Illegal Detention and Imprisonment

  • A Nearly Seventy-Year-Old Practitioner Is Secretly Imprisoned in Deyang City, Sichuan Province

    The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Intermediate Court in Deyang City, Sichuan Province upheld the sentence handed down to Ms. Wang Zhongqiong, 69, during her initial trial. She was later secretly taken to the Sichuan Provincial Women's Prison on February 13th, 2009. On December 8th, 2008, the Shifang Municipal Court conducted a sham trial and sentenced Ms. Wang to a four-year prison term. During the trial, the judge refused to allow the two families to defend the practitioners, nor did he allow the families to hire a defence lawyer. The trial was carried out in a haphazard way and the final verdict was hastily announced.
  • Tangshan City No. 1 Detention Centre Prevents Ms. Jiao Xuemei from Seeing a Lawyer

    Right before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Xishandao Police Station in Hebei Province, Tangshan City once again arrested Ms. Jiao Xuemei at work for no apparent reason. In September 2008, the Tangshan City Lubei Court held a hearing for Ms. Jiao. Only the prosecutor presented the case, at which time there was no physical evidence of any crime. It was stated that the evidence was destroyed by the police department. Without facts or evidence, the Lubei Court sentenced Ms. Jiao with the charge of "using a cult to destroy execution of the law." Ms. Jiao later appealed her case.
  • Two Families Severely Persecuted During the "Harmonious Olympics"

    On May 24th, 2008, the Domestic Security Division of the Shenyang City Police Department arrested more than fifty Falun Gong practitioners overnight, claiming this was to ensure a "harmonious Olympic Games." Mr. Chen Xinye and his wife Ms. Chen Lihui were arrested at home at 7:00 a.m. on May 24th. Four or five police officers damaged their door and broke into their apartment. The police handcuffed Ms. Chen's hands behind her back. They yanked the sleeping Mr. Chen's hair and handcuffed his hands behind his back, too. At the police station, Xu Deyong interrogated Ms. Chen and forced her to sit on the ground. Xu grabbed her hair, hit her hard on the face, and shocked her legs with an electric baton.
  • Yi County Court in Liaoning Province Secretly Transferred Practitioner Zuo Lizhi

    On February 14th, 2009, Ms. Zuo Lizhi's family received a notification that she had been secretly sentenced to five years in prison by the Yi County Court in Liaoning Province, and was to be transferred to the prison in ten days. When the family went to visit her, the jail personnel said, "We are closed on the 14th and 15th and there are no visitations on these two days. Why don't you come back on Monday the 16th?" On the 16th, the family members were able to meet with Ms. Zuo, but it was across a thick piece of glass. They could not hear each other very well, and only got to say a couple of words before the meeting was over. That was it, no more visitations were permitted.
  • Ms. Fan Xiaoli Taken to Women's Prison in Inner Mongolia

    In late January, 2009, Ms. Fan Xiaoli, Ms. Liu Xiurong, Ms. Tian Fang, and Ms. Xiao Yonghua were taken to the Hohhot City Women's Prison in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after receiving sentences from a local court. Ms. Fan was injected with unknown drugs. Guards Shan Jun and Bao Wuyun testified against Ms. Tian Fang and she was sentenced based on fabricated charges. Ms. Tang Liwen, 68, arrested in January 2008, was also detained in the Hexi Detention Centre. She was tied to the death bed. She was also injected with unknown drugs, and as a result, she became mentally ill and could no longer take care of herself.
  • Police from Yinan County, Shandong Province Arrest Falun Gong Practitioners and Confiscate Their Belongings

    According to incomplete statistics, from July 20th, 1999 to present day, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials from Yinan County have confiscated and destroyed more than 100,000 Falun Gong books plus Falun Gong materials. They have held vicious brainwashing sessions to persecute 130 practitioners and extorted 460,344 yuan from them. They have ransacked the homes of 35 practitioners 43 times and confiscated numerous items and other property. During the past 9 years, 109 practitioners have been detained 171 times, and 40 practitioners have been sentenced to forced labour 43 times. There is evidence that 1 practitioner has been injured as a result of persecution, 2 practitioners have been persecuted to death; 2 practitioners have become mentally disordered from persecution, and 21 practitioners have become homeless.
  • 61 Year Old Ms. Jiao Shuzhen Sentenced to Shijiazhuang Women's Prison

    Ms. Jiao Shuzhen is 61 years old. After being arrested by the police from her home in March 2008, she was sentenced to 4 years in a prison in December 2008. On January 3rd, 2009, she was transferred to the Shijiazhuang Women's Prison. Her husband's life is very difficult since he is almost 70 years old, with cancer and can hardly walk.
  • Five Practitioners in Hunan Province Sentenced to Three to Seven Years of Imprisonment

