Illegal Detention and Imprisonment

  • Righteous Lawyers Overcome Obstacles and Defend Ms. Xie Chunlan, Who Pleads Not Guilty

    Xiangfang District Court in Harbin City opened its trial of Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Xie Chunlan on January 13th, 2010. The presiding judge had intended to hand down an immediate verdict, but failed to do so after Ms. Xie's lawyers convincingly argued for her defence. Before the trial, the local authorities in the Xiangfang District made numerous troubles for Ms. Xie's family, attempting to force them to drop her lawyers. As a result, her family had to change lawyers three times. The court also kept changing the trial location, eventually settling on a very small courthouse in the district. Moreover, they didn't notify the defence lawyers of the location until 30 minutes before the trial was to begin. Despite the court's despicable ploys, Ms. Xie's lawyers still made a rigourous defence on her behalf.
  • After Just Being Released from a Forced Labour Camp, Authorities Hold Ms. Huang Zhenglan Against Her Will in a Mental Hospital

    Ms. Huang Zhenglan, a 46-year-old practitioner, was held in a mental hospital by 610 Office agents right after she was released from a forced labour camp. In 2005, she was sentenced to two years of forced labour and tortured for upholding her belief in Falun Gong. 610 Office agents forced her husband to divorce her. In 2007, police sent her to a brainwashing centre and then held her in the Yanjia Mental Hospital. They subjected her to unknown drugs. In February 2009, Ms. Huang was arrested for distributing Falun Gong fliers and was imprisoned in the Chongqing Chabao Women's Forced Labour Camp.
  • Ms. Li Yanchun Sentenced to Ten Years In Prison

    Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Li Yanchun was sentenced to ten years in prison by the Lianshan District Court in Huludao on November 18th, 2008. Ms. Li's family hired attorney Zhai Yihe to defend her, and Mr. Zhai entered a plea of not guilty. In a highly irregular move, the judge sentenced Ms. Li while the court was in recess. Ms. Li appealed to the Huludao Intermediate Court but the judge, under pressure from the local 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong), upheld the original sentence. This was not the first time that Ms. Li has been persecuted for her belief in Falun Gong.
  • Former Tsinghua University Student Ms. Liu Zhimei Sustains Nervous Breakdown From Injections of Unnecessary and Harmful Drugs

    Ms. Liu Zhimei was admitted to the Chemical Engineering Department of Tsinghua University in 1997 and was expelled in March 2001 for practising Falun Gong. She was subsequently arrested in Beijing and sentenced to 12 years of incarceration and tortured at the Shandong Province Women's Prison. Right before she left the prison in November 2008, prison officials injected her with a harmful cocktail of narcotics and anti-psychotic drugs. The effect of the drugs began to show on the third day after her returning home. She suffered a sudden nervous breakdown, and the symptoms became worse and worse. She started talking nonsense and had involuntary body movements, along with memory loss. Though this happened more than a year ago, her condition has not improved.
  • Ms. Wang Lixiang of Huludao City, Liaoning Province, Arrested Again

    Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Gong on July 20th, 1999, Ms. Wang Lixiang has been subjected to much mistreatment at the hands of the communist authorities. She was detained several times for over 30 days, sent to brainwashing sessions twice for over 40 days, and held in the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp for three years. The local government officials extorted from her 3,000 yuan in cash. She has also been repeatedly harassed, tracked, placed under surveillance, and subjected to telephone monitoring. She and her family have also suffered great harm during the sensitive dates.
  • Dorbod County Court Framed Mr. Liu Fubin and Created Difficulties for His Defence Lawyers

    On January 28th, 2010, the Dorbod County Court in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, held the first hearing in the "trial" of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Liu Fubin. Two lawyers spoke in his defence. Mr. Liu was sentenced to three years of forced labour because he told people the facts about Falun Gong. Taikang Court officials and the procurator used illegal means to create difficulties for the defence lawyers to try to prevent them from getting involved. According to the law, the court has to notify the accused and his lawyers three days ahead of the court session. But Mr. Liu's family and his lawyers received the notice only one day prior. When the lawyers asked the court for the records of indictment, the court refused to provide them.
  • Disabled Falun Gong Practitioner Ai Qingfeng Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

    Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Ai Qingfeng, 54, from Liaoning Province was forced to leave home to avoid being persecuted. Over a period of eight years, his fingers were constantly frozen in the cold temperatures with the ensuing result that he lost eight of his fingers and his ability to work. In 2009, he was arrested and was unjustly sentenced to five years in prison. Currently, he is held in Kanjiashan Prison, Shenyang City.
  • Former Department Chair Ms. Zhang Yuhua of Nanjing Normal University Subjected to Forced Labour Again

    Ms. Zhang Yuhua is an associate professor, doctoral adviser, and former chairperson of the Russian Department at Nanjing Normal University. She had headed many academic projects and had received multiple awards for her excellence in teaching. For practising Falun Gong, she was sent to a forced labour camp in 2001 and detained there for one year. In 2003, Ms. Zhang was sentenced to four years in prison. She has been held in the Nantong Women's Prison, and the Nanjing Women's Prison, and was subject to brainwashing sessions and suffered from inhuman tortures. Unable to endure the persecution of their family, her husband divorced her.
  • Three Falun Gong Practitioners in Shenyang City Facing Unjust Trial

