Practitioner Ms. Sun Li Arrested; Her Family Detained When Looking for Her

Local police arrested Ms. Sun Li from a hotel room. Ms. Sun is from Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province. The arrest took place while she was running errands in the Nancha District, Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province. Her family went to look for her but was detained and had funds extorted from them.

Officers from the Nancha District Security Division arrested Sun Li from her room on the fourth floor of the Yindu Hotel at 10:00 a.m. on December 20th, 2009, and also captured two other people who were in the room with her at the time. They took her to Nancha Security Division. Nancha District Security Division head Qiao Hongtao and several plainclothes police officers dragged them downstairs to a waiting police car. She shouted, "Falun Gong is good" and she began explaining Falun Gong and exposing the Communist Party's crimes to the passersby. Qiao Hongtao called for another police car and waved down a taxi while trying to disperse the curious crowd that had gathered. Ms. Sun held onto the car door, and they shoved her to the ground. Officer Zhao Yuanxin knelt on her chest and almost suffocated her. Another officer arrived, and the two carried her into the car. They kept kneeling on her chest so she could not move.

Torture and interrogation at the Nancha Security Division

Ms. Sun and the two other people were locked in different cells at Nancha Security Division. Zhao Yuanxin interrogated her. The prolonged assault on her chest had her trembling uncontrollably, and she felt nauseated the whole time. Once her condition improved slightly, she asked the officials their names. She said, "I did not violate any law, and I shouldn't have to answer any questions. If I did, you will use this record as evidence against Falun Gong practitioners. In the future, when persecutors of Falun Gong are brought to trial, it will serve as evidence of your crimes, so I'm trying to help you by not telling you anything." He said, "I don't need your help. This is my job. We have lots of ways to make you talk." He listed a few methods of gross abuse and mistreatment, such as solitary confinement in a dark room, handcuffs, shackles, and food deprivation, among others.

Sun Li spent the entire morning explaining the wonders of Falun Gong to them and refused to answer their questions. Yichun City 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) head Wang Yuhui; Li Xuemin, head of the Nancha Police Department; and security chief Ma Hongtao threatened her the whole time. Persecutor Zhao Yuanxin handcuffed her behind her back at 7:00 p.m. and made her sit on the icy cold concrete floor when the outdoor temperature in December was below -30 C [-22 F]. The room was insufficiently heated. She had her menses and was weak from not having eaten all day. The three police officers took turns interrogating her and would not let her sleep. The handcuffs cut into her flesh; her hands swelled and she lost feelings in her right thumb. She was exhausted, and by next morning her hands were the size of grapefruits. She stood up and sat on a sofa. Zhao Yuanxin grabbed her and threw her on the floor. He kept shoving and beating her.

Family detained and fined

Ms. Sun's family suspected that something was wrong since she had not returned home, and her mobile phone was turned off. They went to the Security Division. Zhao Yuanxin refused to let Sun Li meet with her family, but she heard her family members' voices from inside the cell and shouted to them. Her family asked her whether she was beaten, and she shouted, "Zhao Yuanxin just did, and I will sue him!"

The police then coaxed the family to leave. An hour later, Wang Yuhui, Yichun City 610 Office head, went to see Ms. Sun and claimed they had found her information in the Security Department's internal database of "important" Falun Gong practitioners. He said, "This is enough to sentence you to ten years in prison. Because of you, your family members have been arrested and taken straight to Harbin City Forced Labour Camp."

The story was that when five of Ms. Sun's family members went to look for her, the police did not explain the reason for the arrest, but instead started videotaping them. Because she had been arrested five times since 1999, her family knew she was in police custody, so they didn't leave and waited downstairs. In the meantime the officials called police chiefs from different district police departments and police stations in Yichun City, along with about 30 police officers to come and arrest Sun Li's family. The family was separated and taken to different police stations, where all their personal belongings were confiscated and they were interrogated. They were detained for periods of between five and ten days and each fined 500 yuan¹, which was deducted from the cash that was taken from them. They were not given any receipts, had to sleep on the concrete floor, and were prevented from seeing Ms. Sun. They suffered huge mental pressure while worrying about her.

Sun Li's arrested brother owned a supermarket. He lost more than 10,000 yuan because he could not tend to business while in police custody. Her sister could not work, and her pregnant sister-in-law was also detained. Her brother-in-law was detained, even though he was recovering from a broken foot. Sun Li's husband was detained for ten days. He was afflicted with protrusion of spinal disc(s) and bone spurs, which affected his ability to walk. Her father, in his 60s, has been travelling back and forth between Jiamusi City and Nancha City, appealing for her and family members' release.

Relevant officials at the Nancha Police Department:
Zhang Xijun, police chief: 86-458-3413832 (Office)
Li Xuemin, deputy police chief: 86-458-3476783 ext. 2203 (Office), 86-458-3413362 (Home), 86-13704585566 (Mobile)
Wang Yuhui, 610 Office head: 86-458-3476383 ext. 2221 (Office), 86-458-3411989 (Home), 86-13845836863 (Mobile)
Han Fujun, Domestic Security Division head: 86-458-3476383 ext. 2221 (Office)
Xu Zhibin, Domestic Security Division political head: 86-458-3476383 ext. 2221 (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://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/4/4/220979.html