Xiao Hongming and Others Detained in Chengdu City Detention Centre

After he was missing for four months, Falun Gong practitioner Xiao Hongming was found to be detained in the Chengdu City Detention Centre. Since he had serious high blood pressure, he was sent to the Qingyang District Hospital and the Third Hospital of Chengdu City. Two other practitioners, Yang Yan and Li Bei, who were arrested at the same time as Mr. Xiao, were also detained in the Chengdu City Detention Centre. Currently, no organisation or person is willing to claim responsibility for arresting them.

According to current information, the three practitioners were arrested by policemen from the Taishenglu Police Station when they went shopping on April 26th, 2012. At around 2:00 a.m. on April 27th, the rental units of Xiao Hongming and Yang Yan were ransacked. After a few days, the home of Li Bei was also ransacked. Property belonging to Xiao Hongming and Yang Yan were confiscated, including a printer, a laptop, a DVD burner and 7,000 yuan¹. The car belonging Li Bei and 10,000 yuan in the car were also taken away. The newly bought DVD's and other items in the car were all confiscated.

According to a witness, Xiao Hongming developed seriously high blood pressure five days after being detained in the Chengdu City Detention Centre. He was first transferred to the Qingyang District Hospital and then to the Third Hospital of Chengdu City. It is suspected that Mr. Xiao was tortured in the detention centre.

Irresponsible “Gambling Addict” Became a Good Person

Mr. Xiao Hongming is more than 60 years old and is a small business owner. His wife said, “Xiao Hongming was a mahjong addict. He would continuously gamble all day long. When our child was one year old, I had a job, but he did not. He did not take care of the house work at all and often went out to play mahjong. He would put the child on the bed, then put benches around the bed and left home to play mahjong. However, it was still very dangerous for our child. In order to play mahjong, he just would not care for our child at all.”

He was fortunate to obtain Falun Gong, despite his circumstances, and soon quit playing mahjong completely. I felt that Falun Gong saved him, saved our child and saved our family. I don't understand why the government says so many bad things about such a good practice. I would like to say something for my husband. He is a good person and is not interested in politics at all. He only wants to live a good life. He is innocent of any wrongdoing!”

Sudden Disappearance

At the end of April 2012, the family members of Mr. Xiao went to his rental unit because he had not contacted them for several days. They were shocked that nobody was in the unit and it was a total mess. Around the same time, the family members of Yang Yan and Li Bei could not find those two either. The place that Yang Yan lived in had been broken into and ransacked.

Ms. Li Bei is 57 years old. She was a medical doctor and vice president for a hospital in Shandong Province before her retirement. The lawyer who was hired by her family members said that Ms. Li Bei was well educated and intelligent after meeting with her.

Ms. Yang Yan is 44 years old. She is a wonderful housewife and has a cute boy.

The family members of the practitioners tried to find their relative's whereabouts. The family members of Mr. Xiao Hongming kept visiting the local police station, 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong), and other government organisations. However, all they obtained were excuses and lies. They have not obtained any meaningful information or notifications. No organisation was willing to claim responsibility for arresting him. They felt worried and helpless.

Detained for Four Months - Family Members Never Informed

On May 21st, a family member of Mr. Xiao went to the Chengdu City Detention Centre to find out whether he was jailed there or not. A female worker said that Mr. Xiao was there. However, since the detention centre had not received the criminal detention notice of Mr. Xiao, they could not accept any clothing or money for him. She told the family member to go back to the Taishenglu Police Station and ask for a criminal detention notice.

In the afternoon, Mr. Xiao's relative arrived at the Tiaodenghe Police Station, whose jurisdiction included Mr. Xiao's rental unit. The policeman, Ren Jun, said, “Xiao Hongming was arrested by another organisation. If we receive any information, we will send a notification to you.” The family member then went to the Taishenglu Police Station. The policeman in charge was mad and asked, “How did you find his whereabouts?” He requested the telephone number of the detention worker. Afterward he checked some information on the computer and claimed that they knew nothing about it. The family member replied, “I spent a whole day but still could not find out which police station arrested him.” The policemen said, “Then just stop searching.” The family member said, “In such hot weather, I have to send some clothes for him to change into.” The policeman replied, “Maybe he does not need any clothes in there.”

In the beginning of June 2012, that same relative of Mr. Xiao went back to the Tiaodenghe Police Station and requested the information about his arrest. The policeman on duty said, “We are not clear about this case. It's done by another high-level organisation or unit. The policeman in charge of this case, Ren Jun, is currently on a business trip. You can ask him after he comes back to the office.”

In the middle of June, the family member returned to the Tiaodenghe Police Station. He was extremely worried about the safety of Mr. Xiao since he had been missing for two months. The policeman asked around, checked his computer, and said, “Xiao Hongming is not missing. He is detained by our upper-level organisation. You need to go back home to wait for a notification.”

In the beginning of July, the family member went to the 610 Office of Chenghua District. The Deputy Director, Qin Guangyong, claimed that he did not know anything about it. However, another worker immediately found information from the computer about Mr. Xiao's family, the addresses and the names of his relatives. Then, with an arrogant attitude, Qin Guangyong questioned the family member, demanding to know if he was also a Falun Gong practitioner.

It has been four months since Mr. Xiao Hongming was arrested. His family members have not received any formal notification or information. No organisation is willing to claim the responsibility for arresting him. This is a typical case of forced disappearance, which is defined as a crime against humanity in most countries.

Li Bei Tortured in Detention Centre, Her Lawyer Interfered With

Ms. Li Bei's daughter said that the family immediately reported the disappearance of Ms. Li to the local police station. However, the police station did not inform them about Ms. Li's detention until one week later. After that, they received her criminal detention notification, which was dated April 27th, 2012.

Ms. Li Bei's family members hired a lawyer for her. The lawyer requested to visit Ms. Li, but it was not granted until July 19th, and the visit was tightly monitored by two policemen. In addition, Ms. Li Bei was handcuffed and forced to wear restraining clothing to limit her motions.

Responsible People:

Taisheng Road Police Station: 86-28-86624789
Policeman in charge of Xiao Hongming's case: Lai Shubin
Policeman in charge of Yang Yan's case: Officer Zhou
Policeman in charge of Li Bei's case: Officer Huang, +86-13881726182(Mobile)
Tiaodenghe Police Station:
Policeman: Ren Jun, Police ID: 010460

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.