Police Use Tear Gas and Axe to Break Into Mr. Zhang Yu's Home in Manchuri City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Name: Zhang Yu
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: Aug.8th, 2009
Most recent place of detention: The Manchuri City Detention Centre
City: Manchuri
Province: Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

At midnight on August 8th, 2009, the Manchuri City Hall in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Politics and Law Committee, and the 610 Office¹ instructed police from the Manchuri City's National Security Division, the Public Security Bureau, and the Domestic Security Division to break into the home of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhang Yu and arrest him. Residing in the home with Mr. Zhang were his wife, his parents, and his teenage daughter.

Mr. Zhang's family refused to open the door and held the police back until daybreak. The police then dispatched a fire truck and several dozen police officers from the local police station, Public Security Bureau, and Domestic Security Bureau. The deputy mayor and deputy chief of the Public Security Bureau and Ma Ying and Sun Shaowei from the 610 Office were also present to give orders. Mr. Zhang's home was besieged. Mr. Zhang and his wife kept trying to inform the police about the true nature of Falun Gong but they would not listen.

There were many bystanders at the scene. The police tried to cover up their illegal action by fabricating a story that Mr. Zhang had participated in riots in Xinjiang. The police also tried to disperse the crowd.

The stand-off lasted until noon. The police then smashed a window and threw tear gas into Mr. Zhang's home, with no regard for the fact that Mr. Zhang's elderly, sick parents and his teenage daughter were inside. Military police then went into Mr. Zhang's home through the broken window.

Because the police had broken the lock on Mr. Zhang's door, it could not be opened, so the police used a firefighter's ax to break down the door and took the family of five away.

Mr. Zhang's brother and sister-in-law worried that Mr. Zhang's valuables would be lost, but the police would not let them enter the home. The police looted some personal items that belonged to Mr. Zhang and his wife. One bystander used his mobile phone to take a picture of the police throwing tear gas, but the police found out and took his phone away.

Mr. Zhang's family was arrested because he and his wife practise Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It wasn't until 9 p.m. that his parents and daughter were released. Mr. Zhang and his wife were detained in the Manchuri City Detention Centre.

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.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2009/8/19/206794.html