(Minghui.org) Veteran soldier Mr Su Qinghe, recognised as a model citizen, was forcibly separated from his wife only one week after their wedding. Over the years, they have spent more time apart than together. In the last two years, his wife has had to care for their young child while working, as he has been unlawfully detained at the Inner Mongolia Forced Labour Camp.
The recent dissolution of China’s labour camp system did not end their plight, as instead of being allowed to return home, Mr Su was sent to a brainwashing centre in Dongshan District, Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province.
Mr Su, 41, joined the military in 1997. After he left the army, Mr Su worked in Hegang City Grain Administration’s Number Eight Grain Storage Facility, in security. Around that time he learned Falun Gong. He was especially drawn to the high moral standard of the practice, with its core values of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He was a diligent and honest employee and a good son to his parents.
One week after his wedding in January 2001, Mr Su was detained for his belief in Falun Gong and sent to Hegang No. 2 Detention Centre. Upon arrival, guards poured buckets of cold water onto his head, and this torture was repeated for three days. Mr Su was shaking excessively from being drenched in the cold room. (Editors note: Heilongjiang is the most northern province in China with average winter temperatures between -15 and -30 degrees centigrade.)
Mr Su and his wife sentenced
Mr Su was released one month later, after paying a penalty of 3,700 Yuan (GBP £385). However soon after, Mr Su and his wife were illegally arrested, and each received a four-year jail sentence. Mr Su was sent to Jiamusi Prison, and his wife was sent to Harbin Women’s Prison. Mr Su’s wife is a very gentle and kind person who never argues with others. Many inmates praised her, but a prison guard named Lei slapped her for no reason while she was doing slave labour.
After four years of separation, the couple finally reunited with their family. Mr Su travelled to Beijing to find work. He was arrested in Beijing’s Chaoyang District in June 2011, and sent to a forced labour camp in Inner Mongolia.
Mr Su's term extended after labour camp closes
The labour camp extended Mr Su's term until October 27th, 2013. China’s forced labour camp system is not in accordance with the country’s own Constitution. After years of international condemnation, the labour camps are being dissolved one by one, and some inmates are being released. However, Mr Su was not released. The Dongshan District 6-10 Office took him to the Hegang Brainwashing Centre to continue their efforts to force him to renounce his beliefs.
The brainwashing centre staff uses extreme cruelty against Falun Gong practitioners. Beatings, electric shocks, painful tortures, and sleep deprivation are common. The centre’s director is Ai Hongwu, a deputy chief from Hegang 6-10 Office. He often openly proclaimed, “The Communist Party does not follow the law when dealing with Falun Gong.” Deputy director Zhang Zilong told people, “There is no law here!” He used an electric baton to hit a female practitioner on her private parts, stripped a male practitioner, and shocked his entire body, including his genitals. He and police officer Huo Guangmin also tied a female practitioner’s hands behind her back in the painful “carrying a sword on the back” position, one hand from above the shoulder, the other from below.
Efforts to rescue Mr Su unsuccessful
Mr Su's family visited a number of agencies in efforts to rescue him. At the Dongshan District 6-10 Office, the director and an office worker told the family that the upper level government ordered them to arrest Mr Su.
When asked about what legal basis Mr Su's arrest was based on, they began making excuses, and could not cite any documentation or law. Mr Su was detained illegally, his family was not informed or allowed to visit, and he was deprived of his legal right to a fair trial.
We hope Chinese officials who still have a conscience will help Mr Su and allow him to return home.
