We first learned about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in Hu County, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province at the beginning of August 2002 and began to investigate. We experienced great difficulties investigating because practitioners had been arrested secretly, and had been subjected to interrogation and torture. They were also detained and subjected to a court trial conducted by officials from the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and judicial and public security organs in Hu County and Xi'an City. In addition, some practitioners were killed and cremated secretly, plus many had been imprisoned for a long time; therefore it took us a long time to discover the truth.
After several years of investigations, although some of the details cannot be verified, the scope and seriousness of the persecution in this area is clear. This report is now being made public to let people know about the crimes that have been committed against Falun Gong practitioners by the 610 Office, and the judicial and public security organs in Hu County, and Xi'an City.
At the beginning of 2002, in the wake of the staged "Tiananmen self-immolation1," practitioners in the Xi'an area initiated massive activities exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in every county and the whole city in order to expose the fraud. This caused hatred and worry among the people in the 610 Office and police station in Xi'an. They planned and conducted a new round of persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, which started in Hu County.
At the beginning of August 2002, officials from the Hu County 610 Office and police station established an "82 Special Case Team." They reassigned police officers from the Domestic Security Division, the criminal police brigade and every local police station. Within over one month they arrested over 40 practitioners as well as non-practitioners (who helped practitioners) from Hu County, Xi'an City, Xianyang City, and Lanzhou City of Gansu Province. Over 40 people suffered from torture, which caused the death of one person. Ten people were sentenced to prison, and eight people were sent to a forced labour camp for long term imprisonment. This became another major event where Falun Gong practitioners were collectively persecuted in the Xi'an area.
1. Forty-one Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested
The following are the names of the practitioners arrested at that time:
Twenty-one people from Hu County: Gao Meiwa, Pan Fangli, Li Yuhua, Wang Hong, Wang Li, Wang Hong, Xiao Zhenyong, Geng Junmin, Liu Junyi, Zhang Weibin, Xiao Chunhong, Zhang Lianxin, Liu Shuyan, Dai Lian, Xu Qingfeng, Zhou Yating, Bai Xiuying, Yang Fangli, Lu Xiuxia, Wu Tingyu, and Wang Minghua.
Sixteen people from the Xi'an area: Yang Hengqing, Lei Han, Liu Fang, Wang Weizhen, Geng Yanping, Dang Zhulin, Zhang Fang, Gao Bilian, Xiang Guizhi, Zhang Guiying, Long Aiqin, Yan Anfang, Feng Yayun, Sun Xiuhua, Sun Xiuwen, and Fang Liting.
One person from the Xianyang area: Ma Jin'e.
Three people from Lanzhou, Gansu: Han Xu, Xi Lilin, Zhang Ping.
2. Arrested Practitioners' Homes Ransacked
The homes of the above mentioned 41 practitioners and of many non-practitioners, who had helped practitioners, were ransacked and items were stolen. Many Falun Gong books, materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong, cash and foreign currencies (the amount is unknown) were taken. At least 10 computers, laser printers, copiers, multi-function machines and other printing equipment were taken away.
3. Arrested Falun Gong Practitioners Suffered Torture
Arrested practitioners were sent to a secret place in a ravine where they were beaten mercilessly and interrogated under torture. The hands of some practitioners were cuffed behind their backs. They were also hung up and whipped. The heads of some were covered with black caps while they were beaten and they were kicked, slapped in their face, and pounded on their necks with blunt instruments. Others were put in handcuffs and foot shackles, and forced to squat for a long time. Some were subjected to the "Tiger bench2" torture method, others were deprived of sleep for several days and nights continuously, and some were not allowed to eat or drink, or to use the toilet. These cruel police officers did not even spare older women who were nearly 70 years old. These practitioners were tortured until they lost consciousness, and practitioner Wang Weizhen died as a result of being tortured.
4. Falun Gong Practitioner Wang Weizhen Killed by Torture, Police Try to Make it Look Like Suicide
Mr. Wang Weizhen (formerly known as Wang Dawei), a former engineer from the Xi'an Hongan Company, died at age of 57. He was arrested on September 1st, 2002, suffered from merciless beatings and torture many times, and died during interrogation while being tortured on September 6th, 2002.
