The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners During the First Month of the Shanghai World Expo 2010

During the visit of US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to Shanghai on May 22nd and 23rd, 2010, many Falun Gong practitioners in Shanghai were followed and monitored 24 hours a day by people from the local community 610 Offices (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong). (Most of them hired by the 610 Office were members of the local community residential committee and policemen in charge of the household registry.) Practitioners were not allowed to leave their homes until 10 p.m.

Since July 20th, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been lying to the world and slandering Falun Gong in order to justify its persecution of the practice. Just like they capitalised on "security" for the Beijing Olympics to further persecute Falun Gong, the gangs of Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan have used the Shanghai World Expo 2010 to intensify the persecution of Falun Gong. From the time preparations began to the opening of the Expo, their propaganda machine has churned out lies and slander about the practice. According to a May 28th report on the Minghui/Clearwisdom website, at the entrance of the Expo, pamphlets that slandered Falun Gong were being sold for five yuan¹ each.

1-Falun Gong Practitioners Followed and Harassed

Since April 29th, the Shanghai government has been monitoring and following practitioners 24 hours a day. According to some police officers, Falun Gong practitioners cannot go to the Expo without being accompanied by the police. On certain "politically sensitive days," such as from May 1st to 3rd, from October 1st to the 7th, and from October 25th to the 31st, 2010.. During the closing ceremony practitioners were followed and monitored 24 hours a day. It was said that, if there were no Falun Gong fliers or posters in the Minhang District from May 1st to October 31st, the police would be rewarded. This policy has encouraged the police in all districts and communities to be vigilant in persecuting Falun practitioners.

The following are some examples:

In the Xuhui District, personnel from the community 610 Office, the Comprehensive Management Office and the police station take turns 24 hours a day monitoring practitioners from outside their homes. Leaders also come to inspect and give orders. As soon as practitioners leave their homes, they are followed. They also harass practitioners' families and relatives.

In the Changning District, Mr. Xu Hanmin was closely followed as soon as he left the door of his home.

In the Baoshan District, Ms. Fan Wanxia has been followed and monitored since April 15th. The people who followed her even ordered to stay in her home from April 30th to May 4th. She firmly refused to comply. Then they stationed themselves outside her home 24 hours a day to monitor her.

In the Jiading District, the Zhenxin Community Committee, of which Mr. Ma Dongquan is a member, demanded that he go stay in the Community Centre from 7 a.m. To 7 p.m. everyday from April 30th to May 4th. He was not allowed to go home to eat. His wife and son are now in jail.

In the Nanhui District, the 610 Office, the National Security Bureau, the Domestic Security Division, the Community Committees, and the Village Committees closely follow and monitor and even arrest practitioners.

In the Minhang District, practitioners have been closely watched since the opening of the Expo. Unemployed people were hired to stay outside practitioners' homes. Practitioners were not allowed to go out and daily necessities had to be brought in by the CCP officers. The observers also stationed themselves on the ground level of a residential building and followed practitioners wherever they went. Two of the practitioner monitors are: police officer Pan, 86-13162653882 (Mobile), and a member of the United Defence Brigade, Shen, 86-13391209228 (Mobile)

In the Songjiang District, most practitioners were closely monitored.

According to a report in the Minghui website [Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net] on May 19th, a long article slandering Falun Gong and attacking the Minghui website appeared in the Laoyi Community Centre located in the Lujiazhui Community of the Pudong Economic District in Shanghai. Those responsible for the slander were Wang Hengbiao, the Party secretary; Liu Chunfang, director of the Community Committee; Xu Yuanqi, staff member of the Comprehensive Management Committee; and Wang Zanliang, Education clerk.

2-Falun Gong Practitioners Regularly Arrested

1. Ms. Cai Yufang was around 56 years old and lived at Jianguo Xi Road and Taiyuan Road in the Xuhui District in Shanghai. She was arrested for the fifth time on March 25th, 2010, and was sentenced to one year and six months of forced labour. She was taken to the Shanghai Women's Forced Labour in Qingpu. She was detained four times before that. The third time she was detained because she went to Beijing again to appeal for Falun Gong in October 2000. She was taken back to Shanghai by local police and held in the Shanghai Women's Forced Labour Camp for two and a half years. During that time she was tortured. Because she refused to be "transformed," [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] the police tried to force her husband to divorce her. She was not even allowed to see her mother for the last time when her mother passed away. She was not allowed to see her son, either.

