China; it is hard to obtain the true
Fa; whoever obtains these three things has accumulated a huge amount of
virtue!" Ancient people also said, "Hearing the Tao in the morning,
one can die in the evening." After Jianbo read Zhuan Falun, he
remained steadfast on his cultivation path because: "When a wise person
hears the Tao, this person will practice it diligently" (Lecture Nine, Zhuan
Falun). During the Spring Festival of 1999, for the first time in the past twenty
years, our family spent peaceful and cheerful holidays without quarrels or
ailments. From then on, our family was completely illuminated by the light of the Fa.
But the good times didn't last long. Since July 20, 1999, individual leaders and
political opportunists have directed the government to persecute Falun Gong with
no legal basis. This was done, regardless of the fact that Falun Gong
practitioners cultivated their hearts with compassion, were indifferent to
politics and were good for society in every respect. They used all available
propaganda outlets to slander and frame Falun Gong and fabricated many monstrous
lies to deceive the people in China. Overnight, our happy family was pushed into
a hostile environment. Since our family benefited greatly from Falun Gong, Jianbo decided to appeal
for Falun Gong and ask the government to stop the persecution, although the
pressure was overwhelming. On July 22, 1999, Jianbo went to Beijing. Before he
even found his way to the State Appeals Bureau, he was taken to the Hangzhou
City Detention Center in Zhejiang Province by the public security officials.
After he had been detained there for over a month, he was allowed to return to
Zhejiang University of Technology after posting bail. During his detention,
Jinabo suffered unimaginable mental tortures. The Hangzhou City "610"
officers threatened to dismiss him from school in order to force him to give up
his belief in "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." Due his
attachment to fear, Jianbo wrote a "Guarantee Statement" against his
will, declaring that he would give up his cultivation and also agreed to slander
Falun Gong and deceive people on TV. Later, Jianbo was allowed to go back to Zhejiang University of Technology on
probation. Using the pretense that Hepatitis B is highly infectious, and that it
was necessary to guarantee the other students' health, Zhejiang University
Technology put Jianbo under quarantine in the hospital. After he had colluded
with the government to spread anti-Falun Gong propaganda, Jianbo's hair turned
gray and fell out in large clumps, and his hepatitis B returned. His mind and
body were collapsing. All the while Jianbo knew that his slandering Falun Gong
and deceiving people caused all of his misfortunes. He also knew that, if it
wasn't for Falun Gong, he might no longer be alive, and that giving up his
cultivation was tantamount to giving up his life. Therefore, Jianbo began to
practice Falun Gong again in the school hospital, and after one month he again
recovered. One day in October 1999, Jianbo found a chance to leave the school
hospital, and once again he went to the Beijing Appeals Bureau. Again he was
sent to the Hangzhou Detention center in Zhejiang Province. A "610"
officer warned him again, "If you give up Falun Gong, you can continue your
studies; otherwise you will be removed from school and put into prison."
This time Jianbo didn't give in. After having been detained for about one year,
in September 2000 Jianbo was sentenced to four years of imprisonment by the
Xiacheng District Court in Hangzhou City. He was accused of "organizing and
utilizing the X sect to disrupt the application of state law" and was held
in the No. 2 Zhejiang Prison in Linping Township, Hangzhou City. In the prison,
Jianbo was often forced to attend brainwashing sessions. In 2002 Jianbo gave up
his cultivation because he couldn't stand the prolonged torture, and he was
released on February 28, 2003. As soon as he was back home, he got sick. After a
check up at the Mid-South Hospital at Wuhan University (one of the best
hospitals in Wubei Province), he was diagnosed with hepatitis B. The doctor said
that if he hadn't been admitted for treatment in time, he would have had only a
few months left. Due to the financial demands on Falun Gong practitioners, we
had lost all our family fortune and we could not afford the cost of his
expensive treatments. We were not even certain that he could be cured. There was
no alternative, and Jianbo began to practice Falun Dafa again. After about two
months, Falun Dafa had saved Jianbo from certain death yet again. It was truly
miraculous! In September 2003, after Jianbo had recovered, he went back to Zhejiang to
work and started to tell the local people about his miraculous experience. In
March 2004, he gave two copies of a Falun Dafa CD to some other people. The
contents of the CD only explained the facts about Falun Gong, and nothing was
mentioned that could be interpreted as going against the Party or society.
Nevertheless, he was tracked down and arrested by officials from the Shaoxing
County Police Station, sentenced to two years of 'reeducation through labor' by
the Shaoxing City Forced Labor Reeducation Committee, and taken to the Shiliping
Labor Camp in Zhejiang Province. He went on a hunger strike to protest his
illegal detention and is now on the verge of death. After Jianbo was detained, we learned that: (1) The "re-education
through labor" system itself conflicts with the constitution and violates
human rights. Among all the countries in the world, only China has this
're-education through labor' system. (2) Zhang Jianbo was convicted on
completely fabricated charges. Officers, please careful consideration to whether
or not Zhang Jianbo should really be re-educated through forced labor. In
addition, the written judgment passed against Zhang Jianbo stipulated that we
could appeal to the relevant courts in Zhejiang Province. In fact, our appeal
documents were submitted to the Shaoxing Court in Zhejiang Province within the
appropriate time period, but we were informed that no courts would accept this
case. We met many lawyers, who all said that they dared not to accept any cases
related to Falun Gong, although they could win. This means that our so-called
'right to appeal' amounts to exactly nothing. Jianbo has an advanced degree and is a cultured individual. After undergoing
many sufferings in jail and because of his ailments, his very life depends on
his rational choice in favor of Falun Dafa. Indeed, Zhang Jianbo's experiences
have proven that Falun Dafa is the true science that can stand up to all tests. Since 1992 when Falun Dafa was introduced, over one hundred million people in
more than 60 countries around the world have started to practice Falun Gong.
