Dr. Li Yanjun Arrested and Taken to Xinjin Brainwashing Centre - Police Lied to His Family

Summary of Key Persecution Facts:

Name: Li Yanjun

Gender: Male

Age: 46

Address: Xindu District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

Occupation: Associate Professor at the Southwest Petroleum University

Date of Most Recent Arrest: June 26th, 2013

Most Recent Place of Detention: Xinjin Brainwashing Centre

County: Xinjin

Province: Sichuan

Persecution Suffered: Brainwashing, detention

Dr. Li Yanjun, an associate professor at the Southwest Petroleum University, was arrested on June 26th, 2013, and taken to the Luzhou Detention Centre, because he practised Falun Gong. His family was notified by officials from the Luzhou Domestic Security Division on July 25th, a month after his arrest, that he had been released under surveillance. However, he was instead taken to the Xinjin Brainwashing Centre for further persecution.

Arrested and Detained

Dr. Li went to Luzhou City on June 26th, 2013, on a business trip. He was arrested that night by police from the Luzhou Jiangyang Police Station. He was detained at the Luzhou Detention Centre, as the police found a box of ink, a copy of the Falun Gong book Zhuan Falun, and Falun Gong-related DVDs in his car.

Officer Du of the Jiangyang Police Station, who was in charge of his case, called Dr. Li's wife on the afternoon of July 25th, and told her that Dr. Li had been released under surveillance. He also told her that police officers from the Xindu Domestic Security Division, including Tan Yi, had picked him up after going through legal procedures and submitting paperwork. Dr. Li's Nissan SUV, however, was still at the Jiangyang Police Station.

Taken to a Brainwashing Centre

Jiang Tao, from the Southwest Petroleum University Security Division, along with officers from the Xindu Domestic Security Division, including Tan Yi, had in fact taken Dr. Li to the notorious Xinjin Brainwashing Centre for further persecution.

Dr. Li's wife thought she would be able to see her husband that day since most people would think “released under surveillance” meant that he was free to go home.

However, Dr. Li didn't return home that day, nor the next, and his wife was not notified of any changes. Accompanied by a legal adviser, she went to the Xindu Domestic Security Division on the afternoon of July 26th, to inquire about her husband's whereabouts. Officer Tan Yi met with them and denied that the police had picked up Dr. Li from the detention centre. The family filed a missing persons report at the Xindu Police Station.

Family Lied To and Deceived

When Dr. Li's family and friends travelled from the Xindu District in Chongqing City to the Xinjin Brainwashing Centre to visit him, a tall man in his thirties talked to the family through a small opening in the metal gate at the main entrance, and said, “He is not here. I checked when you came, and he is not here. We are a legitimate government unit and I would not lie to you. Why would I lie to you? You should go and ask officials at the Domestic Security Division where they sent him.”

Dr. Li's family asked for this person's name and explained that they could let the officials of the Domestic Security Division know that he had confirmed that Dr. Li was not at the brainwashing centre. Yet the tall man was not willing to disclose his identity. A few members of Dr. Li's family walked along the outer walls of the brainwashing centre while calling Dr. Li's name loudly and heard him responding from the second floor. The family members spoke to him over the wall and asked him many questions about family matters including his child's college admission process, his bank cards, and cash. They also asked him if he had been beaten or starved, and he responded by saying that there were three beds in his cell and two inmates in their sixties were assigned to monitor him around the clock. His family and friends reassured him and said, “Everyone knows that you are a man of noble character. You have taught many graduate students who work in many different places. They will help you to receive justice.”

Dr. Li's family and friends later went back to the main entrance of the brainwashing centre and requested that the tall man give them an explanation as to why he lied to them. However, the man did not show up again and a middle-aged woman met with the family very briefly and left.

Parties involved:

Li Jingwen (李敬文), director of Xindu 610 Office: +86-28-83993610 (Office), +86-13908228631 (Mobile)

Tan Yi (谭毅), deputy director of Xindu Domestic Security Division: +86-28-8912252 (Office), +86-13880009696(Mobile)

Officer Du (杜警察), Luzhou Jiangyang Police Station: +86-13982773423 (Mobile)

Guo Min (郭敏), commissioner of Southwest Petroleum University Security Department: +86-28-83032368 (Office), +86-28-83032651 (Home)

Jiang Tao (江涛), chief of Southwest Petroleum University Security Division: +86-28-83032369 (Office)

Zhu Shihong (朱世宏), party secretary at Southwest Petroleum University: +86-28-83032026 (Office), +86-13908187993 (Mobile)

Du Shimin (杜志敏), president of Southwest Petroleum University: +86-28-83032992 (Office), +86-13981911613 (Mobile)