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In the Days of Being Followed By Beijing Plainclothes Police

[FEATURE]
A few selected diaries by attorney Gao Zhisheng describing how Beijing plainclothes police stalked him and his family after he published an open letter to Chinese leaders calling for an end to the regime’s persecution of Falun Gong spiritual believers.

[Editor’s note: On October 18, 2005, famous Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng wrote a letter to the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. In response, the authorities closed his law office and took away his law license. Three days after his open letter, Gao was surrounded and followed by plainclothes police and vehicles wherever he went, 24 hours a day. Gao disregarded this intimidation and published his diaries on the overseas website of The Epoch Times, recording all the details of what the Beijing police department had done to him and his family on a daily basis. On November 29, he successfully escaped from the police following him and traveled between Shandong, Liaoning, and Jilin provinces to visit a handful of Falun Gong practitioners in the following 15 days. He was totally shocked by the extreme brutalities committed by the communist government against its own citizens. The private investigation prompted his third open letter to the Chinese leaders (page 28) and his decision to openly renounce his membership in the Chinese Communist Party (page 45). Below we have translated a few of his recent diaries that detailed his days of being surrounded by the Beijing police.]

The Chinese Authorities Ended the Last Day of 2005 with Disgrace and Indecency

December 13, 2005
—On how the plainclothes police constantly stalk me

O n the last day of 2005, the Chinese authorities, cowardly and shameless, once again spent the whole day monitoring my family, adding one more day to their record of disgraceful treatment of an ordinary Chinese family by using their mafia-like surveillance.

Some readers might be offended by the strong words I have been using, but anybody who has personally experienced or witnessed how the plainclothes police shamelessly stalk a 12-year-old child will agree that even the words I used above can hardly accurately describe their indecent character. I can’t find words in any language to describe how rude and indecent they are.

Four plainclothes police stalked my daughter this morning when she was on her way to an activity. At noon, while my daughter was playing with her friend, they again waited outside the friend’s home and frequently popped their heads in to check on her. In fact, my wife and I have been trying to downplay the situation with our daughter by telling her that lately there’s nobody stalking her anymore, although we’re very clear what’s actually going on every day. Those who ordered and executed this decision are apparently shameless, because stalking children is simply truly disgraceful behavior for a grownup.{mospagebreak}

This morning, a friend of mine borrowed my car to run some errands. The experience amazed him. He could not figure out why so many cars followed him. "It’s ridiculous," he said. He told me that he could not comprehend that the spies would openly stalk people as if it were the right thing to do. "It’s unbelievable!" he exclaimed.

Today my wife and I spent the whole day meeting with petitioners in my office. As expected, scores of plainclothes police followed us when we were going between our house and the office. Some of them were so bored waiting downstairs that they took turns ringing my doorbell, or threatening the petitioners. When two of the Beijing residents left after visiting us, two policemen stalked them also.

In the evening, my wife and I went to a restaurant for a dinner appointment with a few media, including the Associated Press. As soon as we left our home, nine cars followed us, but with their headlights turned off! I ignored their mysterious behavior. When we came to the corner of a narrow street, I suddenly stopped my car. I took out a piece of paper and a pen and slowly wrote down the license number of each car. The police were too stunned to respond. When I went up to each car and wrote down their license number, all the plainclothes police inside the cars covered their faces with their elbows. It was no different from the scenes shown on TV when they film people who the police catch seeing prostitutes.

It was even more interesting when we arrived at the restaurant. They got on the same elevator with me and my wife. All of them raised their collars to cover their faces. The hostess was watching in shock. When we stepped out of the elevator, we found another dozen plainclothes policemen were waiting for us outside our reserved room. During the dinner, they constantly popped their heads in. It was added amusement for our dinner party.

When we were leaving after the dinner, a friend of mine noticed that the plainclothes police hidden in the car were videotaping us. We were "escorted" home afterward.

As the last page of 2005 turns, the plainclothes policemen manifest the cowardly and shameless nature of the executors who remain hidden behind the scenes. They are extremely nervous and filthy. I have to ponder what the next page will look like on the first day of 2006.

Can Someone Save the Plainclothes Policemen And Those Behind Them?

January 14, 2006
—The 79th day of the Chinese regime’s stalking my family like mafia gangsters{mospagebreak}

After 79 days of stalking my family, the plainclothes police are losing control. They have not accomplished their goal, so they have lost patience with me. Moreover, I can sense that their operators are becoming less and less confident in themselves as well.

