Practitioners in Lingyuan City Jailed, Family Members Arrested When They Attempted to Visit

In February, 2008, a dozen people, including two lawyers, went to Shenyang City in order to visit Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Feng Guofu in jail. On February 25th, 2008, they were arrested while they slept. After they had money extorted from them, everyone in the group except Ms. Li Shuming, a practitioner, was released. Ms. Li, about 50, is from Lingbei Town, Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province. She has been beaten, jailed, and endured forced labour many times because she practises Falun Gong. She has been deaf for four years, ever since the township's government ordered 15 people to beat her.

On February 24th, 2008, after learning that Mr. Feng Guofu was on a hunger strike at Masanjia Forced Labour Camp in Shenyang City and that some practitioners detained at the camp were brutally beaten, a dozen of Mr. Feng's family and friends decided to visit the camp, including two attorneys that they had hired. Early on the morning of February 25th, 2008, while they slept at a hotel in Shenyang City, officers from the Renaolu Police Station (located within Shenyang City) unlawfully entered their rooms and took them away. That afternoon they were taken to the Lingyuan City No. 2 Detention Centre and detained by officers from the Lingyuan City Police Department. In the days that followed, other family members went to the police department to demand their release. Their families questioned the police as to why they were arrested for visiting relatives in jail and asked which law gave them the right to make these arrests. The officers from the National Security Division resisted demands for the family members' release. In addition, the officers ordered that every detainee pay a 2,000 to 3,000 yuan¹ "fine."

At around 3:30 a.m. on February 25th, 2008, National Security Division Director Wang Guilin (male) and Chen Zhi (male) led officers to Ms. Lou Caihua's home in the Xintai Community. They knocked on her door and pretended they were from downstairs and had come up to complain about a water leak. Once Ms. Lou opened the door, they arrested her. The officers searched her home and seized a notebook computer, a printer, and other personal property.

Then, around 9:00 a.m., Wang Guilin, Chen Zhi and others surrounded the apartment where practitioner Ms. Xiaoxue (surname unknown) lived. In an attempt to escape the police, Ms. Xiaoxue jumped from the sixth floor. Fortunately, she hit the advertising board of a first-floor shop, which slowed her fall enough that she didn't die, although she did sustain serious injuries. Her computer, printer, and more than 30,000 yuan in cash were seized. A couple days later, disregarding her injury, Wang Guilin forced Ms. Xiaoxue to leave Lingyuan City to return to her home town.

By law, to conduct a search of anyone's house, police officers must have a warrant signed by the director of the police department as well as the director of the local police station, and a local community witness must be present during the search. The officers must show the warrant before their search. All seized items then must be detailed on an official list and signed by the owner. None of these procedures were followed in any of the above cases. Instead, the officers invaded private residences and plundered the practitioners' personal property.

Zhang Minghua (male), Deputy Director of Lingyuan City Police Department: 86-421-2628248 (Office), 86-421-2636666 (Home), 86-13304219999 (Mobile) 86-13904213399 (Mobile)

Shang Zeming (male), Secretary of Lingyuan City Political and Judiciary Committee: 86-421-6818908 (Office), 86-421-6816599 (Home), 86-13904916599 (Mobile)

Zhang Qiang (male), Deputy Secretary of Lingyuan City Political and Judiciary Committee, former Director of 610 Office: 86-421-6815610 (Office), 86-421-6821759 (Home), 86-13052611798 (Mobile)

Cong Rixing (male), Deputy Secretary of Lingyuan City Political Judiciary Committee: 86-421-682221 (Office)

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://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/3/30/175441.html