Brainwashing, Illegal Detention and Imprisonment, Inside the Labour Camps, Individual Accounts, 6-10 Office

  • 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.
  • Brainwashing Centres - the Most Cruel of China's "Black Jails"

    On April 29th, 2009, Mr. Xie Deqing, a retired engineer, was arrested outside of the Gapxin District Court and detained at Xinjin Brainwashing Centre. He was tortured so severely that within a month he became emaciated, was urinary incontinent, could barely swallow water, and developed heart disease. On the evening of May 27th, Mr. Xie passed away just four days after returning home. In order to destroy the evidence of abuse in custody, on May 29th, a large number of officers crashed Mr. Xie's funeral ceremony. They beat his eldest son Xie Weidong and injured him. Then they took away Mr. Xie's body and had it cremated.
  • 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.
  • Married Couple Arrested and Brainwashed

    On September 9th, 2009, policemen from the National Security Group of Haikou City Police Department arrested Falun Gong practitioners Wang Juan and Huang Ande. The couple was sent to a brainwashing centre and they have been detained ever since. The guards of the brainwashing centre use all kinds of methods to torture determined Falun Gong practitioners, including harassment, cursing, humiliation, beating-up, hanging-up and deprivation of sleep. Their relatives tried to find out where they were, but the police claimed that they did not know anything about them.
  • 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.
  • What On Earth Is My Mother's Crime?!

    My mother Yang Taizhen, 53, went to Beijing three time to appeal for the rights of Falun Gong, and was intercepted by the authorities. She was detained twice and sentenced to forced labour once. In the forced labour camp, the authorities beat her on a regular basis, dragged her by the hair, forced her to stand facing the wall for long periods of time, and forced her to sit on a chair for extended periods. When my mother refused to wear the prisoner uniform and the number tag, the guards took away all her clothes except for a very thin piece, even during the cold winter.
  • Retired Teacher from Zhongqing City Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

    On November 11th, 2009, the Shapingba District Court in Chongqing City put on trial Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Lei Zhengxia, a 65-year-old retired teacher. The judge sentenced Mr. Lei to three years imprisonment for talking about Falun Gong to students in his small restaurant and for having Falun Gong materials in his home. After the persecution of Falun Gong began on July 20th, 1999, Mr. Lei has been arrested and detained on numerous occasions. In 2008 police arrest Mr. Lei for the sixth time. A police officer brutally beat Mr. Lei at his home. Mr. Lei's internal organs were injured and he couldn't move. Police then sent him to hospital as they were afraid Mr. Lei would die.
  • A Mother Writes to Her Son from Prison

    My son, how are you doing? Time flies. It's been seven years since I was taken away from you. You were a boy back then. Now you are a bright and sophisticated college student. I'm so glad! The electric net and the high wall separate me from you. I can only walk towards you in my dream, bringing you my firm belief in truth. One night when you were fifteen years old, we were suddenly awoken from our sleep. Policemen broke into our apartment and searched our home and took me away. Since then, I haven't been back home. I was worried then about the hundreds of Falun Gong books in our home. You were so clever that you took a few with you every day on your way to school and passed the precious materials on to fellow practitioners.
  • Officials from the Laishui Police Station Steal a Family's Life Savings and Then Abduct and Beat their Victims

    On October 7th, 2009, officials in Laishui County, Hebei Province, broke into Mr. Li Dezhi's home and took his bank deposit certificates worth seventy thousand yuan as well as cash. When Mr. Li's wife tried to stop them, she was badly beaten. They detained Ms. Liu with the practitioners arrested from other villages that evening. The woman official watched them, didn't let them use the toilet, and gave them a wooden pail to urinate in. She kept on cursing Falun Gong and didn't give them anything to eat.