Since I was tied up in an interview with the reporter from Germany’s Mirror Weekly, I had to ask a friend of mine to drive my wife and child for shopping. As usual, since it is Mr. Gao Zhisheng’s car, the plainclothes police were extremely nervous. Seven cars with no license plates quickly followed my car. According to my friend, these cars followed closely wherever he drove. While my wife and child were shopping, the plainclothes police and their cars with no license plates surrounded my empty car, doing nothing but waiting for two hours.

It was interesting that as soon as I stepped out of my home this morning, still within my residential community, two dozen plainclothes policemen immediately came forward to "accompany" me. When we passed the farmers’ market, the stall owners, who have witnessed the stalking every day, winked at me, while about a dozen young men at the auto repair shop nearby all came out to watch the show. Most of them know me personally. One of them asked me, "Aren’t you afraid of being stalked by so many plainclothes policemen every day?" I pointed at the camcorder in my palm and said, "I have an amazing ‘weapon.’ As soon as I aim it at them, they will all be scared away." As I was speaking, I suddenly turned back and raised my camcorder at those plainclothes policemen. It was a really amazing and amusing scene! Dozens of them quickly scurried away. Many onlookers stopped and watched with curiosity. Apparently they lost their battle yesterday in their attempt to stop me from videotaping them.

These plainclothes policemen were at their wits’ end, but they were still reluctant to leave me alone. Whenever I turned my head, they would all cover their heads and run away. Over a hundred onlookers were watching and laughing at them. By the fourth time I turned my back, the onlookers saw a really unexpected scene. All the plainclothes policemen were wearing women’s silk scarves over their faces, covering everything but their eyes. Apparently this was the last resort. After yesterday’s incident of being videotaped, they got an order from their bosses to keep their faces covered. Whistling and shouting, two hundred onlookers were very excited and amused by the ridiculous spectacle of these plainclothes policemen. This was the first time in the last three months that the plainclothes police brought laughter to the local residents. Someone shouted, "Plainclothes brothers, please make sure you come back tomorrow!" The onlookers’ excitement reached a new high.{mospagebreak}

Right after lunch, reporters from Kyoto News came to visit me. When I walked downstairs, I felt something strange—the crowd of young plainclothes policemen had all disappeared. A sad feeling came over me. Having closely "accompanied" me for 79 days, how could they leave me alone like this? While I was still pondering what was going on, about the same number of young women suddenly appeared before my eyes. They were winking their eyes at me and talking to one another. The experience of being stalked for almost 80 days has trained me well in judging my surroundings. Wherever I go, no matter how many people there are, I can quickly recognize which one is a plainclothes policeman, even if it is his first time. I started shooting my camcorder at those young women. Their performance was even more magnificent than their male colleagues. All of them turned around and covered their faces with their hands, leaned against the wall, and stood still. The indication was obvious: Though they are shameless, they do not want their faces to be captured on tape—an "improvement" over their male colleagues. Their arrival added nothing but "entertainment" to our family, especially to me.

This government has degenerated to such an extent that it relies on using gangs to prolong its life! Their dirty practice in the past few weeks in stalking my family has been truly unprecedented. In the past 79 days, I could sense how they were constantly changing their strategy. The more they changed, the dirtier their strategy became. However, one thing remained the same—the stalking never stopped.

Listen, those hiding behind the plainclothes police, no matter how sophisticated your techniques are, they are simply the means that gangs use and you will eventually hurt yourselves. Using your dirty tricks leaves you no way out. Only by stopping your crimes against private citizens, against civilization, against humanity and against the basic dignity of mankind, can you meet the requirements of, and lay the foundation for a peaceful accord with the Chinese people. Otherwise you will come to an unfortunate end. Let history be the witness!

Beijing Police Department: A Group of Mostly Gangsters

February 15, 2006
—The 88th day of the Chinese regime’s using gangster means to encircle my family

There are quite a few people at the Beijing Police Department who are decent and have good moral quality, some of whom are my friends. They are indeed good people.

Personally, I have never been hostile to any individual. As of today, there has been no concrete or clear individual enemy in my heart. However, since October of 2005, the leadership at the Beijing Police Department has been determined to treat me as their enemy. This only proves that their moral characters are distorted, and their humanity incomplete. There is no other reasonable explanation for their practice.{mospagebreak}

The Beijing Police Department authorities’ dirty practices since October of 2005, including the constant shadowing, intimidation, and persecution of my family, have been too many to enumerate. In fact, their conduct has become unbelievably irrational.

