Name: Liu Chengda (刘成达)
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Former worker at Jilin City Ferro Alloy Plant
Date of Most Recent Arrest: May 16, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Shangcheng District Detention Center in Hangzhou (杭州市上城区看守所)
City: Hangzhou
Province: Zhejiang
Persecution Suffered: Detention, illegal sentencing, imprisonment, forced labor, torture, home ransacked, beatings, electric shock
(Minghui.org) After missing for over a month, Falun Gong practitioner Liu Chengda’s whereabouts have finally been confirmed. He has been incarcerated at the Shangcheng Detention Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Mr. Liu was arrested on May 16, 2012, just one year after being released on medical parole from imprisonment during which he was severely beaten and tortured.
Mr. Liu Chengda
Mr. Liu is from Jilin City and was visiting Hangzhou for temporary work. He and another practitioner, Tian Yuan, were staying at fellow practitioner Yang Qin’s home. Officers from the Ziyang Police Department in Hangzhou illegally arrested Mr. Liu and the other two practitioners on May 16, 2012. They also confiscated two computers, a printer and a CD burner from the practitioners' home. Practitioners Yang and Tian were taken to a detention center in Xiacheng District, while Mr. Liu was sent to the Shangcheng Detention Center.
Mr. Liu has endured repeated persecution for his faith at the hands of the Chinese communist regime over the past 13 years, including being subjected to forced labor, imprisonment and torture. He went on hunger strikes several times to protest the mistreatment in custody. Below is a partial summary of his suffering.
Sentenced to Forced Labor for Telling the Truth
Liu Chengda, 36, began to practice Falun Gong in March 1999. Shortly thereafter, on July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a violent and slanderous campaign to eradicate Falun Gong. Mr. Liu twice went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong.
On June 28, 2001, Mr. Liu and his mother, also a practitioner, went to their hometown--Chaoyang Town in Shulan City--to clarify the facts about Falun Gong and the persecution to the locals. However, they were soon arrested by the local police and sent to the Nanshan Detention Center. The police also ransacked their home and confiscated several Falun Gong books, cassettes and 4,000 yuan in cash. While detained in Nanshan, they were forced to do slave labor.
Four months later, Ms. Liu’s mother, Ms. Zhang Junying, was transferred to Heizuizi Forced Labor Camp to serve a two-year term. Mr. Liu was sentenced to one year of forced labor and sent to Huanxiling Labor Camp in Jilin City. Several months later, he was transferred to Yinmahe Labor Camp in Jiutai.
Torture Demo: Wearing metal shroud on head
Brutally Tortured by Police
Police from the Henan Street Police Department in Jilin City arrested Mr. Liu again on June 12, 2007. After being taken to a police K-9 dog training facility, he was subjected to a variety of brutal tortures, including, being hung up by the handcuffs and being forced to wear a metal shroud on head while officers hit it with a steel rod. Mr. Liu was subsequently incarcerated in the Jilin Detention Center.
Police also ransacked Mr. Liu's home and confiscated a laptop, a printer, a CD burner and a paper cutter. Practitioner Mr. Li Zhenhua, who stopped by Mr. Liu’s house without knowing of his friend’s detention, was also arrested and subsequently detained for 15 days.
Mother's Suffering
Mr. Liu's mother, Ms. Zhang Junying, has been arrested 5 times and imprisoned for a total of 5.5 years for practicing Falun Gong. The long-term incarceration took a heavy toll on her health, and her vision was severely impaired.
Shortly after Mr. Liu was arrested on June 12, 2007, Ms. Zhang was released from the Heizuizi Forced Labor Camp. Having learned of her son’s arrest, she went to the Chuanying Police Department to inquire about her son on July 4, 2007. The police then told her to inquire at the Henan Street Police Department. Upon arriving there and talking to police officer Yu Dehai, she was told that her son was “too stubborn to avoid a jail sentence.” She asked the police if she could drop off some clothes for him, but was denied.
Mr. Liu’s mother and other family members repeatedly tried to get him released. On September 11, 2007, the family went to the Jilin Detention Center to visit Mr. Liu. They appealed to both head Li Wei and deputy head Cong Maohua, but were told that Mr. Liu could not be released. On September 16, 2007, the family met with police officer Wang Shouyi, who was in charge of Mr. Liu’s case. When they asked for Mr. Liu’s release, Wang replied, “That’s impossible.”
During his year-long detention, Mr. Liu was brutally tortured. His family members’ relentless efforts to free him were unsuccessful, and police threatened them with jail sentences.
Mr. Liu’s mother could not enter her son's home for several months, as the police refused to give her the key and kept the premises under constant surveillance. When she was finally able to go in, she found that the home was a mess: Clothes were scattered all over the floor and windows were wide open.
Imprisoned Again
While Mr. Liu was detained, the Chuanying Police Department submitted his case to the Chuanying Procuratorate, but the case was rejected due to a “lack of evidence.” However, the police then fabricated the evidence for the prosecutors and insisted that Mr. Liu be sent to jail.
The Chuanying District Court tried Mr. Liu and two other practitioners on November 11, 2008. After 1.5 years of detention, Mr. Liu was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Mr. Liu was sent to Jilin Province’s Gongzhuling Prison in January 2009. There he was subjected to brutal beatings and torture. On one occasion, prison guards Yin Yuhui and Zhong Niujun beat him with high-voltage electric batons for more than 20 minutes. Due to severe health issues resulting from the abuse, Mr. Liu was released on April 28, 2011.
After his release, Liu gradually recovered from his injuries. He later found a temporary job in Hangzhou. However, on May 16, 2012, he was arrested again.
Parties involved in the persecution:
Shangcheng District Detention Center in Hangzhou : +86-751-87095942
Xiacheng District Police Department in Hangzhou : +86-751-87036789, +86-751-87817379
