In order to obtain personal fame, interest and political capital, Chen Yong, the journalist in Lanzhong City of "Chengdu Business Newspaper" of Sichuan Province, slandered Mr. Li Hongzhi and made a false charge against Falun Dafa by distorting the truth and fabricating lies. The news report he wrote, "Falun Gong harmed my whole family," is one of those examples.
The report falsely claims:" Shen Shuqin, a resident of Ningbao town, Langzhong City was led to cultivation insanity because of practicing Falun Gong. She burned her hands and became mentally ill when she burned paper for teacher Li Hongzhi. Her fellow practitioners persuaded her not to take any medication, which caused her hands to become disabled and she lost her ability to work, etc." Since its publication on July 1999, this fabricated report has been reprinted in many newspapers in Sichuan Province and won the Sichuan Province Award of Excellence in News Reporting.
Actually, in early 1999, Shen Shuqin, who suffered from many kinds of illnesses, only practiced Falun Gong for few days and had not yet learned the exercise movements well. One night while burning paper for her recently deceased mother, she suddenly became hysterical due to her previous mental illness. Her hands were burnt, but she refused to see a doctor. Her relative called two Falun Gong practitioners to persuade her (to see a doctor.) Upon their arrival, the two practitioners persuaded her to go to the hospital to receive treatment right away. Doctor Zhang, of the People's Hospital was at the scene and immediately gave her medical treatment and sent her to the hospital.
As a matter of fact, Shen Shuqin's family members told Chen these facts while he was conducting the investigation. However, in order to comply with the political directive, Chen distorted the truth and fabricated lies to deceive the common people (about Falun Gong). During the "Dragon Boat Festival" in June 2000, in Langzhou City, Chen displayed this fabricated news report in the People's Square. This report was seen by Peng Shuzhen, one of the practitioners who went to Shen Shuqin's home to persuade her to go to the hospital. Peng immediately went to the Propaganda Department and the Party Committee of Langzhong City to tell the truth and requested that the fabricated report be removed. This action was legal and reasonable, but Peng was taken away forcibly by police and sent to a detention center. In the detention center, policeman Hu Tianjiong and Liu Menghua beat and kicked Peng and forced her to sign a fabricated statement. Peng's husband, Song Lihan and another practitioner, Yang, went to the Police Department to look for her, but were also illegally detained and interrogated. Police ransacked their homes. Upon hearing this, Falun Gong practitioners in Langzhong City went to the City's Appealing Bureau, the Propaganda Department and Police Department to appeal, asking for the release of the practitioners.
Chen was condemned. He felt guilty and went to the Police Station to clarify that the report he wrote had been invented and hoped people would not to be arrested due to this article. The Police Department conducted an investigation on this matter and found that what the Falun Gong practitioners said was true. Government officials also learned the truth. Many people talked about the truth and the illegal and unreasonable arrest of Falun Gong practitioners in their leisure time. The lies were exposed and the common people knew the truth.
However, not only did the government not release the jailed practitioners but also escalated the persecution. They arrested more than 10 Falun Gong practitioners at midnight and threw them into prison. During the illegal interrogation of practitioners, they slapped their faces, forced them to kneel down (note: a common torture in Chinese detention centers), pulled their hair and slammed their heads against the wall, stepped on their fingers, locked them in iron cages for interrogation, etc. They fined every practitioner 5,000 RMB yuan ($625, about 10 month average salary in China) using fabricated charges. When ransacking Liu Lihan's home, they took away Liu's bankbook and withdrew 10,000 RMB yuan ($1,250, about 20 months average salary in China). All practitioners were illegally detained for half a month.
Dafa practitioners in Mainland China
November 7, 2000
