Practitioners Arrested by Officers from Li County Public Security Bureau in Hebei Province

Officers from Li County Public Security Bureau, Domestic Security Division; police stations in various townships and towns in Li County, Hebei Province; and agents from the county 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) turned out in full strength at about 7:00 p.m. on September 23rd, 2009, in an attempt to arrest 14 practitioners. They ransacked practitioners' homes and plundered their properties. Only Ms. Liu Yuhuan and Ms. Zhang Xia escaped being arrested.

On the afternoon of September 26th, without following any legal procedures, Public Security Bureau deputy director Wang Ruixin and others sent six practitioners—Ms. Zhu Lihua, Ms. Zhao Limei, Ms. Gu Xiangrui, Ms. Tian Junfang, Ms. Qi Fangwei, and Ms. Liu Rongzhen—to Shijiazhuang Women's Forced Labour Camp, and two practitioners— Mr. Zhu Yanlong and Mr. Zhu Junqing—to Gaoyang Forced Labour Camp. They cruelly tortured Mr. Zhao Xiaochang to pressure him to give up Falun Gong. They had a mock trial in secret and sentenced him to two years in prison on a false charge. Ms. Yan Xiaoge, Mr. Liu Min, and Ms. Zhao Yanmei were released after being detained for a few days.

After attending a meeting in Anguo City with the Anguo Public Security Bureau director and the Boye County Public Security Bureau director, Li County Public Security Bureau director Guo Jianmin returned to his workplace at about 4:00 p.m. on September 23rd. He secretly ordered that all officers were to remain at work. He also took all the officers' cell phones away. He then organized the roundup and confiscation, claiming that it was all right to do this to severely punish all Falun Gong practitioners.

The following are more details about some of the arrests:

1. Mr. Zhao Xiaochang

Mr. Zhao Xiaochang is in his 50s and lived in Nanguan Village, Li County. At about 7:00 p.m. on September 23rd, 2009, when he had just come home after helping his friend harvest corn, a gang of police officers barged into his home and arrested him without showing any identification. They ransacked his home and took his computer, Falun Gong books, and many other items.

Mr. Zhao was cruelly tortured in the county detention centre. They handcuffed him and put fetters on his ankles many times for extended periods. Officer Wang Ruixin also connected the handcuffs and the fetters so that Mr. Zhao could not stand. Mr. Zhao went on a hunger strike to protest the unjust treatment.

Wang Junchang from Li County Domestic Security Division arrested Mr. Zhao’s wife, Ms. Feng Wenzhen, in September 2007 for explaining the facts about Falun Gong to the public. Officers ransacked their home and took their TV, DVD player, and 1,000 yuan¹, among other items. Finding no more items of value, they even took their pump. They fabricated a bogus charge and had Ms. Feng Wenzhen sentenced to seven years in prison.

With Mr. Zhao in custody, nobody was living in their house. Before practising Falun Gong, Mr. Zhao suffered a stroke and could not keep his legs from wobbling while he walked. He often got drunk and cursed people on the street. After practising Falun Gong, he recovered from all his illnesses and became a better person by living by the universal principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Now both he and his wife have been sentenced to prison just because they practise Falun Gong.

Some police officers were out to punish Mr. Zhao because, while his wife was in prison, Mr. Zhao called for justice for his wife and exposed the violence that the officers used on her and other practitioners. The officers in question wanted to send Mr. Zhao to prison to get him out of the way. They collaborated with a supervisory council and court to put Mr. Zhao on trial twice, and, without letting his family know, they sentenced him to two years in prison on a false charge.

2. Mr. Zhu Yanlong

Mr. Zhu Yanlong was born in 1970. At about 8:00 p.m. on September 23rd, 2009, directed by the county 610 Office, personnel from Hebei Province Li County government collaborated with officers from the Domestic Security Division of the County Public Security Bureau and officers from Linbao Township Police Station to barge into Mr. Zhu's home and arrest him without showing any identification. Mr. Zhu was taken to the County Public Security Bureau in secret, while the rest of the officers turned his home upside down and took his materials about Falun Gong, books, a recorder, a copier, and many other items. In the public security bureau, they interrogated Mr. Zhu in an attempt to force a confession from him until after midnight.

The next day they took him to Li County Detention Centre at about 8:00 a.m. He had been on a hunger strike to protest the persecution since his arrest. He was sent to Gaoyang Forced Labour Camp on September 26th, 2009, for an 18-month term.

