Husband of You Ling

MR. ZHOU DEYONG, a senior geological engineer in Shandong Province, was arrested in a police sweep with 10 other Falun Gong practitioners and their family members on April 23, 2021. He has since been held at the Binhai Detention Center.

(Photo: Zhou Deyong and his wife, You Ling, in Arizona on vacation, January 2020. Zhou’s wife and son currently reside in Florida.)

Case Summary

Zhou Deyong / 周德勇 – Gender: Male

Current status: Sentenced to 8 years on April 20, 2023.

Reason for Detention: Possessing Falun Gong books and materials

Past Detentions: Unknown. No reports of torture.

Current location: Binhai Detention Center, Shandong Province

U.S. Family Residence: Wife and son in Florida

Personal Background

Mr. Zhou Deyong is a senior geological engineer in Shandong Province. More updates on the way.

Timeline

April 20, 2023: Sentenced to 8 years
August 2022: Prison locations confirmed
Mr. Zhou was tried on August 25, 2022.
May 19, 2021: Faced trial at Liuyang City Court
Mr. Zhou’s son in Florida called the Dongying District Procuratorate to complain about the police’s violation of his father’s rights. He told them that his Congressional representative in the United States, Florida Representative Gus Bilirakis, had personally written to Xi Jinping about his father’s case. An hour later, the detention center allowed Mr. Zhou’s lawyer to meet with him.
May 1-18, 2021: Denied Rights to Lawyer
Following his arrest, police denied Mr. Zhou access to his lawyer, who had tried to make appointments to visit him in early May 2021. His lawyer went to the police department on May 19 to demand to see Mr. Zhou. The police agreed to let him come back a week later, but one day before, the police canceled the visit. Despite the visit being canceled, the lawyer went at the scheduled time.
April 23, 2021: Arbitrarily Arrested
Mr. Zhou Deyong was arrested in a police sweep with 10 other Falun Gong practitioners and their family members on April 23, 2021.
January 2020: America
Mr. Zhou Deyong last saw his family in 2020, when he came on vacation. It is unclear when Zhou went back to China.

Take Action

Send an encouraging letter directly to father and husband Zhou Deyong

People who have survived Chinese prisons and escaped to the U.S. attest to the enormous difference it can make to hear from the outside world directly. It lifts the spirits of those wrongfully detained, and shocks local officials, making them wary of participating further in persecution.

You can send cards directly to Mr. Zhou Deyong to this address:

Binhai Detention Center
山东省东营市东营区牛庄镇牛四路/
东营市东营区物探公司五大队
Niu Si Road, Niu Zhuang Town, Dongying District, Dongying City, Shandong Province
China