Eight Practitioners from the Hecheng District in Huaihua City, Hunan Province, Were Sentenced

On September 15th, 2007, eleven Falun Dafa practitioners from the Hecheng District of Huaihua City, went by bus to Ping Village in Baozijiao Town, Huitong County, Hunan Province, to distribute leaflets exposing the persecution and expose the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong. CCP members from Huaihua City, along with 610 Office¹ agents and police officers from Huitong County detained them. The practitioners were all held in the Huitong County Detention Centre. Three older practitioners, 82-year-old Nie Yuanxin, 70-year-old Zuo Shuying, and 60-year-old Nie Guixiang, returned home after they had five to ten thousand yuan² extorted from them. The other eight practitioners were sentenced to between three and seven years in prison by Huitong County Court.

On November 1st, the eight practitioners were handcuffed behind their backs and taken to court. Zhu Zhouxiang testified in court that he was bruised from head to toe as a result of police brutality. He also pointed out that law enforcement officers violated the law, and he asked for an appeal. Originally, 610 Office personnel accused these practitioners of disturbing the social order. These officials wanted to report this case to the central government. The court sentenced the practitioners based on fabricated charges.

While they were in detention, the eight practitioners held a hunger strike to protest, but they were brutally beaten. Mr. Yang Chunlan developed symptoms of high blood pressure and heart disease. He lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital emergency room. Mr. Yang later had to pay a medical bill of more than one thousand yuan, yet the detention centre still refused to release him. When his family told those in charge at the detention centre that Mr. Yang had been denied admission to Baimalong Forced Labour Camp due to having high blood pressure, the director of the police department, Liang Jianhua, said that he needed an official report. To avoid responsibility, he later said that Mr. Yang's case had been transferred to the Procuratorate.

Ms. Wang Yuying was persecuted to the brink of death. To prevent her family from finding out, 610 Office personnel transferred Ms. Wang from Huitong County to Jing County and then back to Huitong County. All the while she was on an IV. The appeal period was set from November 13th to November 23rd. Her family members refused to comply. Since three practitioners in this case had already been released, Ms. Wang's family said that this showed that the practitioners did not violate the law and that the remaining eight practitioners should also be released. The family demanded an explanation for these practitioners' harsh sentences.

Background information on the eight practitioners in this case:

Ms. Yi Huanmei, in her sixties, was sentenced to three years in prison. At the beginning of the persecution, she went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and was detained for more than six months. At 10:00 p.m. on February 25th, 2003, the National Security Team, 610 Office, and officers from the Chengzhong Police Station in the Hecheng District gathered 40 thugs armed with steel clubs. They surrounded Ms. Yi's house near the west bus station in Huihua City and then smashed the metal security gate and the front door. These henchmen broke into the house and arrested Ms. Yi Huanmei and practitioner Ms. Zheng Hongxia. Ms. Zheng had left home to avoid further persecution and was staying in Ms. Yi's house. Yi Huanmei quickly opened the window and yelled for help. She did this also to expose the persecution. Six thugs had to try three times before they could gag her and hold her down. Finally she was handcuffed behind her back. She was wearing only pyjamas at the time. Ms. Yi and Ms. Zheng were dragged downstairs and put in a police car. They were detained for 15 days.

Mr. Zhu Zhouxiang, in his forties, was sentenced to seven years in prison. He was a human resources director at the Water and Power Supply Division of Huaihua Railroad. Since he did not give up practising Falun Gong and went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, Mr. Zhu was expelled from the CCP and was fired from his post. He was sentenced to forced labour. At the labour camp, Mr. Zhu was forced to do hard labour every day and was severely tortured. His hair turned totally white, and his vision deteriorated. His feet are still numb, a long time after his release. Whenever his feet touch warm water, they feel as if they are being electrically shocked. Later, Mr. Zhu was detained two more times for distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong.

Ms. Wang Yuying, about 50 years old, is retired from the International Trading Company. She was sentenced to five years in prison and had been detained for distributing leaflets.

Mr. Yang Yingde, about 60 years old, worked for a public transportation company. He was sentenced to three years in prison. Li Faxiu is also about 60 years old and was sentenced to six years of imprisonment. Both had been detained for distributing leaflets.

Ms. Yang Chunlan, about 40 years old, an employee of the Raw Materials Company, was sentenced to five years in prison. Because she went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong she was sentenced to forced labour and dismissed from her post. She was brutally tortured at Baimalong Forced Labour Camp in Zhuzhou City. She was handcuffed to the top of a bunk bed for a long time, with her feet barely touching the ground. A group of criminal inmates surrounded her and assaulted her. Later she was again arrested for speaking out for justice for Falun Gong and was sentenced again to forced labour. The labour camp rejected Ms. Yang on account of her poor health. After she returned home, 610 Office personnel arrested her again. They told her husband that they were taking her to apply for a medical parole, and if he did not believe them he could follow them. They actually took Ms. Yang to the detention centre on Wushui Road. They attempted to send her to a forced labour camp again.

Ms. Yang Chunlan escaped by sliding down a water pipe from the second floor. She did not return home, to avoid further persecution. She was once again arrested while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution in public on August 27th, 2004.

Ai Yuhua was sentenced to four years in prison and had been detained for distributing leaflets.

Zhang Luying, an employee in railroad passenger services, was sentenced to four years in prison and had been detained for distributing leaflets.

Those responsible for these acts of persecution:

Jin Xiaoyong, director of the Huitong County Court; Zhang Ling (female), investigation division
Yang Hua, Procurator in Huitong County
Jiang Maoxuan, public prosecutor
Long Wumao, division chief of the Procuratorate
Ming Sihua, deputy procurator: 86-1370745530 (Mobile)
Zhang De, political director of the police station in Pin village: 86-13974564411 (Mobile)
Long Yuncheng, director of police station in Pin village: 86-13874407911 (Mobile)
Liang Jianhua, director of the police department
Wu Weiming, deputy director of police department: 86-13807457689(Mobile)86-745-8822860
610 Office in Huitong County: 86-745-8850610
Su Zuojin: 86-13007457933 (Mobile)86-13074557933 (Mobile)

National Security Team in Huitong County:
Yin Hongqi, political director: 86-13807457888(Mobile)
Shen Heping, team head: 86-13707455718
Ren Yongchang, team head: 86-13974536787
Lin Qiu, director of the detention centre: 86-13874407867(Mobile)86-745-8823100
Su Zecong, deputy director of detention centre: 86-13974513417(Mobile)
Song Zhifu, party secretary of detention centre: 86-13974579658(Mobile) 86-745-8850488 (Home), 86-745-8850713 (Office)

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

2. "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://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/12/23/168888.html