Farmer Ms. Liu Xiuqing Held in a Forced Labour Camp in Dagang, Tianjin

Name: Liu Xiuqing
Gender: Female
Age: 42
Address: Zhaizhuangzi Village, Taiping Town, the Dagang District, Tianjin
Occupation: Farmer
Date of Most Recent Arrest: January 11th, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Banqiao Forced Labour Camp
City: Tianjin
Persecution Suffered: Interrogation, detention, home ransacked, forced labour

Ms. Liu Xiuqing, a farmer from the Dagang District, Tianjin, was arrested on January 11th, 2012, by local police as she distributed New Year's pictures bearing messages about Falun Gong in the neighbouring village. She was later sentenced to forced labour and taken to the Banqiao Forced Labour Camp.

Ms. Liu began practising Falun Gong in 1998, and has benefited both physically and mentally. She used to suffer from kidney problems and had a swollen abdomen and leg ailments that could not be cured. After she practised Falun Gong, the swelling disappeared. Her husband is also a simple and honest farmer, and their 15-year-old son is very considerate. The family lives in harmony and has a good relationship with their neighbours. Ms. Liu said that Falun Gong teaches her to live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Ms. Liu was arrested as she distributed New Year's pictures bearing messages about Falun Gong in the neighbouring village, Doujiazhuang, around 10:00 a.m. on January 11th, 2012. Officers from the Taiping Town Police Station made the arrest and took her to the Taiping Town Police Station. Station chief Gao Xianghuai ordered several officers, along with officers from the Dagang District Domestic Security Division, to attempt to force her to sign a statement to guarantee that she would no longer practise Falun Gong. When she refused to sign, Officer Zhang Hao interrogated her.

At 9:00 p.m. that same night, her family went to the police station to demand her release, but were turned away. Later, at 10:30 p.m., officer Shi Wenbo took her to the Dagang Police Department Detention Centre.

Around 10:00 a.m. on January 19th, Ms. Liu's husband went to the police department to deliver clothing for her, but the guard on duty said there was no such person there. Her husband found Taiping Town Police Station chief Gao Xianghuai and asked him where his wife was being held. Gao said, “Didn't you receive a notice? She was sentenced to one year of forced labour and sent to the Tianjin Detention Centre early this morning.”

On the morning of January 30th, when Ms. Liu's husband went to the Tianjin Detention Centre to see if his wife was detained there, the guard on duty refused to help him and stressed that he needed to go to the local police station and Dagang Police Department to check. The husband called the Taiping Town Police Station and, after repeated inquiries, learned that his wife was in the No.2 Custody Centre of the Tianjin Detention Centre, but he had to wait to be informed by authorities in order to see her.

Not until the morning of February 8th did her receive a notice about his wife's one-year forced labour term from officers Zhang Hao and Li Mingwei in the Taiping Town Police Station.

On the morning of February 9th, Ms. Liu's husband received a phone call from a Taiping Town Police Station officer, who told him that she had been sent to the Banqiao Forced Labour Camp in Dagang.

Around 11:00 a.m. the same day Ms. Liu was arrested, police officers Zhang Hao and Li Mingwei ransacked her home without a warrant. They took brochures exposing the persecution of Falun Gong and other personal belongings. They also questioned her husband, demanding to know when she started practising Falun Gong, where the materials came from, and the names of the people she frequently had contact with, in an attempt to fabricate charges against her.

Ms. Liu is currently in Division No.1. The guard's surname is Luo. Tel: +86-22-63259052.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2012/2/12/252966.html