(Minghui.org) Mr. Liao Songlin and his son Mr. Liao Zhijun were illegally arrested in 2008 for installing satellite dishes to receive NTD broadcasts. They were sentenced to four years and three and a half years in prison respectively. They were held in Jinshi Prison in Changde City, Hunan Province. New Tang Dynasty TV, headquartered in New York, is a television broadcast company dedicated to providing truthful reports on China issues.
After Mr. Liao Zhijun was released in November 2011, he was fired from his workplace. Six months later, he was arrested again. On May 18, 2013, officers from Suxian District Police Department in Chenzhou City submitted his case to the Suxian Procuratorate. Suxian District Court is now in charge of his case, pending a trial date.
Father and son repeatedly persecuted
Mr. Liao Songlin, a retiree, born on October 16, 1941, lives in the Beihu District, Chenzhou. Mr. Liao Zhijun, born on March 9, 1971, was an employee at Chenzhou Train Station. After Mr. Liao Songlin began to practice Falun Gong, all of his long-term illnesses disappeared, and he became a healthy and happy person. He frequently volunteers to do repair work for others in his community and workplace. He is well-known for being a good person. His son, Mr. Liao Zhijun is also a kind young man and is always happy to help others.
However, after the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999, the Liao family has had little peace. From 1999 to 2000, Mr. Liao Zhijun was illegally arrested and detained twice. He was fined 6,000 yuan and was under house arrest for a year. On March 5, 2001, he was sentenced to two years of forced labor and was detained in the Xinkaipu Forced Labor Camp. He was arrested and sentenced to a labor camp again in 2004. In 2008, he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
Mr. Liao Songlin was detained in a brainwashing center in 2001. In August 2002, he was illegally arrested again and held in the Chenzhou Detention Center. On September 6, 2003, he was sentenced to three years in Jinshi Prison. He was sentenced again in 2008 to four years in prison.
Family members arrested and home ransacked in 2007
On the afternoon of October 15, 2007, director Zhang Heping and deputy director Wu Daiming of the Chenzhou 610 Office ordered officers from the Chenzhou Police Department and local domestic security division to arrest Mr. Liao Songlin and his wife Ms. Meng Qinglian. Over a dozen police came in five cars. They kicked Mr. Liao Songlin to the ground and took away his house key. Ms. Meng was forcibly taken to her home by the police, while they ransacked the place. Mr. Liao Zhijun was arrested at his workplace. His wife Ms. Zhang Yan and their four-year-old daughter Jiajia were visiting his mother-in-law in De'an County, Hunan, at the time. Ms. Zhang was arrested there. Jiajia was badly frightened when she witnessed her mother being arrested.
While the police were at Mr. Liao Songlin's home, they confiscated two TVs, a motorcycle, DVD player, ten sets of satellite receivers, 4,000 yuan in cash, numerous Falun Gong books, truth clarification materials, and many other personal belongings. The police returned to the home three more times to ransack it when nobody was there.
Mr. Liao Songlin and his family members were released after a month's detention. Ms. Zhang was so affected by the ordeal that she was close to having a mental breakdown.
Sentenced to prison in 2008
On May 10, 2008, the Liao family suffered the same kind of persecution again. About 17 officers, including Xie Gongxiang and Guo Shenguang from the Chenzhou Police Department, came to their home and ransacked it. Nine sets of satellite receivers and installation tools, and all their bank deposit books and cash worth over 30,000 yuan, were confiscated. Mr. Liao Songlin and Mr. Liao Zhijun were arrested.
Ms. Meng and her granddaughter Jiajia were also taken to the police department, where Ms. Meng was interrogated. They were released after midnight on the same day. Jiajia was so scared that she refused to be driven back home in the police car.
Charges against Mr. Liao Songlin and Mr. Liao Zhijun were later filed by the Beihu District Procuratorate. At around 4:00 p.m. on September 22, 2008, they were tried at Beihu District Court. No verdict was announced in court. However, the verdict later came out, stating that Mr. Liao Songlin was sentenced to four years in prison and Mr. Liao Zhijun was sentenced to three and a half years. They were both incarcerated in Jinshi Prison.
Several practitioners sentenced for installing satellite dishes
Several practitioners from Chenzhou who installed satellite dishes to receive NTDTV programs were monitored and followed by police. They were arrested and their belongings were confiscated. Mr. Lei Anxiang was sentenced to three years in Jinshi Prison; Ms. Jiang Xilian was sentenced to three years in Shangsha City Women's Prison; Mr. Guo Minggao was sentenced to three years in Jinshi Prison.
Mr. Luo Jiabing from Huaihua City in Hunan was sentenced to one year and nine months, and was taken to Xinkaipu Forced Labor Camp in Changsha.
Mr. Liao Zhijun arrested and detained in April 2013
Mr. Liao Zhijun found a job at the beginning of 2013. His wife Ms. Zhang Yan also started work at the same company, and their financial situation started to pick up again. Both of them were praised by their employer and co-workers for their good performance.
On the afternoon of April 18, 2013, while Mr. Liao Zhijun and Ms. Zhang were working, several people showed up and forcibly took them away. When Ms. Zhang cried out “Falun Dafa is good,” the police shoved her hard in the face. Her face and neck were scratched. She was released later on the same day after being interrogated.
At the same time, plainclothes police attempted to break into Mr. Liao Zhijun's home. Two hours later, they managed to break in and confiscated some of his personal belongings, including his cell phone and cash.
On May 18, 2013, officers from Suxian District Police Department in Chenzhou submitted Mr. Liao Zhijun's case to the Suxian Procuratorate. Suxian District Court is now in charge of his case and he will be on trial soon.
Those who participated in the persecution
Yuan Zhangwu from the Suxian District Procuratorate filed a lawsuit against Mr. Liao Songlin and Mr. Liao Zhijun in 2008.
Chief Judge Tian Zhongmin, Judge Luo Hongrong, Judge Li Jian and substitute clerk Chen Yang from Beihu District Court participated in their first trial.
Chief judge Zhao Xunjun, judge Hu Chenglan, substitute judge Zhang Bo and clerk Li Xiongxiong participated in their second trial.
The owner of the satellite shop was tricked by officers from the domestic security division. He provided them with information about Mr. Liao's purchases and told them about the Falun Gong materials that he obtained from Mr. Liao.
Hu Yongqing and Guo Fang from the Chenzhou Daily newspaper wrote an article distorting the facts to frame Mr. Liao Songlin and Mr. Liao Zhijun, and to deceive the public.
Officers from Chenzhou Police Department and Nanta Police Station were responsible for Mr. Liao Zhijun's arrest in 2013, including Liao Zhigang, Yang Xiongjun and Liao Huili. Officials from Chenzhou 610 Office ordered the arrest.