2. Ms. Cao Hongru, 69, was a Falun Gong practitioner in the Changning District. She was arrested on the evening of March 28th, while she was out. Her family still does not know her whereabouts. They called the local Xinhua Police Station and were told that they would be contacted. The police station has refused to answer any questions. The local detention centre also didn't answer any inquiries. Ms. Cao was previously held in a brainwashing centre and was then sentenced to three years and sent to Shanghai Tilanqiao Prison. Because she was very determined in her belief, she was then transferred to be held in a mental hospital. She has now been arrested yet again. (http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/5/30/117512.html)

3. Ms. Yang Liang, 31, came from Jingzhou in Liaoning Province. She was a flight attendant for China Southern Airline. She was fired in 2001 because of her spiritual beliefs. She was arrested on April 14th, 2010, by the Xuhui District Public Security Bureau and the Lingyun Police Station. The Xuhui District Public Security Bureau has presented her case to the Xuhui District Procuratorate. Her family was told that they were not allowed to hire a lawyer for her. She is currently being held in the Xuhui District Detention Centre. Because of her excellent work performance, she held a senior position in a company in Shanghai before her arrest. Her father travelled from far away in Jingzhou City to Shanghai to see his daughter, but the police in the Meilong Town Police Station in the Minhang District refused to let him see her. Her then rented a flat in Shanghai which the police sealed up. They refused to let her father clear up her belongings or return to the flat. Her father returned home in tears. (http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/5/29/117482.html)

4. Ms Lu Xiuying was a Falun Gong practitioner from Jingzhou City, Liaoning Province. She was arrested at Ms. Yang Liang's home at 5:30 p.m. on April 14th. She was held in the Xuhui District Detention Centre. The police didn't allow her family to see her or send her any clothes. The police claimed that she would not be sent back to Jingzhou City and that she would be sentenced in Shanghai.

5. Ms. Wang Yijin is a Falun Gong practitioner from Shanghai. In April she was arrested and taken to the Shanghai City "Legal Education School" (actually a brainwashing centre). Her mother recently called the police and demanded her daughter's release but the police said that they would not release her if she was not "transformed." The Xinhai Community Committee--Yang Jianhua and Shen Jianping, in particular--in Congming, Shanghai, is responsible for her arrest.

6. Ms. Huang Qinfang lived in Room 501, No 31 Luling Residential Compound in Gaoqiao Town, Pudong New Zone, Shanghai. She was arrested on April 22nd.

7. On April 23rd, police from the Pudong Public Security Bureau and the local police station arrested Ms. Xing Bing, a practitioner from Sichuan Province, while she was at work for a company in Pudong, Shanghai. The police confiscated her private computer and her work computer, a printer, and some copies of Falun Gong DVDs. Her family has received a notice saying that Ms. Xing was being held in the Zhangjiang Detention Centre in Pudong on criminal charges. Her boss and colleagues went to see her and demanded the return of the company computer, but the police just scolded them for employing her. The police threatened them, saying that Ms. Xing had jeopardised the security of the state and that her company should be held responsible (http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/5/25/117381.html)

8. Ms. Zhu Feilan is from the Nanhui District in Shanghai. Police from the Nanhui District Domestic Security Division and the 610 Office arrested her on April 25th. She was held in the Nanhui Detention Centre and then sentenced to one year in prison. Ms. Zhu was arrested while she was doing an odd job. Her home was also searched. This was the second time she has been arrested. She was previously jailed and persecuted for three years.

3-Documents that the CCP Utilised to Frame Falun Gong

On April 29th, 2010, the upper level of the education section of the Dagang District in Tianjin City passed to its subordinates "Document No, 20101," issued by the Tianjin Prevention Office. The document was a notice regarding the printing of "Guidelines for Handling the Falun Gong Organisation That Disturbs and Damages the Shanghai World Expo." This notice instigated people to actively work against Falun Gong.

At the end of April, the Minghui website exposed a confidential document issued by the 610 Office. The document used the Shanghai World Expo as an excuse to attack Falun Gong. It cited Qianxi as an example. The Qianxi County Political and Legal Committee and the Public Security Bureau, both controlled by the 610 Office, were then scared to death. They recalled all the documents and also set up a "special case team" initiated by the Public Security Bureau and the Criminal Investigation Team. They spread their net widely and harassed people everywhere. They investigated anyone or any family who had contact with this document. Police officers interrogated them one by one and repeatedly asked them questions. Officers from the Qianxi Domestic Security Division and Chengguan Police Station then seized this opportunity to aggressively arrest Falun Gong practitioners.

On May 3rd, officers from the Qianxi Domestic Security Division and the Chengguan Police Station arrested Mr. Mao Fengyong, an official from the Xingcheng Town Government; his wife; and Chen Hongli from Wu Village, Xingcheng Town. The police threatened Mr. Mao and his wife and extorted money from them. The two were not released until the next morning. Chen Hongli has been detained in the Qianxi County Detention Centre ever since.

On May 12th, the police suddenly arrested Ms. Wang Zhixin, who worked at the Xinzhuangzi Township Government, along with her husband, then searched her home and her mother's home in Huayuan Township. The police learned the whereabouts of the couple because they tapped Ms. Wang's mobile phone. On the same morning that the police arrested the couple, they also arrested bus drivers Lu Zoujin and Ma Yinfeng, who came from Huayuan Township, just as their bus arrived in Tangshan from Qianxi. The police ransacked Ms. Ma's home in Huayuan Township and her rented flat at Qianxi County. The husbands of both Ms. Wang and Ms. Ma were released after 24 hours. Ms. Wang and Ms Ma were held in the Xinzhuangzi Township Detention Centre for two days. On May 14th, they were detained on criminal charges and held on the Qianxi County Detention Centre.