As soon as a friend of mine returned to Beijing after accompanying me to spend the Chinese New Year in my hometown, the authorities at the Beijing Police Department called him in. They threatened, "You will receive the same bad end as Gao Zhisheng."

On February 11, I returned to Beijing together with my nephew who was looking for a job. He is the only child of my third younger brother. Since my third younger brother and I have been dependent on each other for survival ever since our childhoods, we have been very close to each other. Naturally I take his only child as mine. Since the authorities have broken the child’s dream of joining the army, I took him by car directly to a barbershop for him to learn haircutting. Early this morning, the authorities at the Beijing Police Department called in the owner of the barbershop. A dozen officers interrogated the girl for over a dozen hours, using such incredible obscenities!

I have met this girl three times for less than three hours altogether. As a Christian, she was once very concerned about the fate of Pastor Cai Zhuohua when the authorities brutally persecuted him. According to her, she got to know me while attending the court hearing of Pastor Cai’s case. In November of 2005, a friend of hers from her hometown was bitten by his landlord’s dog. As he tried to settle the case, he found out that the dog’s owner was even more vicious than the dog. He was so frustrated and desperate that he committed suicide, leaving behind a young child. She brought the child to me at a Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant. Within less than an hour, numerous plainclothes policemen surrounded us. That was the first contact I ever had with her. We met for the second time in December, when she brought her relatives from Hebei Province to my office for legal consultation. It was at that meeting that I learned she owned a barbershop. The third meeting, lasting about 20 minutes, happened recently when I returned to Beijing from my holiday trip.

A dozen uniformed policemen from the Beijing Police Department, including the son-in-law of the department director, interrogated the girl for a dozen hours, nonstop! Their illegal and obscene interrogation began like this: "What’s your relationship with Gao Zhisheng? Do you know what he is? It’s very dangerous that you had contact with him! We can arrest you and put you in prison for a few years at any time!" The main theme of their repeated intimidation and interrogation was questioning the girl to determine whether she had any unusual relationship with me! Without revealing their true goal, they repeatedly hinted to the girl, "The police have very detailed information about you. (We know) You have another place to live. We even know where the seed money for your barbershop came from. We just want to give you a chance to confess." Then they took away her cell phone and searched the address book that was on her phone.{mospagebreak}

When they returned the cell phone to her in the afternoon, they threatened her again: "We can put you in prison for a few years just because of your knowing Gao Zhisheng. However, we learned from your cell phone that you also knew Fan Yafeng, Teng Biao, and Zhang Xinshui. Do you know who these people are? They are all rights activists, who can be arrested and sentenced at any time." After a dozen hours of interrogation when they were about to release her, the uniformed rogues made the following illegal demands: "1. If you tell Gao Zhisheng about our conversations, we will arrest you right away. Our people are all over the country. Wherever you go, we can easily arrest you. Do you know what a judge’s hammer is used for? We can use it to kill whomever we want, and to hit (imprison) anybody with it for as many years as we wish." They repeated this statement at least five times. "2. From now on, do not keep in touch with Gao Zhisheng. Don’t ask why. This is a principle. If anyone keeps in touch with Gao, we’ll take care of him or her. You better believe this. 3. From now on, never turn off your cell phone or change the telephone number. Never leave your barbershop. You must report to us whenever we call you in. We know how to ensure the rules are followed."

If government employees anywhere else in the world performed such shameful scandalous acts as the rogue policemen at the Beijing Police Department did, except for the countries under the rule of ruffians such as Kim Jong-il and Fidel Castro, the officials of the whole police system would be too ashamed to hold their jobs. Uniformed and in the name of government, these gangsters at the Beijing Police Department commit so many bad deeds, have become so lawless, and disrespect human civilization and morality so much that they are the tragedy of our time as well as a tragedy to themselves.

The stupidity of the rogues at the Beijing Police Department demonstrates that they have been constantly shadowing me in secret, the kind of shadowing that I don’t always know about.

Today the secret police and their rogue employees continued to follow my whole family. I went to the train station to pick up my wife and child only to find a bunch of plainclothes policemen wandering around the platform and following us until we returned home.

Translated by CHINASCOPE from The Epoch Times