Dozens of Practitioners Arrested in Harbin City, Three Have Died Since January

In the first quarter of 2008 alone, the police from Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, arrested dozens of Falun Gong practitioners who simply want to be good people and don't want to give up the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" they are pursuing.

Following are some of the major cases involving the arrests of practitioners:

1. The Police from the Xiangyang Police Station, Xiangfang District Police Sub-department, Harbin City, Arrested Ms. Zhao Jinxiang and Ms. Liu Shuqing

At around 11 a.m. January 23rd, 2008, Ms. Zhao Jinxiang and Ms. Liu Shuqing were reported and arrested by police from the Xiangyang Police Station, Xiangfang District Police Sub-department while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong at Dongxingdun Village, Xiangyang Commune, Xiangfang District.

2. Six practitioners from Acheng District, Harbin City, have been arrested and their homes ransacked

On the evening of January 24th, 2008, special agents from the National Security Division and the Police Department used all sorts of base tactics such as following people and prying open locked doors. They broke into the home of Ms. Sun Huifang, a teacher in Yuquan Township, without going through any formalities, showing any warrant, or giving any explanation. They arrested Ms. Wu Yanchun, Mr. Ren Zhongde, and Ms. Sun Huifang. They also ransacked the house and confiscated mobile phones, computers, and Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution.

At around 5 p.m., on January 25th, 2008, policemen broke into Mr. Sun Cheng's home. They confiscated a printer, two computers, over 200 yuan¹ cash, and a phone book. The whole process lasted nearly three hours. Mr. Lu Haiyan, who was a guest at Mr. Sun's house, tried to cover for Mr. Sun and his wife so that they could leave. He engaged the policemen by debating with them for more than an hour and was then arrested. However, Mr. Sun and his wife managed to escape.

In the morning on January 26th, 2008, policemen broke into practitioner Mr. Xiao Xie's home in Acheng District, Harbin City, arrested him, and confiscated his mobile phone as well as other items.

In mid March 2008, personnel from the Acheng District 610 Office² instructed and arranged to set up a 610 Office in Yuquan Township. After its establishment, local practitioners were interfered with and persecuted. The neighbourhood committee started to investigate, monitor, and control Falun Gong practitioners. It also harassed the practitioners and punished those who were related to them, threatening them with jail sentences or being fired from their jobs.

3. Ms. Shang Wenru and Ms. Cao Yanjuan from Pingfang District, Harbin City, were arrested

On February 3rd, 2008, Ms. Shang Wenru, over 60 years old, and Cao Yanjuan, over 40 years old, from the Bingjiang Factory District went to hand out leaflets exposing the persecution of Falun Gong and were arrested by policemen from the Erdaogou Police Station. Ms. Shang was released after questioning, however, Ms. Cao was detained at the Harbin City Detention Centre on February 5th after questioning.

4. Mr. Qi Fengming and Mr. Qi Fei, father and son, from Harbin have been arrested

On February 4th, 2008, Qi Fengming, who lived on Sandao Street in Harbin City, was reported while handing out information materials about the persecution of Falun Gong at nearby buildings in the Harxi District. Officers came in three police cars and arrested him. His son, Qi Fei, was arrested at work and their homes were ransacked.

5. Mr. Guo Gang and two other practitioners from Harbin City have been arrested and their homes were ransacked

In the morning of January 25th, 2008, Mr. Guo Gang was taken away from his home. His computer, mobile phone, and 4,000 yuan in cash were confiscated.

Practitioners Ms. Li Chunjuan and Mr. Liu Pengfei from Pingfang District, Harbin City, were also arrested.

6. Five practitioners from Yilan County, Harbin City, have been arrested and the homes of six other practitioners were ransacked

On February 3rd, 2008, Zhao Jiannan, Director of the Xing'an Village Security Section, Tuanshanzi Township, Yilan County, went with several policemen to the homes of five local practitioners as well as the home of a practitioner in the neighbouring village. The police searched the houses and confiscated Falun Gong books, and other items.

Mr. Mo Zhilkuai and four other practitioners from Yilan County were arrested by police from the Tuanshanzi Township while they were in Daotaiqiao Township.

7. Four Practitioners from Wuchang, Harbin City, have been arrested and persecuted

Practitioner Yu Xiaohua from Wuchang City was forcefully taken away by the police while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong at a market in Wuchang City. Yu was detained at the city's detention centre and then sent to the Wanjia Forced Labour Camp in Harbin City at the end of February 2008.

Na Zibo, Sun Shaorong, and another practitioner with the surname Chen from Wuchang City and Harbin City went out to distribute leaflets on October 28th, 2007. They were reported by villagers, and policemen from Wuchang City's Police Department arrested them and put them in Wuchang Detention Centre. Later, personnel from the National Security Division, the 610 Office and the city's procuratorate collaborated with each other to sentence these practitioners. Three practitioners have been sent away and their whereabouts are still unknown.

Within three months, the Harbin police arrested dozens of Falun Gong practitioners using the most base and shameless methods.

8. During the first quarter of 2008, three practitioners who pursued the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" died while still not cleared of their false charges.

