When Haiyan Zhang was beaten with electric batons by jailers in a Beijing forced labor camp, he almost lost consciousness. There was only one thought on his mind during the ordeal, “I have not died yet. And I cannot die now.” While imprisoned, the last thing he was thinking about was seeking refuge in the United States, let alone someday joining the U.S. Air Force.
Haiyan Zhang was thrown into a forced labor camp in Beijing in 2001 at the age of 20 because he refused to renounce his beliefs in a traditional Chinese meditation practice called Falun Dafa—which promotes truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.
