Kidnapping, Extortion, Persecution Throughout Society

  • Large Numbers of Falun Gong Practitioners Targeted for Persecution and Arrest in 2009, Says Congressional-Executive Commission on China (Excerpt)

    In its 2009 Annual Report released last week, the U.S. Government's Congressional-Executive Commission on China thoroughly documents the continued and intensified targeting of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese security apparatus over the past year. The section on Falun Gong cites, in particular, the involvement of top Chinese Communist Party officials in directing a "strike hard" campaign against Falun Gong, as well as the robust activity of the extralegal 6-10 Office in carrying out such directives.
  • Relentless Persecution of Ms. Ma Yan by Li Jianbin, Head of the 610 Office in Changyi, Shandong Province

    On September 4th, 2009 when Ms. Ma Yan was not at home, Li Jianbin, Head of the 610 Office, combed through her house and took 1,800 yuan, the only money she had to support herself and pay her bills. In September 2007, Ms. Ma was arrested by Li Jianbin and his cohorts when she was at home. They hit her in the face, used a towel to muffle her mouth, and handcuffed her behind her back. In this robbery alone, the police took money and property belonging to Ms. Ma worth about 100,000 yuan in total. Ma Yan was then held in Changyi Detention Centre for eleven days. She was tortured until she could not eat or drink, and threw up blood. Although she had already been brutally treated, Li Jianbin sent her to Shandong Province Zibo No. 2 Women's Forced Labour Camp for further torture.
  • Ms. Zhang Lianfen Tortured Many Times and Her Relatives Extorted out of Huge Amount of Money

    During the past ten years, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials have brutally tortured Ms. Zhang Lianfen because of her firm belief in Falun Gong. They arrested her four times, tortured her, beat her brutally and extorted 83,000 yuan from her family. Her husband had to borrow the money to pay the CCP officials. In 2001, Ms. Zhang was taken to a secluded, tiny cell in police custody. Three guards beat her brutally. They pulled her hair, slapped her face and kicked her violently. From time to time Ms. Zhang fell to the ground. They pulled her up and continued beating her. When they were tired, they handcuffed her to the arm of the sofa. After a while, they started another round of violent beatings. Ms. Zhang fell to the ground, but the police held her hair, stepped on her neck and tortured her until far into the night.
  • State Security Division Personnel Embezzled 30,000 Yuan from Ms. Wang Lanying

    Police stormed into Ms. Wu Licui's home on July 31st, 2008. They took away her Falun Gong books as well as other personal property, including a personal bank deposit passbook and 147,900 yuan in cash. In her bank passbook, there was a deposit of 30,000 yuan from practitioner Ms. Wang Lanying. Ms Wang lent the money to Ms. Wu to buy a house. On September 7th, 2008, police arrested Ms. Wang and took her to the Kaijiang County Detention Centre. In order to embezzle the 30,000-yuan bank deposit, State Security Division agents brutally tortured Ms. Wang into falsely confessing that she never lent any money to Ms. Wu. In this way, the State Security Division was able to confiscate the money.
  • Chaoyang County and Liucheng Police Extort Huge Sums of Money from Practitioners; Woman Sent to Forced Labour for Not Paying

    Ms. Qian Jilan, 43, was arrested by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and jailed for half a month. Subsequently, she was put to one year of forced labour after police tried twice to extort money from her and failed. She has recently been taken to Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. The Chaoyang County Police Department has tried to extort several thousand yuan from the family members of each person arrested by them. On top of buying expensive meals for Chief Pan Shi and others, members of a certain family had 10,000 yuan extorted from them.
  • Sisters Imprisoned, Money Extorted from Their Families

    Sisters Ms. Cao Junfeng and Ms. Cao Junping were arrested before the Beijing Olympics in July 2008 by the Weifang County Domestic Security Section in Shandong Province. They have been detained at a detention centre ever since. The Domestic Security Section has denied all of their families' visitation requests, harassed and arrested their family and friends, and extorted 70,000 yuan from them. The latest news the family has received is that "there will be another sentence."
  • Taoxu Town Police Arrest, Mistreat and Extort Money from Practitioners

    In order to have a larger year-end bonus, the Taoxu Town Police harassed practitioners, searched their homes, tortured them and extorted money from their families. From December 29th, 2008 to January 1st, 2009, eleven practitioners were arrested and harassed by the police in those four days. On December 29th, 2008, several policemen went to search the home of Falun Gong practitioner Guo Zengshun in Ankou Village, Taoxu Town. They arrested him and confiscated his Falun Gong book, Zhuan Falun. The police extorted the family for 6,000 yuan in exchange for Guo Zengshun's release. Two days later, Guo Zengshun was allowed to go home on December 30th, 2008.
  • Tianjin Police Torture Ms. Shao Kunhua to Mental Disorder, Then Extort Money from Her Family