The police kept the death of Wang Weizhen secret and dodged it when Ma Jin'E, Wang's wife, asked about him. She was arrested at the same time and isolated in another place where 10 people monitored her strictly. Ma Jin'E conducted a hunger strike to protest her persecution. More than 20 days later, people from the Hu County Politics and Law Committee sent two people to tell her that Wang Weizhen had "jumped from an upper story in order to commit suicide," and since he landed on his head, he died. Ms. Ma immediately rebutted this assertion, and pointed out that it was not possible that her husband had committed suicide and that his death was most certainly homicide. People from the Politics and Law Committee did not dare to raise their heads, had nothing to say and left in panic. Due to Ms. Ma's demands, she was allowed to see her husband's remains. She noticed that his head had no wounds, but the whole body showed bruises, especially around the waist. She said seriously: "His body is full of bruises, and he was most certainly killed by torture. I have also gone into a coma due to being beaten. Since I was told that he landed on his head when he jumped, why are there no wounds on his head, but his waist shows heavy wounds? His body must have been thrown down after he was tortured to death!" She proposed that Mr. Wang's relatives, an attorney and medical examiner conduct an autopsy together, but her request was denied immediately. Mr. Wang's remains were cremated against his wife's wishes. Afterward, officials from the Hu County Police Station paid 30,000 yuan3 as compensation, but Mr. Wang's family intensely condemned his death.
Since the police claimed that Wang Weizhen committed suicide, why did they not dare to inform his wife? Since they claimed that Mr. Wang died because he had landed on his head, when he fell to the ground, why were there no wounds on his head, but other parts of his body were covered with bruises? Since they claimed that it had been a suicide, why didn't they dare to allow Mr. Wang's relatives and attorney witness an autopsy by a medical examiner? Since they claimed it to be suicide, why was the Hu County Police Station so willing to pay a compensation?
All sorts of signs indicated that the Hu County police intentionally fabricated the suicide of Wang Weizhen to escape being charged with the offence of torturing people to death! This is an example of their faithful execution of Jiang's policy toward Falun Gong - "killing Falun Gong practitioners is counted as suicide, directly cremate their body to destroy the evidence."
Ma Jin'E has sent written witness reports to concerned departments, but nobody paid any attention.
5. Practitioners Suffered Detention and Mental Torture
At the beginning of September 2002, arrested practitioners were locked in Lajiatan Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Hu County. Every practitioner was locked up in a small confinement cell that had a tightly locked iron gate. The police monitored everyone strictly and only allowed fresh air to come in less than an hour every day. Practitioners received two meals with extremely bad food every day, but their family members were forced to pay 10 yuan per day for boarding expenses.
During these detentions, which lasted three months, practitioners experienced enormous devastation. In 2002, practitioners initiated a collective hunger strike to protest their maltreatment. This action startled officials from the Xi'an City's 610 Office and the Public Security Bureau, as well as from the Hu County Police Station. They then transferred these practitioners to the Xi'an City's 610 Office brainwashing centre (which is located at the Xi'an Worker Sanatorium), and carried out mental torture.
The head of the Xi'an City 610 Office personally directed this brainwashing session, and sent a chief and many cadres to participate in carrying out the persecution. Officials from the Hu County 610 Office reassigned nearly 100 people from the public security office, the traffic police, various local police stations and other agencies, to strictly control practitioners. Every practitioner was locked up in a small room, monitored by two guards, and not allowed to practise the Falun Gong exercises. They were also not allowed to step outside the door, and they were forced to watch brainwashing video recordings. Practitioners also had to read books and materials that slandered Falun Gong, and write reports about their thoughts. People in this brainwashing centre tortured practitioners with various means, as well as threats, intimidation and temptations.
At the end of January 2003, 18 steadfast Falun Gong practitioners (those who had refused to be "transformed" [forcibly renounce Falun Gong]) were taken to forced labour camps and received extended detention terms.
6. Ten Falun Gong Practitioners Sentenced
In April 2003, the Hu County Procuratorate charged 10 practitioners, and the court hearings were held secretly by the Hu County Court. The hearings took place at two places heavily guarded by armed police. Practitioners' relatives and the cadres from their workplace were not allowed to attend the trial. It was a closed trial and 10 practitioners were announced to be guilty, the final sentences made by the Xi'an City Intermediate People's Court. The sentenced practitioners were:
Han Xu, employee of the Gansu Province Rug Import and Export Company; sentenced to 10 years.