    Kangping County People's Court in Shenyang City, Jilin Province, have decided to put three Falun Gong practitioners on trial. On November 12th, 2009, several police broke into the homes of Ms. Wang Jinfeng, Mr. Wang Xuekun and Mr. Li Xiaoping. With out showing any identification, the police arrested these three Falun Gong practitioners, ransacked their homes, and took away their computers, printers and other personal property. Ten days passed since the three practitioners' arrest, and the policemen still did not send any detention statements to their families. Their families went to Kangping County Domestic Security Division asking for their whereabouts. Nevertheless, upon arrival, commander Jiang Lijun refused their request to see their loved ones.
  • Falun Gong Practitioner Zhao Lunxian Persecuted by Police

    Falun Gong practitioner Zhao Lunxian was arrested by the police on January 26th, 2010 and is currently detained at the Jiamusi City Detention Centre. In 1999, Zhao Lunxian was deprived of the opportunity of working at school after graduation by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials in Jiamusi University because he practised Falun Gong. In June 2002, the police monitored his home phone and then arrested him and ransacked his home. Zhao Lunxian was sentenced to two years' forced labour. At the forced labor camp, the police subjected him to brainwashing and forced him to write statements giving up practising Falun Gong. He was tortured physically and mentally. His wife was forced to become homeless and destitute.
  • Falun Gong Practitioner Sentenced to Four Years in Prison in Shandong Province

    In early September 2009, Ms. Li Renzhi, a kind and honest practitioner, was arrested and detained at Penglai City Police Station after her home was ransacked by the city's state security police. During her detention, the police tried to extort a confession by torturing her, not letting her sleep for four days and not permitting her family to visit. On December 18th, 2009, Penglai City Court sentenced her to a four-year prison term. Recently, she was transferred to Jinan Prison.
  • Ms. Wei Congnai from Zezhou County Imprisoned at Shanxi Province Women's Prison

    Ms. Wei Chonnai, 59, was arrested on July 25th, 2009, for distributing Falun Gong fliers in Lailing Village. Ms. Wei was first detained at the Jincheng City Detention Centre and then transferred to the Zezhou County Detention Centre a month later. On October 2009, the Zezhou Court secretly tried Ms. Wei. The court secretly sentenced Ms. Wei to three years in prison on November 3rd, 2009. When Ms. Wei's family finally got the news, the deadline for requesting an appeal had already passed. On January 6, 2010, the family went to the Zezhou County Detention Centre to visit Ms. Wei, but she had already been transferred to the Maoerling Prison.
  • Chaoyang City Beita District Police Arrest Ms. Tang Lijin and Ransack Her Home

    Ms. Tang Lijin's son contacted police officer Mu Yang on January 28th, 2010. His employer required him to have an official seal on certain documents. Mu Yang didn't process his request, but instead took Ms. Tang's son to Ms. Tang's home and ransacked it. Mu Yang broke into Ms. Tang's home without a warrant, or giving any reason. They shouted, "Search, and find the equipment!" Mu and Gao threw things everywhere, making the room a big mess. Mu found several copies of Falun Gong books, thinking he would get an opportunity to be rewarded and promoted, and reported his findings to his superior. The Beita Police Department dispatched two more officers and took Ms. Tang to the police department's basement, where victims are tortured to extract confessions.
  • Ms. Song Chunyuan Detained Again

    After the persecution of Falun Gong began on July 20th, 1999, Ms. Song Chunyuan, 52, was arrested four times and sent to a labour camp once. In July 2000, she went to Beijing to tell people about Falun Gong. Police officers took her to the police station. During that period of time, Ms. Song was threatened, beaten, deprived of water, exposed under the burning sun for a long time, forced to squat, deprived of sleep, not allowed to sit, and tied to a tree for a whole night. The next morning, police officers tied her to a tree next to the gate for two hours, followed by taking her to the police station. On January 21st, 2010, when Ms. Song was distributing Falun Gong materials, police arrested her and took her to the Tahe Police Station.
  • Ms. Fang Xiuzhen is Sentenced to Ten Years in Jail

    On January 21st, 2010, Lixia District Court in Jinan City tried Ms. Fang Xiuzhen, a Falun Gong practitioner. An attorney from Jinan pleaded not guilty on her behalf. Word by word and sentence by sentence he refuted the statute she had supposedly violated: "utilising evil religious organisations to undermine the implementation of the law." Then the attorney asked the judge, "Why do so many countries abroad allow people to practise Falun Gong?" Ms. Fang Xiuzhen refused to answer the judge's question. At last, Ms. Fang re-stated that she was innocence and would firmly maintain her belief. However, on January 29th, the court notified her family that they had sentenced her to 10 years of imprisonment.