Update on the Persecution of Numerous Falun Gong Practitioners in Chengde, Hebei

On the morning on August 10th, Mr. Sun Yang (also called Sun Zhiping) from Xi Street, Shuangqiao District, in Chengde was arrested at his hardware store by the Chengde police. Practitioners Zhao Haihui, Wu Chonghua, Feng Zhonghou, and Li Ying were also arrested.

Practitioner Ms. Zhang Xianfang from Xiayingfang, Shuangqiao District dropped off her child at day care at around 8:00 a.m. on July 12th, 2011. When she was turning onto Wutiao Lane, Ms. Zhang was arrested by 610 Office staff (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and sent to the Chengde County Brainwashing Center. On around August 15th, Ms. Zhang was transferred to the Laoxiying Detention Centre in Chengde City.

Yang Shuzeng, director of the Chengde City 610 Office and Party secretary of the Politics and Law Committee in Chengde, beginning on May 20th, 2011, instructed his staff to set up a brainwashing centre in Nanshan Park in the Xiaban District of Chengde County. Local 610 Offices, police stations, Domestic Security Divisions, and residential committees in all counties in the Chengde area started a new round of arresting Falun Gong practitioners. Residential committees recruited unemployed people to assist in “re-educating” (brainwashing) Falun Gong practitioners. Former practitioners who believed the false propaganda concocted by the Communist regime were instructed to spread lies and distort opinions about Falun Gong. So far more than 30 practitioners have been arrested, undergone brainwashing tactics on a one-to-one basis, and been forced to write the three statements to renounce their beliefs. Although most arrested practitioners have been released, seven or eight are still in police custody.

Practitioner Ms. Zhao Baoli, an employee of the Chengde Electricity Bureau, was arrested on January 4th, 2011, and has been detained at the Laoxiying Detention Centre in Chengde for eight months. A trial involving Ms. Zhao, her family and her lawyer was held in the detention centre on July 25th.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/8/26/245891.html