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Clearwisdom 17/07/08
Practitioner Mr. Zhang Tao from Shuangcheng City, Heilongjiang Province was tortured to death by the CCP. His daughter, Ms. Zhang Jianhui, was sentenced to prison for ten years and is currently being held in the Harbin City Women's Prison. His wife, Ms. Yao Caiwei, has been arrested many times, sentenced to forced labor camps twice, and longs for her husband and the return of her daughter.
These experiences have caused her to show the symptoms of cerebral thrombosis. Her left leg and hand have lost all sensation, her tongue is so stiff that she can't speak clearly, her vision is getting dramatically worse, her facial expression is distorted, and her eyes are unable to move or shed tears. Whenever someone mentions her family, Ms. Yao would look like she's about to cry, but no tears would come out.
Ms. Yao Caiwei is 58 years old. Her husband used to be a worker in the cement factory of Shuangcheng City. After he lost his job, he went into the leather business. They had one son and one daughter, and they all lived in a small house. Despite the low income, they led happy and full lives, especially after Ms. Yao Caiwei and her daughter attained better health after practicing Falun Dafa.
After the persecution against Falun Gong began on July 20, 1999, Ms. Yao Caiwei, her husband and daughter went to Beijing many times to appeal against the persecution. They were illegally arrested and sent to forced labor camps by the head of the Shuangcheng Police Department Zhang Guofu, who is also Mr. Zhang Tao's cousin. In June 2000, Harbin City's museum exhibited slanderous pictures about Falun Gong. Ms. Yao Caiwei went to clarify the truth, but she was arrested by Zhang Guofu and taken to a detention center. There, in front of other detained practitioners, he kicked her in the stomach and cursed at her. He then sent Ms. Yao to Wanjia Labor Camp.
Mr. Zhang Tao was arrested five times, detained many times, and sent to forced labor camps twice. The first time he went to Beijing to appeal, he was taken to Shuangcheng City Detention Center. Zhang Guofu tried to force him to sign a statement to renounce Falun Gong but he refused. Zhang Guofu then transferred him to a "strict control" cell, where they kept most of the murderers and the like. There, he was bullied by the lead prisoner as assigned by the guards. The small cell held more than thirty prisoners during hot weather. The lead prisoner occupied a large space when he slept, and the rest had to sleep on their sides squeezed in between others. If one needed to turn around, he had to get up, turn around and squeeze his shoulder into the gap. Zhang Guofu then put Zhang Tao in Yimianpo Labor Camp for one year. The prisoners there placed a big stone on Mr. Zhang Tao's back. If he couldn't carry it, they would torture him. Zhang Guofu accompanied a top official of the City Government to visit the labor camp and saw Mr. Zhang Tao carrying the stone. Zhang Guofu pointed at Mr. Zhang Tao and bragged to the official about being his cousin, and was commended for "putting his official duties above family relations."
Because the whole family had been arrested and detained many times, the neighborhood police station's officer Mao Wenyou often kept watch on their house, ransacked their home, put Ms. Yao Caiwei in detention and threatened to arrest her daughter Ms. Zhang Jianhui. Under these circumstances, Mr. Zhang Tao took his daughter with him and left home to avoid further persecution in the winter of 2000. This left Ms. Yao Caiwei with her son to lead a difficult life. The police often conducted searches of their home in the middle of the night. They would break their windows and turn the place upside down. Ms. Yao Caiwei had no choice but to sell the house and leave her long-time home.
In November 2001, Mr. Zhang Tao was arrested again, and the police tried to force a confession from him. They didn't allow him to sleep and didn't allow him to go to the restroom. They chained him to a metal chair for twelve days and nights, causing his buttocks to fester. His legs swelled up, and he couldn't walk. He had injuries all over his body. Finally the police covered his head with a cloth, dragged him into a car and took him to the Harbin Detention Center. They put him in cell No. 10 for five months while his physical condition deteriorated. In March 2002, Mr. Zhang Tao was sentenced to forced labor at Changlinzi Labor Camp in Harbin City. After several months of severe persecution, he was emaciated. Mr. Zhang's trachea and thoracic cavity were damaged during force-feeding, and he was in excruciating pain. As he was in critical condition, he was released in April 2002 on medical parole.
A mere nine days after Mr. Zhang Tao's release, Zhang Guofu plotted with the Harbin City Anti-Riot Police to conduct a massive manhunt in Shuangcheng City. They arrested Mr. Zhang Tao again and took him back to Changlinzi Labor Camp. They also took Ms. Yao Caiwei to Wanjia Labor Camp. Finally, they sentenced Mr. Zhang and Ms. Yao's 22-year-old daughter Zhang Jianhui to ten years at the Harbin City Women's Prison.
The three family members were arrested on the same day and taken to different places for detention. In July 2002, Mr. Zhang Tao was again in critical condition after being tortured in Changlinzi Labor Camp. He was taken to Wanjia Hospital but later died in their custody. When Ms. Yao Caiwei heard about his death in Wanjia Labor Camp, she requested to see her husband's body one last time. The police refused and sent his body directly to Huangshanzuizi Crematorium for cremation.
Ms. Yao Caiwei finished serving her sentence and returned home. Her son couldn't withstand the pain of all that has happened and left to work in a place thousands of miles away. Ms. Yao is now alone, leading an extremely difficult life.
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