Practitioners Wrongly Held in Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp Demand Unconditional Release

We are Falun Gong practitioners who are detained at the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. We have the following requests:

1. Immediately declare the innocence of Teacher Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, and Falun Dafa.

2. Immediately and unconditionally release all practitioners who are unjustly detained.

3. Compensate all practitioners for the physical and emotional losses they have suffered from the time the persecution started.

4. Bring the key criminals in this political hooligan regime - Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan - to justice.

The forced labour system under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) violates the human rights convention of the United Nations, as well as the Chinese Constitution. Innocent citizens and Falun Gong practitioners are sent to forced labour camps against their will for up to three years, without trial. For political purposes, the system even allows individuals to be detained in forced labor camps repeatedly. We ask the kind people of the world to cast aside the CCP, that operates this system that openly tramples human rights and the freedom of its own citizens. The CCP's collapse is inevitable.

We call upon people and organizations around the world to stand up and defend justice, help maintain dignity and the right to freedom of belief! We demand that the CCP immediately stop this persecution, declare the innocence of Falun Dafa and practitioners, and to bring those who committed these crimes to justice.

By All Falun Gong practitioners who are detained at the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp

November 22nd, 2007

My name is Shi Shenghong. I'm currently detained at the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp in the city of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Here I demand that the CCP authorities immediately release all detained Falun Gong practitioners unconditionally.

Before the CCP started persecuting practitioners, I had a happy family with my wife Liu Mingyun and my son Shi Yueming. My wife is also a practitioner and was sentenced to forced labour in 2000. Due to pressure from this persecution and grieving from missing her daughter-in-law, my mother passed away. The CCP caused this tragedy for my family. My wife and I used to have a clothing business. Since we both practise Falun Dafa and follow the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance," we do business fairly. We never cheated anyone, nor did we intend to gain money against our conscience, and we try not to argue with others. However, after the CCP started persecuting Dafa practitioners, my family was broken apart. We lost our house and had to rent a place. This tragedy took place in the CCP's so-called "harmonious society."

I was arrested on the evening of August 20th, 2006, as I delivered clothes in Harbin City. I was secretly sentenced to one and one half years of forced labour. On August 28th, 2006, when my wife came to visit me, she was arrested and detained by the police in the Nangang District Police Department. She was sentenced to five years in jail. At that time, my son, not quite 17 years old, came with his mother and was also detained for a month. Regardless of my son's age, he needed care from his parents, but my wife and I were sentenced, which left my son at home alone. Such a situation affected my son's performance in school. He was not able to enroll in high school, and he now stays at home alone. After my father learned that my wife was sentenced to jail and myself to forced labour, the old man, over 80 years old, cried every day and died on November 18th, 2006. He is another victim among millions of victims, who suffered or were implicated in the persecution by the CCP.

Shi Shenghong
Late 2007
At the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp

My name is Wang Yunfeng. I am detained at the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp in Harbin City. I demand the release of all detained Dafa practitioners! We are innocent.

Since the persecution started in 1999, I have been arrested four times, sentenced to two years of forced labour and extorted of over 10,000 yuan¹. I was deprived of my right to freedom of belief, freedom of speech and eventually even freedom of action. We follow the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" and are good people, and we haven't committed any crimes.

My mother is 80 years old and she cries for me every day. When I was arrested the third time, she lost her eyesight because of her crying. Because of this persecution, my daughter and son are pained in their young hearts. My family is nearly broken financially. I suffered all kinds of maltreatments during my arrests and detentions. However, there are thousands of families in China that face similar sufferings.

We hope that our suffering will wake up the consciences of the world's people. Do not ignore any longer those kind practitioners and their family members. I hope you can righteously appeal to the higher authorities for the injustices brought upon us, and release all detained practitioners. Do not continue this most miserable persecution. Manifest your conscience and lend your hand. Let's shout together -- Stop the persecution! Release all innocent Falun Gong practitioners!

Wang Yunfeng
Late 2007
At the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp

My name is Zhang Shengjie. I'm 59 years old and from Harbin City. I was arrested on November 1st, 2005, and sentenced to three years of forced labour. I practise Falun Gong in order to be a better person. I didn't commit any crimes. I demand to be released unconditionally.

I have been detained in the No. 4 Division of the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp for over two years. I have talked to the division head and explained that Falun Gong practitioners are all good people. The response I got was that all practitioners in detention are required to be "transformed²." I cannot understand into what kind of people the CCP wants the practitioners to be "transformed." In such a society with low moral standards, and where money is above all, practitioners follow the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" to purify their minds and gain good health, and to further improve the moral standards in the society. It has hundreds of benefits without any harm to the nation, to the country and to the society. However, these good people - the hope of the nation - have suffered unprecedented persecution. Just in the No. 4 Division, I have met practitioners from different social levels, including officers from military regiments, older ex-military men, engineers, graduate students, doctors, teachers, workers and farmers. As far as I know, there are also professors, businessmen, and government officials detained in other divisions. They are talented people and the principle force in the construction of our country. How many such practitioners are in detention country-wide? How deep is the destruction that the CCP has brought to the Chinese people? It is time to correct this mistake.

I strongly request the unconditional release of all detained innocent practitioners!

Zhang Shengjie
Late 2007
At the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp

Note

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

2. "Reform or Transform" Implementation of brainwashing and torture in order to force a practitioner to renounce Falun Gong. (Variations: "reform", "transform", "reformed", "reforming", "transformed", "transforming", and "transformation")

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/12/15/168419.html