Name: Zheng Mengshan (郑孟善)
Gender: Female
Age: 58
Address: Unknown
Occupation: A small restaurant owner
Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 16, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Qitaihe No. 1 Detention Center (七台河第一看守所)
City: Qitaihe
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Extortion, home ransacked, detention, and denied visitation
(Minghui.org) On the morning of July 16, 2012, officers from the Taobei Police Station of Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province, arrested practitioner Ms. Zheng Mengshan near Huayuan Road No. 5 Elementary School. She has been detained at the Qitaihe No. 1 Detention Center for eight and a half months, and her family has not been allowed to visit her.
It was recently reported that Ms. Zheng will be tried and face sentencing. Her family believes her innocence and has hired a lawyer to plead not guilty for her.
On the morning of March 28, 2013, her family and the lawyer went to the Taoshan District Court to collect information and request the release of the court documents. Judge Liu Xiaoyan asked them to come back in the afternoon with the excuse that she had a meeting in the morning. When they arrived in the afternoon, Li Mingjiu, the chief judge of the Criminal Court, told them that the police department had taken the documents. The lawyer pointed out that it was illegal for the police department to take the court documents. Li told them to come back the next morning. When the lawyer asked if he could guarantee that the documents would be available the next morning, Li answered that it was their business.
The next morning, the lawyer arrived at the court for the third time. However, no one involved in Ms. Zheng's case was there or in the building. The lawyer went to see director Wen after waiting for a long time. Wen told the lawyer to come back in the afternoon. Later in the morning, a guard of the Qitaihe No. 1 Detention Center called Ms. Zheng's family and told them to fire the lawyer. Her daughter refused. When the lawyer and her family came back in the afternoon for the fourth time, Wen told them that there were complications with her case and it needed to be reinvestigated, and thus refused to release the documents.
Ms. Zheng Mengshan, 58, is a Korean Chinese. On the morning of July 16, 2012, when she was clarifying the truth to people around Huanyuan Road No. 5 Elementary School, she was reported to the authorities. Several officers from the Taobei Police Station arrested her. On the same day, they went to Ms. Zheng's home and ransacked it when no one was home. Ms. Zheng was later taken to the Qitaihe No. 1 Detention Center.
When Ms. Zheng's daughter came back home that night, she was shocked to see their home in a mess. Things were scattered everywhere. A computer and Falun Gong books and materials were missing. She thought her home had been robbed and called 110 to report it to the police. The police later told her about her mother's arrest and the ransacking of her home. She was surprised that this was done by the police.
Ms. Zheng's daughter went to the police station to request her mother's release. However, the officers threatened her not to tell anyone about her mother's arrest. She has now been detained for eight and a half months and will be tried.
Ms. Zheng was divorced when her daughter was a toddler. Life was difficult while raising her daughter by herself, because she had many health issues. She had bone tuberculosis and had to have two ribs removed. She also had psychasthenia and a sleeping disorder. She once was paralyzed and had to be bedridden for more than six months. She was in despair. In 1997, she started practicing Falun Gong. She followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and became a better person. Her illnesses disappeared and it was like a miracle. She felt like she had been reborn and was always happy and kind and had a lot of energy.
In 2009, she opened a small restaurant to pay for her daughter's education. She was not rich but always helped others. For a long time she helped to take care of a neighbor who'd had a stroke and was unable to take care of herself.
After the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999, she was sad that people were deceived by the lies in the media. She always told people she knew about the benefits she gained from practicing Falun Gong and her miraculous recovery. She also told the officials of the local residential committee and the local police. They all supported her after they understood the truth.
Ms. Zheng went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. However, she was arrested twice and was detained more than six months. In 2008, the local officials tried to sentence her to forced labor but were not successful. After her sister had 1,000 yuan extorted from her, she was released after more than 50 days of detention.
We sincerely call for Ms. Zheng's release and for the persecution of Falun Gong to end.