3. Mr. Zhu Junqiang

Mr. Zhu Junqiang was born in 1971. He was laid off from a business unit. At about 7:00 p.m. on September 23rd, 2009, officers in several police vehicles suddenly laid siege to Mr. Zhu's house. Public Security Bureau deputy director Wang Ruixin directed the action while Major Cases Squadron chief Liu Haijian and officers from Baichi Police Station participated. Mr. Zhu refused to open the door no matter how hard officers banged on it. After several unsuccessful attempts, Wang Ruixin directed officers to climb to the top of the house, climb down a rope, and break the window to get into the house. But no officer dared to. They got a fire truck and attempted to break the window to get in. They did not succeed because the space was too narrow for the truck. Wang Ruixin then ordered officers to use an axe and broke down the security door. As soon as they got in, an officer sprayed poisonous gas in Mr. Zhu's and his wife's faces. They took Mr. Zhu to the Public Security Bureau without showing any identification. They took a computer, a DVD player, an MP3 player, a printer, and a safe where Mr. Zhu kept his savings and the money float for the store that he and his brothers own. They then went to Mr. Zhu's sporting goods store and took a DVD/CD duplicate tower, broke into a safe, and took cash and a deposit passbook worth 120 thousand yuan. They confiscated his collection of paper currency, clothing coupons, grain coupons, and postage and froze his bank account. The officers left no receipt. Mr. Zhu's family tried to get back their property later by asking for help from local people who had connections with the police. However, Guo Jianmin, Wang Ruixin, Wang Junchang, and Liu Haijian kept shifting the responsibility onto each other, which made it difficult for the family. At that point the police still tried to extort more money, tobacco, wine, etc.

When Mr. Zhu was detained in the county detention centre for two days, the centre authorities extorted 300 yuan from his wife for his food. In fact, Mr. Zhu didn't eat anything provided by the detention centre in those two days.

Li County Public Security fabricated charges and sent Mr. Zhu to Gaoyang Forced Labour Camp for a two-year term. No legal procedures were observed.

4. Mr. Liu Min

Mr. Liu Min was born in 1966. At about 7:30 p.m. on September 23rd, 2009, Li County Public Security Bureau deputy director Zhang Zhihui, Liushi Police Station director Che, Li County Public Security Bureau Economic Crimes Investigation Division chief Song, and others broke into Mr. Liu's home to arrest him without showing any identification.

After chief Song arrested Mr. Liu, other officers ransacked his home. An officer grabbed a laptop computer, which contained bookkeeping for Mr. Liu's family business, and ordered Mr. Liu's family member to sign on a blank paper [as the receipt for the laptop]. Mr. Liu's family member refused to sign, but the officer still took the laptop.

Chief Song interrogated Mr. Liu at the Li County Public Security Bureau. He asked, “Which bank do you deposit your money in? Do you have deposits in Liushi Bank? Did you ever provide financial support to Falun Gong practitioners?” Mr. Liu answered, “No.” They investigated all business deals that Mr. Liu conducted from the beginning of his business to the present to find out if he had ever mailed money to aid Falun Gong practitioners. At the end of the investigation, they discovered that all money he mailed out was for his business. Although they tried to find an excuse to persecute Mr. Liu, they did not succeed. However, they would not give up, and, in the end, they froze Mr. Liu's bank accounts.

5. Ms. Zhu Lihua

Ms. Zhu Lihua was born in 1970 and worked as an analyst in Li County Chinese Medicine Hospital. She recovered from multiple illnesses including heart disease after she began practising Falun Gong. At about 7:00 p.m. on September 23rd, 2009, officers from Li County Public Security Bureau and Guodan Police Station, including Guodan Police Station chief Han Dakuan, arrested Ms. Zhu and ransacked her home. They took a computer, two mobile phones, and Falun Gong books. Ms. Zhu was sent to Shijiazhuang Women's Forced Labour Camp on September 26th for a term of 18 months. She was held in the 4th team of the labour camp where guards often beat and cursed her. As a result of torture, Ms. Zhu began to suffer from heart disease, lymph node enlargement, and pain all over her body. Lumps grew on her head, neck, arms, and the top of her thighs. Sometimes she could not even stand. However, guards still forced her to do hard labor. They said, “If you cannot work, then you have to stand here and watch others work.” When she could no longer stand, they forced her to sit on the cold concrete ground. Guards also did not let her use the toilet. Once when she was using toilet, guard Zhao Yuan rushed into the restroom, kicked her, and dragged her out. Ms. Zhu wet her pants. It was very cold and windy that night, and Zhao again forced Ms. Zhu to sit on the cold concrete floor in a hall for the whole night.