4-Falun Gong Practitioners Were Arrested in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, and Wuhan in Hubei Province under the Pretence of Security for the Shanghai World Expo

1. On April 13th, 2010, over ten policemen from the Chenzhou 610 Office and the Yongxing Domestic Security Division broke into the home of couple Li Jiaju and Xu Huawen, both from Yongxing, Chenzhou, Hunan Province. Police searched the house, confiscated all Dafa books, and arrested the pair. They are currently in the Yongxing County Detention Centre. They were arrested because they were going to attend the Shanghai World Expo. The 610 Office and the Political and Legal Committee in the Beihu District of Chengzhou widely distributed a pamphlet entitled "Love the Peace in our Beihu, I Contribute to the Peace of Beihu." The pamphlet actually slandered Falun Gong. The 610 Office published an article in their name and framed and slandered Falun Gong. (http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/5/25/117368.html)

2. Wu Guo, the Party secretary of the Shunqing District Political and Legal Committee in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, stirred up the 610 Office at different levels as well as to the Domestic Security Division. He claimed, "If Falun Gong is in power, none of you will have any peace." He made every effort to instigate the 610 Offices in the legal field to see the Shanghai World Expo as an opportunity to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in the Shunqing District. Controlled by the Nanchong City Political and Legal Committee and the office that handles Falun Gong affairs, the Nanchong City Brainwashing Centre started to hold sessions again to persecute practitioners. Before April 25th, staff from the Public Security Bureau, the Domestic Security Division, and the Falun Gong affairs office in each area broke into practitioners' homes or were stationed outside practitioners' homes to arrest them and take them to the brainwashing centre. They mobilised staff from the government at all levels and the Falun Gong Affairs Offices of all levels to take part in the persecution. The brainwashing sessions will go on for six months to coincide with the duration of the Shanghai World Expo. Fou practitioners are being held at the brainwashing centre at the moment. They are Ms. Huang Zhiping from the Gaoping District, Mr. Li Guanghu from the southern county, Mr. Li Shuqing from the Xinhua Life Insurance Company in the southern area, and Ms. Tang Guizhen from the Shunqing District. (http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/6/5/117645.html)

3. On April 17th, 2010, the Bangbu City Political and Legal Committee and the 610 Office in Anhui Province started brainwashing sessions at the 214 Research Institute in Hongyecun South, Bangbu City. The sessions finished just recently. The 610 Office in Bangbu City intended to continue to arrest practitioners and send them to the brainwashing centre during the World Expo. (http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/5/26/117398.html)

4. In April 2010, officers from the Xihu District in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, arrested practitioners, citing World Expo "security issues" and held brainwashing sessions.

5. The 610 Office in the Jianghan District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, arrested practitioner Li Guiping under the pretence of security for the World Expo. On Saturday, April 24th, at 9 p.m., policemen and their vehicles surrounded the building where 53-year-old Ms Li Guiping lived. Police broke into her flat while she was alone at home. They arrested her and took her to the Erdaopeng Brainwashing Centre in the Jianghan District.

5-Amnesty International Issued an Urgent Appeal to Rescue Jiang Feng

During the second week of the Shanghai World Expo, Amnesty International issued an urgent appeal on May 10th, 2010, regarding the disappearance of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Jiang Feng in Shanghai. Amnesty International called for the immediate release of Mr. Jiang.

The "Call for Urgent Action" notice said, "Falun Gong practitioner Jiang Feng disappeared in Shanghai on February 18th and is believed to be detained by the Chinese authorities. He is at risk of being tortured and other ill-treatments."

On February 18th, Mr. Jiang disappeared at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport. He checked in for his flight to New York but never boarded the plane. Airline staff said he was taken away by Public Security Officials after passing through the security checkpoint. The authorities have not told Mr. Jiang's family where he is being held, and their efforts to obtain information from police in Shanghai about his whereabouts have gone nowhere. Friends in China believe he may have been taken to his home city of Hefei in Anhui Province, hundreds of kilometres from Shanghai.

Mr. Jiang Feng had previously been imprisoned for three years, from 1999 to 2002, for his support of the spiritual practice Falun Gong. When he disappeared, he was on his way to join his wife, Mei Xuan, a musician with the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts group. She fled to the United States in 2006, following her release from four years' imprisonment in China for practising Falun Gong. Mr. Jiang may have been detained in order to pressure his wife to cease her involvement with the Shen Yun Performing Arts group, as some of the group's performances include artistic representations of the persecution of Falun Gong.

Amnesty International urged people to write immediately in English, Chinese, or their own language:

Urging the authorities to reveal Jiang Feng's whereabouts;

Calling for his immediate release unless he is charged with an internationally recognised crime;

Calling for a guarantee that he will not be tortured or otherwise ill-treated while he remains in custody.

Amnesty International also urged people to send appeals before June 21st, 2010, to the Director of the Anhui Provincial Department of Public Security Bureau, the Director of the Hefei City Public Security Bureau, and the Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China. They also asked people to send copies to diplomatic representatives of China accredited to their country.

The Falun Dafa Information Centre urged media in every country to investigate the whereabouts of Jiang Feng and encouraged people to write to the officials mentioned in the Urgent Action by Amnesty International.

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/2010/6/8/225033.html