On March 9th, 2007, Ms. Yang Guoying, a practitioner from Helong Township, was deceived into getting into a police vehicle at a local market. After arriving at the local police station, the police claimed that someone had reported her and beat her brutally. The police tried to coerce her into admitting to the fabricated allegations. When she refused to comply, the police took her to Donggang Detention Centre. In the detention centre, the police again tried to extract a false confession by force. Ms. Yang still refused.
On March 20th, police from the Helong Police Station and the Donggang Police Department conspired together to further persecute Ms. Yang Guoying. They presented her with a repentance statement1 for her to sign. She adamantly refused. One policeman took a sheet of blank paper, grabbed her hand, and took a hand print. He then told her to sign the paper. She asked what the paper was for. The officer lied, saying, "Nothing. You sign it and it proves that you did not say anything or do anything." Ms. Yang did not know this was another ruse. Only later did she find out that this blank piece of paper she had signed was used to sentence her to a year at Masanjia Forced Labour Camp.
On the morning of January 4th, 2008, Longwangmiao Township Police Station director Zhou Yuanwei and a group of police broke into the home of practitioner Ms. Liu Yanhua, who lives in Unit 7 of Wulong Village, Longwangmiao Township. Ms. Liu Yanhua and her husband were not at home at the time. Only their son, Li Zhonghai, a non-practitioner, was at home.
Without showing any identification or documentation, the police searched the home. They kicked in and broke the doors and slashed bags that contained food. When Li Zhonghai said that searching without a warrant, reason, or evidence was against the law, Zhou Yuanwei yelled at him. He grabbed Li Zhonghai and beat him. Other officers also jumped on Li. They took him to the local police station. In the afternoon, they took him to Xinchengzi Police Station and tried to extract a confession by force. Li Zhonghai refused to admit to the fabricated crimes and protested the policemen's lawless acts. Zhou Yuanwei then put Li Zhongwei in a detention centre. Mr. Li was released two weeks later. Zhou Yuanwei threatened Mr. Li, saying, "If you speak ill of me again, I will break your legs."
On February 9th, 2007, three practitioners--Mr. Zhang Qinggui, Mr. Lang Qingchen, and Ms. Yu Chun'er--were arrested while transporting Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution. They were taken to a detention centre by police from Donggang Police Department and Dadong Police Sub-bureau. The police used torture to try to extort confessions from Zhang Qinggui and Lang Qingchen. The torture rendered Ms. Yu in critical condition and she was sent to a hospital and later released as she was about to die.
After being detained for several months, Zhang Qinggui and Lang Qingchen were transferred to Benxi Forced Labour Camp. The guards put both men in isolation and they were strictly monitored. They were not allowed to sleep. The guards took turns brainwashing them. They were forced to sit on small stools for long periods of time. They were not allowed to wash or use the toilet. They were sometimes not given water or food. Other times, they were given very small quantities of food. The police also paid thugs to torment them. During this time, Wang Runlong went to the forced labour camp several times and attempted to obtain information about other practitioners. Every time, the practitioners refused.
In November 2007, Zhang Qinggui and Lang Qingchen were transferred back to Donggang Detention Centre. The police department, Donggang Procuratorate Office, and court conspired to give the two practitioners excessive sentences. The police submitted the practitioners' cases to the Procuratorate Office. When their families went to the Procuratorate Office to enquire about their cases, the prosecutor of the cases, Qu Hongling, lied to them and told them that their cases could not be processed due to a heavy workload and that they needed to wait another month. However, two days later, Qu Hongling handed the cases to the court. When the families heard the news, they went to the court.
On December 25th, family members were told that the cases would go to trial. They went to the court, but the court staff denied it and told practitioners' families that there would not be any trial. The families believed them. Contrary to what the court staff told the families, the cases were sent to trial. With no defence lawyers or witnesses present at the practitioners' trials, the court sentenced each practitioner to six years in a forced labour camp. The entire procedure reportedly took less than half an hour.
Zhang Qinggui and Lang Qingchen appealed to Dandong City Middle Court. Their cases were handled by Tian Xuyan. The practitioners' families told her that they wanted to have an open hearing and to defend the practitioners in court. On January 30th, 2008, Tian called Lang Qingchen's wife, Ms. Ma, and asked her to see her defence statement. Ms. Ma refused. Instead, she requested to see Lang Qingchen. Tian refused her request and said only lawyers could see defendants. Ms. Ma protested, "I am acting as the defence lawyer. I have the right to see the defendant. How can I defend the case if I am not clear about the facts?" Tian still refused to let her see Lang and told her to convey a message to Zhang Qinggui's family that "Zhang Qinggui's lawyer is a Falun Gong practitioner and is not allowed to defend Zhang." When Ma asked, "She is the lawyer Zhang's family hired. It is legal. Why won't you let her defend Zhang?" Tian replied, "That's the regulations." However, there is no law prohibiting a Falun Gong practitioner from being a lawyer. Tian also told Ma that she should not meet with or have any contact with Zhang's lawyer.
Afterwards, Tian Xuyan phoned Ma several times to set up a meeting place and time, but they were never able to meet. Tian also told Ma that there would be no hearing on this case.
On February 29th, Tian Xuyan arranged for another person to call Ma and told her that the hearing would be on March 3rd and the person also asked to see Ma's defence statement. Ma insisted on seeing the defendant, but this person denied her request. On March 2nd, this person called again and asked Ma to go to Dandong Middle Court immediately. When Ma asked why, the person refused to answer and hung up the phone. Ma called back and asked again and told the person that she would not go unless given a reason. The person finally told her that the court had secretly issued a verdict in the case. Ma was called and told to pick up and sign the "verdict statement." Ma refused their request.
That same afternoon, around 1:00 p.m., Tian Xuyan called again and told Ma to go and get the "verdict statement." She also told Ma that the verdict was to keep the original sentencing. Ma refused again on the phone and told her, "We do not accept your illegal sentencing. Lang Qingchen is innocent, and I will appeal for him." Tian Xuyan threatened Ma on the phone, "If you don't pick up the verdict statement and refuse to sign it, you husband will for sure suffer more than others. And I won't cooperate with you if you appeal. Don't come to me for help." Tian also said, "If you also practise Falun Gong, there is nothing to talk about anymore. This case is over." On March 10th, Dandong Middle Court notified the families to see the practitioners. When Ma and her son went to the detention centre, Tian Xuyan again threatened them. Their son was eager to see his father and worried that Lang would suffer more if he did not comply with them. He signed the "verdict statement" in tears.
Note
1. Repentance Statement: In this statement the practitioner is forced to admit remorse for practising Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/3/30/175433.html
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