Falun Gong practitioners can practice freely in Hong Kong and Macao. In Taiwan
there are also over 300 thousand people practicing Falun Gong. Why are Falun
Gong practitioners being persecuted only in Mainland China? Falun Dafa and Falun
Dafa practitioners have been persecuted for five years. Why haven't the true
practitioners given up their belief in "Truthfulness, Compassion,
Forbearance" even in the face of this brutal persecution? If it were
harmful, wouldn't people reject it naturally, without having to be forced to do
so? Falun Dafa practitioners are true models of "great compassion and great
forbearance." For so many years they have been not been striking back when
beaten and not been swearing back when cursed. While they were suffering, they
didn't stop trying to save their own tormentors, telling them the truth to try
and arouse their conscience and sense of justice. As our legal system improves, more and more people will make use of their
legal rights, and individuals or organizations who have been doing damage to
human rights will eventually be punished. In fact, Chinese officials who have
persecuted Falun Gong practitioners, such as Zhao Zhifwei, LiuQi, Xia Deren and
others, have already been judged guilty by courts abroad. We believe that as
time passes, justice will arrive for Falun Gong. We hope that the leaders who
have intentionally or accidentally participated in such wrongdoings will
consider their futures. "The state respects and safeguards human rights" is written into
our constitution. Our family will make use of the law to gain Jianbo's freedom
of belief and personal freedom that are his rights. China is a signatory of the
U.N. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" which should be enjoyed
by Chinese citizens and safeguarded by the government. As the leaders of the
state and of different departments, you have undertaken the sacred duty to
protect the constitution and to protect the people's rights. We need people to
uphold justice. In a hostile environment, we need extraordinary conscience and
courage. If you use your authority to uphold justice for the people, your
influence on and benefit for society will be great. Ever since the persecution of Falun Gong started, our family has lived in
terror. Usually people think that going to jail and losing your freedom is
miserable but for Jianbo, this wasn't all. He was repeatedly required to reform
his ideology, and give up his belief. We know that Falun Dafa saved Jianbo's
life and continues to guarantee his life and health, but he was required to give
up his belief. How cruel the requirement is! For him, it means to be deprived of
his right to exist! His hunger strike is a weak person's defense of his belief
in personal freedom and right to exist, not resistance. Jianbo went to Beijing to legally appeal for Falun Gong and told people the
truth by handing out CDs. He didn't violate any laws or regulations, but he was
re-educated through forced labor. In this social environment lacking a perfect
legal system, we just forget this injustice. Given Jianbo's critical condition,
we earnestly request your kind attention to this matter and that you agree to
release him on bail in order to save his life. Thank you! Liang Zhuan, Mother of Zhang Jianbo Phone: 86-728-2594760 (August 2004) * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * Chronology of Zhang Jianbo's personal experiences Mr. Zhang Jianbo, 30, studied in the Master's degree program at Zhejiang
University of Technology. He resides in Group 2 in Xiliuhe Shuguang Village,
Xiantao City, Hubei Province. Becoming a Falun Dafa practitioner: He began his cultivation in August 1998, while he was home for summer
vacation. He had been preparing to have brain surgery because of brain tumor,
when his mother gave him the book Zhuan Falun to read. While he was
reading Chapter 4, he could feel the rotation of Falun and his brain tumor was
cured. Appeals for justice: On April 28, 1999, he went to the State Appeals Bureau to talk about his
experiences with cultivation: He talked about how Falun Dafa cured his brain
tumor, schistosomiasis, and hepatitis B as well as improving his temper . On July 20,1999, he went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong the second time. On August 10, 1999, he went a third time and on October 15, 1999, for the
fourth time. Persecution: In May 1999 he was isolated and taken from Beijing back to school. In July 1999 he was taken from Beijing back to school, while six people took
turns watching him. In August 1999 he was again taken from Beijing back to school, with six
people taking turns watching him. On September 15, 2000, he was sentenced to four years in prison and released
in February 2003. In March 2004, he was arrested by Shaoxing Police Station and detained in
Shaixing Detention Center for explaining the truth about Falun Gong and
distributing CDs. On April 19, 2004, he was sent to be re-educated through labor by the
Shaoxing Labor Reeducation Committee. At present he is still held being held in
the Shaoxing county labor camp. Present situation: Since March 19, 2000, when he was illegally arrested, Zhang Jianbo has been
on a hunger strike to protest his illegal detention. He said in a letter that he
has to resist being force-fed.
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/9/5/83403.html
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