    Ms. Shao Kunhua, a Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested in 2001 when she went to Beijing to appeal. She lost consciousness after the police from Tianjin force-fed her with unknown drugs. She woke up experiencing a mental disorder, and her family members were extorted out of more than 10,000 yuan. A year later, Shao Kunhua slowly recovered from the torture and regained her health by reading Falun Gong books and doing the exercises.
  • After Extorting Thousands of Yuan from Family Members, Police in Yushu City Refuse to Release a 60-Year-Old Practitioner

    On November 25th, when Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Yujie, almost 60 years old, was talking with an acquaintance in front of the No. 2 High School, three police arrested her. They took her to the domestic security unit and then to a detention centre. Then they ransacked her home. Ms. Zhang's family is not wealthy, but to gain her release and stop the police from taking her to a forced labour camp, they handed over 6,000 yuan. The domestic security unit head, Zhang Deqing, pocketed 5,000 yuan.
  • 650,000 Yuan in Cash Taken after Mrs. Zhang Yueqin and Four Members of her Family Detained in Lubei Police Department in Tangshan City

    On July 10th, 2008, police officer Chen Hong from the Lubei Police Department and other officers broke into Mrs. Zhang Yueqin's home. They damaged the lock but still couldn't open the door. They then mobilized two fire engines and used an auto-lift ladder to climb to the sixth floor and break in through two windows. They entered through those windows and arrested Mrs. Zhang and her husband. The police searched the house without showing a warrant and confiscated valuables. They also stole over 650,000 yuan (USD$95,000) that Mrs. Zhang's eldest daughter had borrowed to invest in a business with partners.
  • Mr. Xue Chaoyang and His Wife from Xiao County, Anhui Province, Held in Longshanzi Detention Centre

    Mr. Xue Chaoyang and his wife, Ms. Sun Xuanjun, both Falun Gong practitioners were detained at the Longshanzi Detention Centre in Xiao County. The police extorted money from the family. His family now has have no source of income and their life is very difficult. The authorities refused to allow his parents to see Mr. Xue. When Mr. Xue's mother missed him so much that she went to the Xiao County Police Department to inquire about him, Officer Li Wangang pounded on the table to frighten her and drove her off.
  • 610 Office in Suizhou City Continues to Harass and Extort Money from Ms. Qiu Lilan

    On November 4th, 2008, manager Wu, who is in charge of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners at the Mother and Childcare Hospital went to talk to practitioner Ms. Qiu Lilan, a retired doctor from the same hospital. Ms. Qiu explained to him that due to the long term persecution that she suffered at the hands of the local 610 Office, her health had slowly deteriorated, forcing her to undergo surgery in September 2008. As a result, she was living at her relative's home so she could get the personal care she needed. When the local "610 Office" found about this, they went to Ms. Qiu's hospital work unit and extorted several thousand yuan from them. They also took away Ms. Qiu's November retirement pension of more than 1000 yuan, leaving her with only 300 yuan to live on.
  • Victims' Family Members Sue the Police for Stealing 600,000 Yuan in Cash

    On July 10th, 2008, police broke into the home of Falun Gong practitioners He Yixing and Zhang Yueqin, a married couple. Using two fire department vehicles with ladders, they broke the balcony glass to enter the home and arrested the couple. They also confiscated a large amount of personal belongings. Later, the police arrested Zhang Yueqin's daughter He Yan and daughter-in-law Sun Fengli from their work places. The police stole many items from Zhang Yueqin's family, including a van, valuables and 600,000 yuan in cash. The cash comprises the funds that Zhang Yueqin's first daughter borrowed to open a business and the funds for He Yixing and his wife's retirement. Zhang Yueqin's elder brother has sued police officer Chen Hong and others from the Lubei Police Department for their crimes.
  • Police Arrest and Terrorize Seven Older Women, Extort Large Sums of Money

    On May 12th, 2008, police surrounded the home of Huangjia Village practitioner Ms. Li Yongxin. Using the excuse of "ensuring security for the Olympics," the police dispersed the villagers who gathered after hearing the news, broke into the home, ransacked it, and arrested Ms. Li Yongxin and six other older women practitioners. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents told the family members of each practitioner that they might be freed after two weeks and then proceeded to extort money from them. On May 19th, Ms. Li Yongxin and Ms. Zhao Cuizhi were taken to Masanjia Forced Labour Camp in Shenyang City.
  • Massive Arrests in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province

    On April 15th, 2008, 610 Officers started arresting Falun Gong practitioners. Practitioner Ms. Li Wei was on a business trip and thus avoided arrest. However, her husband, Yang Haidong, was arrested. Officials from Ms. Li's workplace visited her parents claiming they would guarantee her safety and a normal working environment [if she would return]. After receiving the information, Ms. Li believed that her company officials were sincere, so she returned to work on July 21st. Two 610 Office agents then took her away and admitted her to the Sanshui Brainwashing Centre.