Investigative Report on the Persecution of Falun Gong by Chen Zhiwei

Deputy director of Public Security Bureau of Shantou City, Guangdong Province

December 31, 2020

Full Name of Perpetrator: Chen (last name) Zhiwei (first name) (陈志伟)

Gender: Male

Country: China

Date of Birth: November 1964 (according to Shantou City Public Security Bureau[1]) or October 1962 (according to Minghui.org[2])

Place of Birth: Shantou City, Guangdong Province

Title or Position:

1997 – 2002: Chief of the Political and Legal Section and the Chief of the Shantou Domestic Security team of the Public Security Bureau.

2002 – 2003: Deputy director of the Public Security Bureau and Command Center of Shantou City.

2003 – 2008: Director of the Public Security Bureau and Command Center of Shantou City.

2008 – 2011: Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of Chaonan District of Shantou City, secretary of the Party Committee and director of the District Public Security Bureau.

2011: Deputy head of Chaonan District, secretary of the Party Committee and director of the District Public Security Bureau.

2011 – 2012: Deputy head of Chaonan District, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the District Government, deputy secretary of the Political and Legal Committee (part time), secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the District Public Security Bureau, Inspector General.

2014 – Present: Deputy director of Public Security Bureau of Shantou City, Guangdong Province. Member of the CCP. Director of the Chaoyang South Public Security Bureau (part time)

At all the above-mentioned places, Chen Zhiwei worked in the Public Security Bureau, Political Security Department, Domestic Security team, and Political and Legal Committee, which are key mechanisms directly implementing the persecution of Falun Gong. The Political and Security section in the Public Security Bureau acts as a kind of political police to carry out persecution directives. It is mainly aimed at religious groups, democracy activists and dissidents. Its name was changed to the Domestic Security Team around 2000.

Main Crimes in the Persecution of Falun Gong

Since former Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin launched the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, Chen Zhiwei has done his utmost to implement the persecution in order to gain political capital. He was promoted from an ordinary clerk to his current position step by step. Chen Zhiwei officially served as the director of the Public Security Bureau Command Center in May 2006. Before officially becoming the director of the command center, Chen Zhiwei was the boss of the Shantou City public security system who actively launched and participated in the persecution of Falun Gong. Especially during his time as chief of the Political Security section and the captain of the Domestic Security team. He carried out a large-scale, comprehensive and cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in the Shantou area (including the Chenghai and Chaoyang Districts). [3] He then ascended through the ranks. He was responsible for leading his staff to implement the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. In addition, Chen Zhiwei directly managed the persecution and shoulders major responsibility for the deaths of Falun Gong practitioners Chen Duo, Xie Chuhua and Wang Shubin due to the persecution.

During the period when he was in charge of meting out persecution, whenever there were so-called “big cases,” “critical cases,” and “key figures,” the officers from Shantou Municipal Law Committee, the 610 Office, and the Shantou Domestic Security team took the lead in establishing a so-called “special task group.” As the group leader, Chen Zhiwei, who was physically present, personally directed the persecution team composed of people from multiple districts and party and government public security inspection units. The cases committed by Chen Zhiwei over the years show that he is cold-hearted. In order to get so-called “good results,” he unscrupulously expanded the scope, doubled the quantity and the scale of the persecution.[4]

Chen Zhiwei had been in charge of the persecution of Falun Gong mainly for more than five years from July 1999 to the end of 2004. Falun Gong practitioners from the Shantou area suffered the most serious persecution during that time. Chen Zhiwei also personally oversaw a group consisting of people from 26 Party and government units to persecute Wang Peiming, the former director of the Falun Dafa Assistance Center in Chenghai City. He wanted to use the case of the persecution of Mr. Wang Peiming as the “model project” and “typical case.”[5]

According to incomplete statistics, there are at least 13 known cases where Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted to death or disabled in Shantou due to direct or indirect persecution.[6]

Partial List of Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted to Death

Mr. Chen Duo was beaten to death by detention center staff

Chen Duo, male, a Falun Gong practitioner from Shantou City. On May 15, 2003, he was kidnapped and taken to the detention center by police from the Domestic Security Brigade of the Shantou City Public Security Bureau. His house was illegally searched by them. On May 26, Chen Duo was taken to the Zhangpu Detention Center in Shantou City. During his ten days in the detention center, the center director ordered and personally participated the deadly beating of Chen Duo with several policemen. Chen was on hunger strike to protest and was tortured with electric batons three times before being sent to Shantou City Hospital for treatment. When the police saw that Chen Duo was on the verge of death on June 5, 2003, they were afraid of taking responsibility; they called Chen Duo’s family to take him home. Four days after returning home, Chen died at the age of 54. After Chen Duo’s death, the police took the dead body away to cremate it and destroy any evidence of persecution. They threatened his family to keep quiet. They also spread rumors that Chen Duo died due to practicing Falun Gong.[7]

