Illegal Detention and Imprisonment

  • Li Guihua from Jiujiang City Persecuted Again for Her Beliefs

    On November 29th, 2009, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Li Guihua was arrested by police. The 60-year-old lady was exposing the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong in front of the First Middle School of Jiujiang City. At around 5 p.m., a gang of policemen broke in and ransacked her house. Among the officers was a young, but fierce, officer who was physically rough with Ms. Li's husband. Ms. Li Guihua has been arrested, imprisoned and sentenced to imprisonment in labour camps several times where she has suffered brutal persecution.
  • Dong Zhikun and Geng Shuhua from Yunnan Forestry College Secretly Sentenced to Prison

    On November 25th, 2009, relatives of Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Dong Zhikuan and Ms. Geng Shuhua went to the Kunming Intermediate Court to demand information about their family members. Both practitioners have been detained in Panlong No. 1 Detention Centre since March 1st, 2009. Their families have not been allowed to visit them. Kunming Intermediate officers held secret hearings in September, 2009, to sentence Dong Zhikun and Geng Shuhua to prison. Their families received no prior notice of the hearings. Mr. Dong was sentenced to three years in the No. 1 Prison of Yunnan Province. Ms. Geng was sentenced to one-and-a-half years in the Longpan No. 1 Detention Centre.
  • Mr. Wang Qingguo and Others from Xin'an County, Luoyang City Arrested

    Mr. Wang Qingguo and Mr. Zhang Wuxiu were arrested on November 24th, 2009. They are now in the Luoyang City Detention Centre. Police ransacked their homes and took Falun Gong books, information materials about Falun Gong, and other items, causing great suffering and hardship for their families. After practising Falun Gong, Mr. Wang became considerate of others and is always ready to help others. His neighbours and other villagers saw the magnificence of Falun Gong through him.
  • Mr. Li Zhigang's Right to Appeal Denied by 610 Office and Harbin City Court

    On November 12th, 2009, the Harbin City Nangang District Court sentenced Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Zhigang to five years in prison. His family hired attorneys to represent him in court. However, the Nangang District Court and Detention Centre hindered the judicial process by rejecting the lawyers' requests to meet with Mr. Li. As a result, the lawyers have yet to obtain Mr. Li's signature, which is needed to appeal.
  • Shijiazhuang City Intermediate Court Sentenced Mr. Song Aichang

    On June 22nd, 2007, Mr. Song Aichang was arrested at home by local police and has been held in a detention centre ever since. On September 22nd, 2008, after Mr. Song had been detained for over nine months, during the first trial, Qiaoxi District Court sentenced him to three years in prison. Mr. Song deemed it an unfair trial and an unfair sentence. He appealed to Shijiazhuang City Intermediate Court, and two fair-minded attorneys represented him in court. However, Shijiazhuang City Intermediate Court upheld the original three-year sentence, although it did not legally have jurisdiction in the case.
  • Ms. Liang Yu from Dalian City Tortured and Sent to Forced Labour Camp

    Ms. Liang Yu was arrested and detained at the Dalian Detention Centre for further persecution. The brutal torture scarred her body all over. Soon after, she was sentenced to two years' imprisonment in a labour camp, and in mid-August transferred to the Masanjia Labour Camp in Shenyang City. Ms. Liang's parents are both in their seventies and eighties. Over the past three months, they have travelled a long way to see their daughter, only to be rejected by the prison police. The reason given them was that Ms. Liang Yu "refused to transform." [forcibly renounce Falun Gong].
  • Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Defending Falun Gong Practitioners

    According to eyewitness accounts, on November 27th, 2009, Mr. Wang Yonghang, a 36-year-old lawyer from Dalian in Liaoning province, was put on trial at the Dalian Shahekou District Court and immediately sentenced to seven years in prison for defending Falun Gong practitioners and "damaging the implementation of the law." In July 2008, Mr. Wang published a detailed online article analysing the illegality of Article 300 - the provision most often used to imprison Falun Gong practitioners. He argued that Article 300 does not meet minimum international legal standards of clarity and specificity. As a result, the law firm terminated its employment contract with Mr. Wang, and the authorities revoked his licence to practise law.
  • Four Practitioners from Zhaoyuan City Heavily Sentenced Without a Trial

    Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Zhang Shuchun, Ms. Wang Haohong, Mr. Li Yongjie and Mr. Peng Yuekuan from Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province, were arrested and then heavily sentenced by the Zhaoyuan Municipal Court. As of November 9th, 2009, they have been held for five and a half months. Ms. Zhang Shuchun was sentenced to seven and a half years, Ms. Wang Haohong seven years, and Mr. Li Yongjie five years, while the sentence of Mr. Peng Yuekuan is unknown. The relatives of the practitioners were very angry and asked the court, "How can you make such sentences without an open court?" Wang Haitao, the vice presiding judge, answered, "There is no need for an open court."
  • Chongqing Court Fabricates Charges against Falun Gong Practitioners

    Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Fan Defang is 74 years old. On January 28th, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Fan Defang and Ms. Yuan Suxian were arrested by police and sent to Dadukou District Detention Centre. Later Ms. Yuan Suxian died as a result of persecution. On February 28th, 2006, Ms. Fan Defang was prosecuted and received a notice for her hearing on January 20th. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used the already deceased Ms. Yuan Suxian as a witness in prosecuting Ms. Fan Defang. On June 9th, 2006, Dadukou District Court held the hearing and sentenced Ms. Fan Defang to three years of imprisonment. Later Ms. Fan Defang was sent to the Chongqing Women's Prison.
  • Lawyer Files a Not Guilty Plea for Ms. Gong Shunhui in Miyi County Court Trial

    On November 18th, 2009, the court in Miyi County, Shichuan Province, put practitioner Ms. Gong Shunhui on trial. Ms. Gong's attorney, Li Jinglin of Haosheng Law Firm in Beijing, entered a plea of not guilty for Ms. Gong. During the proceedings, the court staff tried to interfere with the attorney. During the session, the prosecutor, Zhu Zhengfu, interrupted and stopped Ms. Gong from speaking. Attorney Li Jinglin's statement was also interrupted several times. During the recess, the court staff threatened the attorney not to defend his client.
  • Additional Information on the Persecution of Ms. Zhao Guirong in Balinyouqixi County, Inner Mongolia

    Ms. Zhao Guirong was persecuted for over ten years by officials from the local police and Daban Police Stations. In May of 2006, Ms. Zhao was taken to the Huhehaote Women's Forced Labour Camp, where she was detained for one year and nine months. Inside the forced labour camp, Ms. Zhao was monitored by two inmates. One inmate abused her and tried to force her to write a "guarantee statement" renouncing Falun Gong. Then, the forced labour camp officials ordered a person to write a guarantee letter for her. One week later, officials forced Ms. Zhao Huirong to perform labour, such as wrapping chopsticks. When practitioners weren't able to finish their assigned work quota, their detention terms were extended by the officials.
  • Several Practitioners Arrested in Shouguang City, Shandong Province

    On October 17th-18th, 2009, officers from the Shouguang Public Security Bureau arrested practitioner Zhang Mufang, Dong Ailing, and two couples from near Shouguang City, Shandong Province. The practitioners were detained at the Daotian Town Police Station. On October 24th, the police went to Nanci Village in an attempt to arrest practitioner Yang Aihua. After arresting these practitioners, the police immediately contacted their families to extort ten to forty thousand yuan from each family. The family of a practitioner from Beiheya Village had to pay ten thousand yuan for the practitioner's release. The police also ransacked every practitioner's home.
  • Ms. Liu Zhi, a Housewife in Heping District, Shenyang City, Arrested

    Ms. Liu Zhi is a practitioner, who has practised Falun Gong for 13 years. She is 49 years old, healthy and full of energy. On the afternoon of October 22nd, 2009, officers from the Xinxing Police Station in the arrested Ms. Liu. The police searched Ms. Liu's home and confiscated electronic items and valuables. They took her to Shenyang City Zaohua Detention Centre. Her family has been denied their right to visit her, and they have not heard anything from her.
  • Mr. Wang Shenlun From Yingkou City, Liaoning Province Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

    Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Shenlun from Yingkou City, Liaoning Province was arrested and Falun Gong materials were confiscated by police. He was then held in police custody for more than five months. Bayuquan District Court officials covertly sentenced him to five years in prison on November 18th, 2009. None of Wang Shenlun's family knew about the sentence. They had to inquire of a guard at the detention centre who told them Wang Shenlun was preparing to appeal the sentence.
  • Mr. Li Zhigang Tried in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province

    The Nangang District Court in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province held a trial of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Zhigang on October 30th, 2009. In February 2009, Mr. Li was arrested at home by police. On March 8th, Mr. Li was taken to a secret location for three days of interrogation under brutal torture and was near death. His family hired an attorney to defend him. However, that attorney experienced obstruction from the court, including being ordered not to defend Mr. Li Zhigang.