    The Hecheng District Court of Huaihua City, Hunan Province, tried Ms. Zhou Ling, Ms. Yi Chunxiu and three other practitioners on October 28th and 29th. Upright lawyers from the local area and Beijing defended their innocence. After three months of detention, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) district court handed down the verdicts on January 10th, 2009. Ms. Zhou Ling and Ms. Tang Kaiju rejected the ruling and have appealed to a higher court. Ms. Zhou Ling was sentenced to three years in jail, Ms. Yi Chunxiu to seven years and Ms. Tang Kaiju, Ms. Tang Fangju and Ms. Xiang Aimei were all sentenced to three years jail and three years' probation. The "crime" committed was "sabotaging the implementation of the state's laws by utilizing an [slanderous word omitted] religious organization."
  • Ms. Wang Hui from Laiwu City, Shandong Province Sent to Forced Labour Camp

    On February 7th, 2009, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Wang Hui was arrested. Police from Chengxi Police Station took her from home. At the time, Ms. Wang's husband was visiting relatives and not home. Only their young daughter was at home at the time. When she was forcibly taken away, Ms. Wang had her house key with her. Police used Ms. Wang's key to enter the home, confiscating a computer that their daughter uses for school work and Falun Gong books The next day Ms. Wang was taken to Jinan City Forced Labour Camp.
  • Forced into Homelessness for Three Years, Ms. Zhang Fengying is Arrested Upon Returning Home to Look After Her Paralysed Husband

    Ms. Zhang Fengying was forced into homelessness for more than three years because she remained steadfast in her practice of Falun Gong and conducted her life according to the principles of Truth-Compassion-Forbearance. One day, Ms. Zhang took the risk of returning home to take care of her husband, whose legs had become paralysed. She was arrested at her home on December 1st, 2008 by plain clothes policemen and imprisoned at the Funing County Detention Centre. Since 1999, police have arrested Ms. Zhang, ransacked her home, and subjected her to lengthy brainwashing sessions on numerous occasions, subjecting her to tortures such as the "Tiger Bench", "tying up", and "hung up in a tree".
  • Disabled Practitioner Arrested a Third Time in Kunming City

    Ms. Guo Ling, 52, a practitioner from Kunming City, Yunnan Province, disappeared after leaving her mother's home on the morning of January 15th, 2009. After an unsuccessful search, her family learned that she had been arrested and was being held in the Wuhua Detention Centre in Kunming. This is the third time that Ms. Guo has been detained in the past few years. Previously, Ms. Guo was persecuted severely in prison. Despite the severe disability in her legs, they forced her to walk several miles each day to perform forced labour.
  • Mr. Ma Guobiao and His Parents Sentenced in Secret Trial

    Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Ma Guobiao, 36, and his parents were detained at the Jiading District Detention Centre for eleven months, because he played a Falun Gong DVD to people. On January 12th, 2009, Mr. Ma was sentenced to six years in prison during a secret court trial held in Shanghai. His mother, Ms. Jin Runfang, received a 4-year sentence and his father, Mr. Ma Dongquan, received a 3-year sentence with a 4-year suspended term.
  • Ms. Zhang Qiuyun Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

    Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Qiuyun was arrested six months ago. The Taocheng District Court of Hengshui City, Hebei Province sentenced her to five years in prison on January 20th, 2009. Zhang Qiuyun's family believes she is innocent, and is appealing for her. On July 20th, 2008 several police used the excuse of checking residence cards to break into Zhang Qiuyun's home. They confiscated all of her personal belongings. The policemen, claiming that they had been following her for seventeen days, took her to the station and tortured her on a "tiger bench".
  • Police from Yushu City, Jilin Province Arrest and Fine Falun Gong Practitioners

    In late 2008, the Police Department of Yushu City, Jilin Province reorganized their mid-level police system, appointing new police chiefs accordingly. They also issued arrest quotas to subordinate police stations. In order to fulfil the quotas, police stations and the National Security Group have been arresting and fining Falun Gong practitioners. In January police ransacked the home of Falun Gong practitioner Zheng Lijia. Police officer Qi Li slapped Mr. Zheng in the face, kicked him, confiscated his Falun Gong books, then detained Mr. Zheng at the National Security Group. They informed the victim's family that he would not be released until they paid a fine.
  • Ms. Li Yunxia from Yi County, Baoding City, Hebei Province Arrested Again

    On January 7th, 2009, police broke into Ms. Li Yunxia's home. They arrested her without showing a warrant and then detained her at the Yi County Detention Centre. Ms. Li Yunxia, 40, has been persecuted several times for practising Falun Gong. Police arrested her in 2004 and put her into Balizhuang Forced Labour Camp, Baoding City. During the three years she was there, Ms. Li Yunxia was tortured badly. She was finally allowed to go home in 2007.