Chen Zhiwei personally ordered the persecution that caused the death of Mr. Wang Peiming, the former director of the Falun Dafa Assistance Center in Chenghai City

Wang Peiming, male, former director of the Chenghai Falun Dafa Assistance Center. On June 26, 2000, Chen Zhiwei, together with the officer from the “610 Office” and local police officers, tricked Wang Peiming to come to the Chenghai Public Security Bureau. Wang Peiming was illegally detained for three days and three nights. During that time, he was not allowed to eat or sleep, was threatened, insulted and abused. The police officers held a gun to Wang Peiming’s neck and threatened to shoot him on the spot. He was illegally interrogated for three consecutive days and three nights. On the afternoon of the same day, the police also kidnapped Wang Peiming’s wife, Cai Yuexi, who is also a Falun Gong practitioner. She was also illegally detained in the detention center.

On the afternoon of June 28, Wang Peiming was abducted and illegally detained at the Chenghai Baisha Detention Center. Wang Peiming was illegally detained for two-and-a-half years at the Baisha Detention Center. During that period, his house and store were illegally sealed up. Their car was illegally sealed up and held at the police station. Wang Peiming suffered tremendous mental pressure and cruel persecution, insults, beatings, profane language, being threatened and intimidated, being forced to work as a slave, and even having much of his property extorted. Chen Zhiwei repeatedly threatened Wang Peiming, saying, “I will kill you.”

After being detained in the reeducation camp for two-and-a-half years, Wang Peiming was taken to a secret location by police from the Domestic Security Team. He was illegally detained and for more than three months, was brainwashed to give up his faith. During that time, the police used all kinds of mental torture to persuade him to write a so-called “guarantee note” and “breakup declaration (from Falun Gong).” After experiencing so much torture over the course of three years, Wang Peiming finally could not bear the extreme mental pressure and wrote a “guarantee note” against his will before he was released. After Wang Peiming returned home, he passed away on September 19, 2005, when he was only 51 years old.[8]

Mr. Wang Huijing, the father of Wang Peiming, was detained by police from the “610 Office,” the Public Security Bureau and the Waisha Police Station at the end of 2000. He was subjected to persecution for five months. In 2001, Wang Huijing was kidnapped again. He was forcibly detained at a brainwashing class at Chenghai to have Wang Huijing give up his faith. He underwent brainwashing and mental torture for 50 days. At the end of 2012, Wang Huijing died in persecution.[9]

Mr. Wang Shubin was killed by various methods of torture

Wang Shubin, male, a Falun Gong practitioner, 28-years-old, was abducted and taken to his local police station on the way to Beijing in June 2000. He was then tried the same night. He was beaten by dozens of police officers simultaneously. A policeman used toothpicks to poke. His throat and chest were swollen inside out. The torture made him bleed badly, with blood all over the place. The wound was not able to heal even after two years. The physical abuse and mental intimidation made him almost collapse. After that, Wang Shubin was illegally sent to a re-education camp for one year. He was persecuted by the labor camp, where he became extremely weak, had severe internal injuries and lost his sanity. His ears were effectively burned off by electric batons. He was sent to home when he was dying. But the local “610 Office” and the Domestic Security Police continued to monitor and track him. Wang Shubin was persecuted to death on October 5, 2003 when he was only 28-years-old.[10]

Mr. Xie Chuhua was tortured to death

On June 9, 2004, Falun Gong practitioner Xie Chuhua was stalked by police officers under the command of Chen Zhiwei and others. Xie Chuhua was kidnapped and his house was illegally ransacked. Then he was detained at the detention center and was tortured there. The police used a stick to tie Xie Chuhua's hands into a cross. Then he was hung for a long time. A husky fellow violently forced him to extort a confession. The same man slapped Xie Chuhua’s head fiercely, which severely injured his neck. He couldn’t move his head from side to side for a long time. In 2005, Xie Chuhua was sentenced to three years in prison and died from persecution in June 2008.[11]