Ms. Zhu's family accompanied her to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with heart disease and lymph node enlargement. However, the authorities continued to hold her despite her being ill. When her term was up on March 22nd, 2011, because she would not give up her belief, the forced labour camp authorities would not—and will not—release her. They have also denied any family visits. Her family has been extremely worried. It was Ms. Zhu who had been taking care of her sick father-in-law, measuring his blood pressure and sugar levels, giving him injections and intravenous infusions, etc. When his daughter-in-law was suddenly arrested, the old man was so worried his condition worsened. He passed away with tears in his eyes about four months after her arrest.

Ms. Zhu's elderly mother cried every day, longing for her daughter's return. Her father was deeply worried, and suffered a relapse of his illnesses many times. At one time he did not eat anything for 20 days. Ms. Zhu's husband was under immense pressure. He had to comfort their daughter, take care of his parents and in-laws, and run around investigating all possible means to rescue his wife from torture and imprisonment. He overworked himself and suffered heart attacks.

6. Ms. Zhao Limei

Ms. Zhao Limei was born in 1965 and worked as an instructor for TV University. Because she did not give up her practice of Falun Gong, she has been harassed and persecuted many times in the past several years by agents from the 610 Office, officers from the Public Security Bureau, TV University authorities, and personnel from the Education Committee. Her family was wrecked as a result.

At about 7:00 p.m. on September 23rd, 2009, Li County Public Security Bureau deputy director Liu Wenli and officers from Nanzhuang Town Police Station in Li County arrested Ms. Zhao at her door when she had just returned from visiting her relatives. They took her electric power cart and her purse with her house key and a bank passbook worth 7,000 yuan given to her by her ex-husband to support their child. The police then ransacked her home and took a DVD player, mobile phones, Falun Gong books, electronic books, a copper burner worth 100 yuan, several MP3 players, several small speakers, a purse she had just bought for 60 yuan, and other items. There were no witnesses when they ransacked her home and they didn't keep a list of items that they took. Yet, they claimed on the statement of forced labour for Ms. Zhao that she had examined all items that they confiscated. However, Ms. Zhao was not even aware that they had ransacked her home at that time.

After ransacking Ms. Zhao's home, they secretly monitored it, attempting to apprehend any practitioners coming to visit her.

In Li County Public Security Bureau, they forced her to lie on a cold concrete ground for the entire night, and Liu Wenli directed officers to keep flipping her over. One officer also stepped on her chest. The next morning, Ms. Zhao felt extremely sick because the concrete ground was so cold. She climbed to a chair with great difficulty, but an officer immediately pulled her off it.

They sent Ms. Zhao to Li County Detention Centre on the morning of September 24th. Two agents from the 610 Office went to the centre on the morning of the 26th and secretly videotaped her. Ms. Zhao advised two of them that if they participated in the persecution of Falun Gong, they would feel regretful later. They used that videotape as a so-called “confession” and sentenced Ms. Zhao to a year of forced labour.

Desperate to reduce the severity of the persecution of Ms. Zhao, her family promised Yang Hongliang, chief of Li County Public Security Bureau Law Section, a brand new cell phone if he would keep Ms. Zhao from being sent to a forced labour camp. Yang, knowing that it was impossible to stop the process, went to the cell phone shop that Ms. Zhao's family ran and took a new mobile phone anyway. Ms. Zhao's family used their connections to have the Domestic Security Bureau return Ms. Zhao's electric power cart and house key. However, they refused to give back the bank passbook worth 7,000 yuan. Gao Jianguo, chief of the Domestic Security Division, even claimed that he found and took a laptop in Ms. Zhao's house, which was not true, in an attempt to extort some more money from Ms. Zhao's family.

After Ms. Zhao was sent to Li County Detention Centre on September 24th, detention centre officials told Ms. Zhao's family that food in the centre was terrible and they would give Ms. Zhao much better food if her family gave them extra money. Ms. Zhao's family thus handed over another 350 yuan to the centre. Ms. Zhao was held in the centre for two days, during which period she was provided with only black bread and water with several pieces of vegetable leaves floating on the surface. When Ms. Zhao's family brought a box of instant noodles to her, the staff at the centre ate them all.

Ms. Zhao was sent to Shijiazhuang Women's Forced Labour Camp on September 26th for a term of one year. Without receiving the notice of forced labour from the Public Security Bureau as required by law, Ms. Zhao's elderly mother, who was almost 80 years old, and other family members did not know her whereabouts until many days later. They had gone to many places including Dingzhou City and Shijiazhuang City to inquire about her whereabouts without success, and the whole family was very worried. Her elderly mother was deeply worried, and hardly able to concentrate or even walk.

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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/2011/5/20/241169.html