Arrest of Qi Wenbin, a Falun Gong Practitioner from Shuangyashan, Heilongjiang Province, Leaves Seventy-Year-Old Parents in Despair During the Chinese New Year

On the morning of February 8th, 2007, Falun Gong practitioner Qi Wenbin from Shuangyashan City in Heilongjiang Province was distributing leaflets exposing the persecution. At 2:30 p.m. he was arrested and taken to the Dongshan Police Station by police officer Yan Lei from the Xishan Police Station. Qi Wenbin's mobile phone and the 430 yuan¹ that he had with him at the time were confiscated.

At around 3:00 p.m., Zhao Yushu from Sifangtai Police Department, Li Yong from Dongshan Police Station and Yan Lei from Xishan Police Station went to Qi Wenbin's home, conducted illegal searches, and confiscated Mr. Qi's MP3 player, and Falun Dafa books. At that time, Yan Lei gave his mother 30 yuan. He also told Mr. Qi's father, who came to see him at the police station, that the 430 yuan was confiscated by Yan Lei. When Yan Lei was asked about the remaining 400 yuan, he denied all knowledge of it.
Qi Wenbin's parents are over 70 years old, and both depend on their son, who is a coal miner. Qi risks his life working in this dangerous job to earn money to support his parents. Unfortunately, the 400 yuan that he earned was stolen by the police.

Qi Wenbin practises Falun Gong, cultivates to be a good person, and he refuses to denounce his spiritual belief. In 2002, he was sentenced to three years in a labour camp, and during that time he was continuously persecuted in the Shuangyashan Detention Centre. In December 2005, after his release, Mr. Qi was once again arrested for speaking up for Falun Gong. His elderly parents were in great despair and grief after his arrest.

We appeal to people from around the world to pay attention to the persecution of Qi Wenbin and to initiate an effort to rescue him.

During 2006, Chen Zhen, a team captain in the Baoshan Police Department in Shuangyashan City, extorted 30,000 yuan from Falun Gong practitioner Yang Xiuying of Xin Mine three times, as well as 10,000 yuan from a Falun Gong practitioner with the last name of Yu. After his crime was exposed on the Minghui website [Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net], Chen Zhen still continued to threaten and extort money from Falun Gong practitioners and their family members. A year ago in Baoshan District, a Falun Gong practitioner was wrongfully persecuted after returning home from prison. Chen Zhen threatened to fine the practitioner and his family. Recently, Chen Zhen and his deputy chief Zhou Jianmin initiated a surveillance programme to monitor Falun Gong practitioners. They place two police vehicles around a practitioner's residence whenever they plan to arrest him or her. In several instances, the practitioner had no choice but to leave home and go from place to place to avoid arrest and persecution.

Sifangtai Police Department: 86-469-4340066
Dongshan Police Station in Sifangtai: 86-469-4340565

Note

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

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/2/19/149287.html