As the Olympic Torch Relay Reaches Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Many Falun Gong Practitioners Are Subjected to Persecution

The Olympic Torch arrived in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on June 28th, 2008 to travel through Zhongwei City, Wuzhong City and Yinchuan City. Meanwhile, local Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials kept surveillance on, harassed, followed and arrested practitioners. During this period of time, police either went directly to practitioners' homes or their workplaces, and some used the local Neighbourhood Administration as informants. A few police officers forced their way into practitioners' homes to seize their belongings.

Some practitioners' homes were under surveillance by more than ten people on any given shift. Police even installed cameras in the hallways of some apartment buildings where practitioners lived. Whenever anyone left home, they were followed immediately. It was reported that those participating in the surveillance included people hired by the Neighbourhood Administration under the 610 Office's¹ orders. Each person could get 30 yuan² in compensation per day. Some of them were as young as high school students.

During the noon hour on June 30th, Yinchuan City practitioner Mr. Zheng Yongxin was arrested by police from the Funing Road Police Station in Yinchuan City. He was first detained at Funing Road Police Station and was told that he would be released on July 1st, when the Olympic Torch left the area. Later on, Mr. Zheng Yongxin was not released, but instead detained at Yinchuan City Detention Centre. More than eight years ago, Mr. Zheng was an employee at the Yinchuan City Power Supply Bureau, but he was fired because of his belief in Falun Gong At that time, he was taken to Ningxia Forced Labour Camp and Ningxia Guyuan Detention Centre for eight years. Just before he finished serving his first sentence on November 11th, 2007 at the detention centre, he was taken by force to a brainwashing centre by the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 610 Office. He was released before the Chinese New Year of 2008. Now he is separated from his wife and children, and he doesn't have a permanent address.

On June 20th, officers from the Daxin Township Police Station of Yinchuan City broke into practitioner Ms. Liu Yan's home and arrested her and her one-year-old infant. That same night, they deceived Ms. Liu's husband Mr. Zhang into going to the police station to take them home, but after he arrived at the police station, the police only gave him his son and didn't allow him to speak to his wife. Ms. Liu Yan was detained in the Daxin Township Police Station and was later transferred to Xingqing Police Department of Yinchuan City. Currently, the couple's two children are still being cared for by Ms. Liu Yan's husband, but their daily life is very challenging.

Practitioner Mr. He Xianglong, from Longde County Guyuan City of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, was the on-duty teacher during the mandatory evening study hall. Police from the Domestic Security Division and Shatang Town Police Station forced their way into the school and arrested Mr. He without a warrant.

Practitioner Mr. Xie Yiqiang, an engineer in Yinchuan City, was sentenced to prison for four years. The CCP court made the announcement after the second day of trial, even though the trial itself was never formally concluded. At the end of June, practitioner Ms. Zhang Fang from Jinfeng District of Yinchuan City was taken into custody at Yinchuan City Detention Center. Practitioner Mr. Dou Jianyong was arrested at Pingluo County of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and he was held at Pingluo County Detention Centre for fifteen days.

At around noon on June 4th, practitioner Ms. Wang Lifang from Yinchuan City was arrested from her home by eleven police officers from Jingbian County's Domestic Security Division of Shaanxi Province. The officers in charge were Ren Baochuan and Zhao Lingyong. Ms. Wang was taken to the Jingbian Domestic Security Division.

A female practitioner from Xingqing District of Yinchuan City, who is over 70 years old, had her home ransacked and was arrested.

Using the 2008 Beijing Olympics as an excuse to escalate the persecution, the CCP has arrested more than one thousand and eight hundred practitioners. In some cases, after they made the arrest, they sentenced the practitioners to prison without a trial. The practitioners are required to serve their prison sentence until the Olympics are over.

Note

1. "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.

2. "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/2008/7/12/181848.html