Ms. Lian Zhuan died due to intensive brainwashing

Lian Zhuan, female, a Falun Gong practitioner in Chenghai District, Shantou City, was kidnapped by the police and taken to a brainwashing class in 2001. In the brainwashing class, she was viciously indoctrinated with lies, insulted, deceived, and mentally tortured by the “610 Office.” One month later she left the brainwashing class. She suffered from mental fatigue and a rapid deterioration of her health. She died a few months after leaving the brainwashing class.[12]

Ms. Shen Weizhen was repeatedly persecuted and passed away

Shen Weiwei, female, was kidnapped by police in 2001 and taken to the Baisha detention center for persecution. During that time, Shen Weizhen was tortured cruelly by the police. The police straightened her arms into a horizontal line and locked them on the window. The height was just that she could not stand straight or squat, and she was locked for more than ten hours without being allowed to use the bathroom. Her hands were very swollen as a result. Three months later, Shen Wei was transported from the detention center to a brainwashing class for persecution for more than a month. In 2005, Shen Weiyi was once again kidnapped and taken to a brainwashing class for cruel persecution. When released, her health had deteriorated. She eventually passed away in 2009.[13]

Ms. Huang Liming was persecuted and died of mental disorders

Huang Liming, female, was kidnapped and taken to a brainwashing class in 2002 where she received intense programming for about a week. Within a very short period of seven days in brainwashing class, she ended up in a coma. She remained in a coma for seven years and eventually died in 2009.[14]

Mr. Zhuang Zepeng, born with a disability, was tortured, humiliated, and beaten

Falun Gong practitioner Zhuang Zepeng, who had a congenital disability due to polio, was abducted by the police in April 2001. He was detained in the detention center and sentenced to eight years in prison. On the afternoon of August 14, 2009, Zhuang Zepeng finished his eight-year sentence and was released from the prison. A few months later, he was kidnapped by the police and taken to a brainwashing class. During that period, Zhuang Zepeng was repeatedly slapped, punched and kicked by the director of the brainwashing class, and was forced to listen to materials slandering Falun Gong. Because Zhuang Zepeng insisted on not cooperating with the police, he was dragged on the stairs from the third and fourth floors repeatedly. He was beaten violently by two so-called security guards with iron bars and wicker used to make furniture. Large parts of his arms and back became red and black. The wounds had rotted.[15]

Mass abduction cases

In the early morning of February 7, 2001, Yu Weizhong, Yu Xiangjun, Yu Xuyu, Yu Zhenping among other practitioners, 12 people in total, went out to hang banners with phrases such as “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.” On the same day, the relevant personnel from Political and Legal Committee and “610 Office” of Chenghai District, Shantou City, the Public Security Bureau Domestic Security Detachment, Chenghai Public Security Bureau and subordinate police stations were all dispatched to abduct Falun Gong practitioners in Chenghai City. Among the 12 Falun Gong practitioners who hung banners, nine were illegally sentenced from three to four-and-a-half years and three others were illegally re-educated. During the year 2001, under the direct manipulation and planning of Chen Zhiwei and others, Falun Gong practitioners had been kidnapped and persecuted constantly. Chen Zhiwei and his cohorts have led the largest persecution case of Falun Gong practitioners in Shantou since July 20, 1999.

At that time, at least dozens of Falun Gong practitioners in the surrounding areas were successively abducted and placed in detention centers. They were then detained at the Chenghai Laiwu Brainwashing Class and the Shantou City Brainwashing Class. They were even sent to the Sanshui Labor Camp and sentenced to severe punishment. According to incomplete statistics, there were a total of nine people who were sentenced and at least 10 people were taken to the Sanshui Labor Camp. At least six people were directly or indirectly persecuted to death. Many people were forcibly displaced.[16]

-------------------------------------------------

Reference

[1]https://web.archive.org/web/20191014123757/http://www.shantou.gov.cn/gaj/0101/201706/c40a5f090ec64ab09406f6f69d1684c8.shtml

[2] http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2019/10/14/ -394561.html

[3] http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2019/10/14/ -394561.html

[4] http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/7/29/ -244539.html

[5] http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/7/29/-244539.html

[6] http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/7/29/-244539.html

[7] http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/6/14/52229.html

[8] http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2009/1/8/192395.html#0917215941-2

[9] http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2013/3/2/-270535.html

[10] http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/2/22/68198.html