Wang Li, employee at the Xianyang Railway Division, Hu County Station; sentenced to 8 years.
Wang Hong, employee of China Life Insurance, Hu County branch office; sentenced to 8 years.
Yang Hengqing, former party committee assistant secretary, vice-president (vice-department level cadre) and professor at the Xi'an Institute of Science and Technology (presently the Xi'an Scientific and Technical University); sentenced to 7 years.
Xi Lilin, former doctor at the Lanzhou Business School; sentenced to 7 years.
Geng Yanping, employee at the Northwest Airline; sentenced to 7 years
Fang Liting; sentenced to 4 years.
Pan Fangli, a farmer in Yuxia Town, Hu County; sentenced to 3 years.
Liu Fang, a teacher with a post-doctorate, undergraduate course degree from the North-western Polytechnic University; sentenced to 3 years, and suspended 5 years.
Li Yuhua, a former employee of the Huian Chemical Plant; sentenced to 3 years, and suspended 3 years.
Eight of these practitioners were separately detained at the Weinan No. 2 Prison, the Qujiang and Women's Prison in Xi'an for further persecution.
7. Eight Falun Gong Practitioners Sent to Forced Labour Camps or Extended Detention
Eight practitioners were sent to forced labour camps or received extended detention sentences. They were: Lei Han (professor at the Northwest Politics and Law University), Ma Jin'e (Xianyang), Wang Minghua (Hu County), Xiao Zhenyong (Hu County), Liu Junyi (Hu County), Xu Qingfeng (Hu County), Zhou Yating (Hu County), and Zhang Lianxin (Hu County).
Six of them were sent to a forced labour camp in Xi'an City by personnel from the Re-education Through Forced Labour Committee. They were detained at the Shaanxi Province Women's Forced Labour Camp and Zaozihe Forced Labour Camp. Two other practitioners were detained at the Lianhu District Detention Centre for further persecution.
8. Responsible Unit and Personnel
The main responsible units in these persecution cases are the Xi'an City 610 Office, the Public Security Bureau, the Intermediate Court, and the Re-education Through Forced Labour Committee, the Hu County 610 Office, Public Security Bureau, Politics and Law Committee, People's Procuratorate, and the court.
Main responsible personnel:
Zhang Zhaoyun: Xi'an 610 Office chief.
Liu Ping: director general of the Xi'an City's Public Security Bureau.
Zhang Jingmin: Hu County 610 Office head, chief of the Domestic Security
Division, and Hu County Public Security Bureau.
Liu Zhijin: director general of the Hu County Public Security Bureau.
Fan Hede: police chief of the criminal police brigade, and the Hu County Public Security Bureau (interrogation group leader).
Yang Minliang: police officer of the Hu County Public Security Bureau (special case component member).
Zhou Dangpu: police officer of the Hu County Public Security Bureau (special case
component member).
Police officers in Hu County who participated in the arrest and the torture of Falun Gong practitioners: Deng Yuanli, Yan DiOu, Xu Tao, Shen Senlin, Yan Jilong, Yan Changyi, Chen Linjiang, Wang Yongan, Zhang Tao, Sun Feng, Liu Min, Huang Kai, Du Zhao, Liu Yi and others.
The persecution of over 40 Falun Gong practitioners took place in Hu County, a small county of Xi'an City, causing severe difficulties and suffering for the practitioners and their families and associates. Among these 40 people, there were young people of about 20 years of age, as well as older people of nearly 70 years of age. Among these people were a farmer, a professor, a post-doctorate student, an engineer, a doctor, and cadres, all of whom have made contributions to the country. Because of their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and their desire to explain the truth, they were arrested, brutally tortured, sentenced and sent to forced labour camps, and some even lost their precious lives. Although this only reveals the tip of the iceberg in the persecution of Falun Gong, it demonstrates the brutality and evilness of this nationwide ten-year-long persecution!
Note
1. The "Tiananmen Self-Immolation" an incident on Tiananmen Square in January 2001 whereby four people set themselves alight and the Chinese Communist claimed they were Falun Gong practitioners, yet there was video evidence to strongly disprove this claim
2. "Tiger Bench": Prisoners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead without movement for long periods of time.
3. "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/2010/1/9/215979.html
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