Ms. Ni Shuzhi, 60 years old, was from Hulan District, Harbin City. She began to practise Falun Gong in 1998. In May 2002 she was arrested. She was sentenced and held at a women's prison, where she suffered from all sorts of torture. At the end of 2006, Ms. Ni was unable to speak shortly after bleeding through her nose. She also coughed, did not want to have anything to eat, and suffered from diarrhoea. In May 2007 when Ms. Ni was released, she suffered from liver cirrhosis, ascites in her liver, heart failure, insufficient supply of blood to her brain and heart, as well as pharyngitis. She died as a result of inhuman torture on January 19th, 2008.

Mr. Liu Quanguo, 50 years old, lived in Sanjiazi Village, Handian Township, Shuangcheng City, Harbin. He had been weak due to various illnesses since his childhood. Later he contracted a severe liver related illness and lost the ability to work. He began to practise Falun Gong in 1996 and his illnesses disappeared without any medication. Mr. Liu was sentenced twice to a forced labour. He became extremely weak owing to the brutal treatment in Changliz Forced Labour Camp. In the autumn of 2006, when he was released from the forced labour camp, he had tuberculosis symptoms. He was in a state of delirium and suffered from incontinence. He passed away on February 16th, 2008.

Mr. Liu Quanguo was tortured during his six months' detention at the Shuangcheng Detention Centre in 1999. He was repeatedly beaten until his head started to bleed and his eye sockets were black and blue. He was forced to sleep on the cement floor for three months and not allowed a quilt.

In 2001, Mr. Liu went to Beijing to appeal again for Falun Gong. He was detained for one month in the Pingfang Detention Centre in Harbin City. During that month, he was brutally beaten around 15 times. The prisoners raised his chin onto the headboard, tied his hands behind his back, raised his legs up backwards, and forced his stomach to the floor. They then stepped on him, pulled his head, and punched his throat.

Arriving at the camp on January 30th, 2003, he was forced to stand outside barefoot and stripped for 30 minutes in the freezing cold. In addition, he was forced to do hard labour every day. Once he was forced to help a welder, who burned his arm with a hot-red welding strip.

One afternoon in February 2004, an employee of the Handian Town Government, Sun Jihua (male, in charge of the persecution), led a group of officials and police officers, including some Shuangcheng City 610 Office agents, to storm into Mr. Liu's home. They carried him into their vehicle and detained him in the Shuangcheng City Detention Centre. This was in early February and it was cold. The guards stripped him and poured pan after pan of cold water over him for a long time, causing him to shiver from the cold.

At Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp the prison guards tried to coerce him to write the three statements³ to give up his belief. He was thrown into a huge water vat. The guards incited inmates to beat his head with a shovel handle and a plastic tube, hold his head under water, or hose cold water over his head while his body was soaked in the vat. Since he refused to write the statements, he was repeatedly tortured in the water vat. It was very cold in Harbin at that time so Mr. Liu almost froze to death. He was also forced to do hard labour, which was to pack 35 boxes of toothpicks, otherwise he was not allowed to sleep. Mr. Liu was not allowed to sleep for four days and nights. His legs were swollen and he could not see properly but he was forced to continue to work. As a result, he became very weak, could not sit up, and had blood in his stool.

Mr. Liu Quanguo endured shocks from electric batons and brutal beatings while in the camp. He became so weak that he could only walk with the help of two people. Fellow villagers learned about his situation and wrote a letter with many signatures to appeal on behalf of Mr. Liu's good character. Zhao Shuang saw the letter but did not stop the brutality. Instead he kicked Mr. Liu and hit him in the face until he bled from his nose and mouth. He said viciously, "You will die as soon as you are released."

Mr. Liu Quanguo returned home in the autumn of 2006, but was in critical condition. He became weaker and weaker and died on February 16th, 2008.

Mr. Yin Fuquan lived in Yanhe Village, Jincheng Township, Shuangcheng City, Heilongjiang Province. Mr. Yi was incarcerated in Tailai Prison. Not until he was in critical condition did the authorities from this prison agree that his family could pick him up on August 8th, 2007, for medical treatment. He died on February 13th, 2008 at the age of 45.

After July 20th, 1999, when the persecution started, Mr. Yin suffered from all kinds of persecution and torture. Since he refused to accept being brainwashed, the prison guards had prisoners put 35-pound ankle shackles on him and forced him to stand under the burning sun. He was beaten, kicked, and forced to squat for a long period of time. They also tortured him with the "big hang up⁴" and punched his face, causing his nose and mouth to bleed. He became paralysed and bedridden. Not until Mr. Yi was in critical condition did the prison authorities agree to let him be picked up by his family on August 8, 2007. He suffered and was in pain for six more months, and died on February 13, 2008.

Note

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

2. "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.

3. "Three Statements": Practitioners are coerced under brainwashing and torture to write "Repentance Statement," "Guarantee Statement" or 'Dissociation Statement" as proof that they have given up their belief. In the 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.

4. Big hang up - There are several forms of this torture: 1. With both hands cuffed behind the back and only the toes touching the ground, one is hung by a rope that is tied to a metal window frame; 2. One hand of a practitioner is cuffed to one post of a bunk bed and the other hand to another bed, and the two beds are pulled in opposite directions. One feels extreme pain as the body is pulled. For examples of this torture, see illustrations on http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2004/11/17/54624.html

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/4/11/176278.html