The Reality Behind the Facade of Shanghai's Prosperity

Shanghai has been designated by the Chinese Communist Party's regime as a showcase of China's economic reform and the resulting improvements in the people's quality of life. However, behind the scenes in this flourishing city are countless lesser-known--yet terrifying--infringements on human rights.

Recently, the news about Shanghai Falun Gong practitioners who were abducted to a forced labour camp, sentenced to prison, or persecuted to death was frequently reported on the Internet. We estimate that in May of this year, over thirty Falun Gong practitioners from Shanghai were arrested and detained in forced labour camps. These cases involve both senior citizens and youths. Several practitioners were arrested for the second or third time after being previously released from prisons or forced labour camps. For example, Ms. Han Chunyan was arrested just seven months after she was released from a 3-year prison term. Similarly, Mr. Geng Zhaojun spent 4 years in prison and was arrested once again a year later. Other practitioners, including Fa Zhengping, Lu Jinlong, Wu Qiurong, Pan Jijun, Bai Gendi and Chen Penghui, also had similar experiences. Additionally, Ge Wenxin and Ms. Li Limao passed away after repeated persecution.

It's noteworthy to mention that the persecution stories of Shanghai Falun Gong practitioners that have been reported are just a small tip of the iceberg. Many, many cases have not yet been disclosed due to the difficulty posed by obtaining information under the strict censorship of the CCP regime.

Shanghai is the place where Jiang Zemin, who initiated the persecution of Falun Gong, was promoted and supported the most in his political career. Accordingly, Shanghai is also one of the places where the persecution became the most serious. But, unlike other regions of China, Shanghai authorities have never conducted the persecution openly. Instead, they surreptitiously intensify the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and try their utmost to cover up the truth about the persecution. Just as disclosed in the article, "Expose of Shanghai's Evil Judicial System," in order to prevent the spread of the truth about Dafa and cover up the facts of the cruel persecution, the Shanghai authorities use its most sophisticated secret agents, as well as the police, The National Security System, the Neighbourhood Committee Network, and the Residential Community, to privately monitor, track and collect the so-called "evidence." Then, the police station or police substation secretly performs the arrest of Falun Gong practitioners. They may also manipulate previous practitioners who had succumbed to brainwashing to entrap Falun Gong practitioners. The arrested practitioners will be sentenced by the court to prison, or directly taken to a forced labour camp without trial.

Those practitioners who served their entire sentence will then be taken to brainwashing classes for further detention. Even when they are released, they still have to face continuous harassment and threats. For those steadfast practitioners against whom the authorities cannot find any evidence, the street or neighbourhood committee and the institution they are affiliated with will trick them or abduct them to the brainwashing classes for further persecution. All of this persecuting is done secretly under the name of the "rule of law."