Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province

It has been reported that Saertu Court officials in Daiqing City secretly sentenced three Falun Gong practitioners to incarceration, including Liu Zhigao, Yang Jinfeng and Yin Guirong. The sentences given were seven years for Mr. Liu, detained at unknown location, and three and a half years each for Ms. Yang and Ms. Yin, who are both incarcerated at Harbin City Women's Prison.

In addition, practitioners Ms. Yan Xiuli and Mr. Han Defa from Changxi, of the Longfen Region were also sentenced. They had been detained at the Daqing City First Detention Centre for about six months. Ms. Yan was sentenced to seven years in prison and transferred to the Heilongjiang Women's Prison on November 1st, 2007. Mr. Han was sentenced to three years and began serving his term at the Hulan Prison in Heilongjiang Province on October 1st, 2007. Their current situations are not known.

Officers from the Tieren Police Station arrested and searched the homes of practitioner Ms. Yang Jinfeng, 51, who was dismissed from her job, and Ms. Yin Guirong, 67, who lives at Denfen Village in the Jingxia region, on April 25th, 2007. The officers confiscated a computer from Ms. Yang's home and jewellry belonging to her daughter-in-law, and Dafa books, a computer, and 2000 yuan¹ in cash from Ms. Yin's home. Her 82-year-old husband fainted at the scene. The two were detained at the Daqing First Detention Centre. Ms. Yang held a two-month hunger strike, during which time her health deteriorated to the point that her life was in danger. Ms. Yin's husband could not tolerate these developments and suffered a mental collapse.

At around 10:00 a.m. on May 21st, 2007, State Security agent Wang Tao and six or seven others from Daqing City Police Department, the Domestic Security Division, and the Tieren Police Department arrested Liu Zhigao at his workplace. They covered Mr. Liu Zhigao's head with a black bag, then handcuffed his hands behind his back, and dragged him into a police vehicle. They detained him in the Daqing City First Detention Centre and ransacked his home. They took his stereo, a computer, repair tools such as magnetic pieces, metal weights and other miscellaneous items, filling more than ten boxes. They also arrested his wife and took her into custody until 2:00 a.m. the following day.

Mr. Liu, 48, who was dismissed from his job at the Daqing City Water Company, lives in the first section of the Tieren Second Village. He had childhood polio, which resulted in paralysis of his right leg. He previously had poor health and had neck surgery. Soon after the surgery he started cultivating Falun Dafa, and he became a new person. He appeared strong and healthy, with rosy colour in his cheeks. Many people said this formerly argumentative person was now a good person.

After arresting him, the police used various methods of torture on Mr. Liu. The persecutors had severely burned his oesophagus and stomach by force-feeding him mustard oil, and as a result he lost his ability to eat. He became emaciated and almost died. A manager from his workplace went to the Daqing Police Department to seek outside medical help for Mr. Liu, but the police threatened to arrest the manager. As the result, police officials extorted one ton of gasoline from his company in exchange for dropping the arrest threat.

On August 21st, 2007, Saertu Court officials of Daiqing City commenced trials for Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Liu Zhigao, Ms. Yang Jinfeng and Ms. Yin Guirong. Han Jun and Guo Baizhe from Saertu Court and Liu Yueying and Zhang Dajun from the Procuratorate fabricated crimes, and forced Mr. Liu to accept the accusations. Mr. Liu used all his energy at court to expose the acts of persecution by personnel from the Domestic Security Division at Daiqing City Police Department and the Tieren Police Department. The spectators attending the trial saw how emaciated and weak Mr. Liu was, and that he had trouble standing alone. They also noticed his weak voice, which made him sound like a completely different person from the one they knew before his arrest.

Ms. Yang Jinfeng was wearing winter clothes even though it was summer time, and she could not stand still. Ms. Yin Guirong could only walk with the aid of an assistant.

Police officials from the Daqing Domestic Security Division also arrested practitioner Ms. Yan Xiuli. Police searched her home and her mother-in-law's home and took away a computer, copier, CD/DVD copier, and many CD, DVDs, and Dafa books. Following the search at her mother-in-law's place, the home was in disarray, the lock on a drawer was broken, and 300 yuan in cash was stolen. Police hit the hands of the bedridden mother-in-law when she tried to protect the Dafa books. Police also verbally abused her during the beating. Ms. Yan's non-practitioner husband was arrested that same day and detained until the following day.

Another practitioner was also arrested. Police from the Daiqing Domestic Security Division did this on March 20th, 2007. Similarly, police searched his home and took away computer, and a paper cuter, Dafa books and CD/DVDs.

Diaqing City Police Department
Cao Liwei, head: 86-459-6371699 (Office), 86-13384595678 (Mobile)
Cao Zhenhe, political head: 86-459-6107789 (Office), 86-459-6280888 (Home), 86-13329500001 (Mobile)

Daiqing City Detention Centre
Du Zhenjiang, head: 86-459-4617593 (Office), 86-459-4616098 (Office), 86-459-4667179 (Home), 86-13936726888 (Mobile)
Bei Yushan, political head: 86-459-4616090 (Office), 86-459-6256942 (Home), 8613059043155 (Mobile)
Fen Heipo, deputy head: 86-459-4616162 (Office), 86-459-6211479 (Home), 86-13089051888 (Mobile)
Yang Baoming, deputy head: 86-459-4616159 (Office), 86-459-6686076 (Home), 86-13836720062 (Mobile)

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/2008/1/3/169516.html