Mr. Li Quan and His Family from Yunnan Province Have Endured Persecution Since 1999

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Quan and his family have been persecuted since July, 1999, because they practise and firmly believe in Falun Gong. On February 14th, 2012, Mr. Li Quan's home was ransacked again and he was arrested. He is now being detained at Fengqing County Detention Centre. The following is a summary of the persecution Mr. Li Quan and his family have suffered over the years.

Mr. Li Quan was born in 1970 and resides in Fengshan Town, Fengqing County, Lincang, Yunnan. He graduated from the Institute of Tropical Plants in Huanan, and was a former deputy head of Yingpan Town in Fengqing County. Mr. Li was terminated after the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999. He was later transferred to the Agriculture Bureau of Fengqing County.

Mr. Li's sister, Ms. Li Xian, was born in 1973. She graduated from the Teachers College of Yunnan. She later taught at the Teachers College of Lingcang (now named Middle School No. 3 of Lingcang). Mr. Li Quan's brother, Mr. Li Zhen, was born in 1976. He graduated from The School for Coal Industry of Yunnan Province and was employed at the Metallurgy Corporation No. 14 of Yunnan Province. Mr. Li Quan's other brother, Mr. Li Xing, was born in 1977. He graduated from the Teachers College of Yunnan and is now a teacher. Mr. Li Quan and his whole family started to practise Falun Gong after 1996.

1. Three Brothers Sent to Forced Labour Camp Because They Went to Beijing to Appeal in 2000

After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong on July 20th, 1999, many innocent civilians became victims because they continued practising Falun Gong. To explain the facts of Falun Gong to government officials, Mr. Li Quan, Mr. Li Zhen, and Mr. Li Xing went to the Appeals Office of the State Council in Beijing in July, 2000. They were arrested in Beijing before they could even hand in their appeal letter and taken back to Yunnan Province. Their homes were ransacked, and they were detained and sentenced to forced labour. Mr. Li Zhen was sentenced to three years, Mr. Li Quan to two and a half years, and Mr. Li Xing to one and a half years. Another practitioner, Ms. Shen Lirong from Yun County, was also sentenced to forced labour at the same time.

After the three brothers were sent to forced labour camps, their parents were traumatised both from their home being ransacked and frequent harassment by the local police. Their father missed his sons to the point that he was unable to eat or rest. He became extremely weak and passed away in 2003. He was only 54 years old.

2. Mr. Li Zhen Arrested and Sent to Forced Labour Camp Again in 2004

In 2004, Mr. Li Zhen was reported for telling passersby about Falun Gong. He was arrested by the Songming County Police Department at Kunming and sentenced to forced labour for two years. He was sent to the Second Labour Camp of Yunnan Province. To resist the persecution, Mr. Li went on a hunger strike for several months. He was in critical condition, extremely thin, and unable to walk by himself. Under his strong willpower, the camp allowed Mr. Li Zhen to be released for medical treatment. He then went back to his home in Fengqing County.

3. Mr. Li Zhen and Ms. Li Xian were Arrested and Sentenced to Forced Labour in 2005

In January 2005, officials from the Domestic Security Department of Lincang, the city 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong), the city commission of political affairs, the city police department, the 610 Office of Fengqing County, the county commission of political affairs, and the Domestic Security Department of the police department jointly arrested Mr. Li Quan's brother, Mr. Li Zhen, and sister, Ms. Li Xian, and four other practitioners. They were all sentenced to prison terms.

Mr. Li Zhen was arrested by the Fengqing County Police Department and his home was ransacked. The day after his arrest he was again sent to the Second Forced Labor Camp of Yunnan Province. To resist the persecution, Mr. Li went on a hunger strike for nearly three months. He was force-fed every day. Mr. Li was very weak and developed oedema in his feet. His family asked that Mr. Li be released for medical treatment, but their request was denied.

Ms. Li Xian was arrested by local police on January 6th, 2005 and her home was ransacked. Ms. Li was detained at the detention centre until the end of May 2005. She was sentenced to seven years in prison and fired from her job. She was sent to prison ward No. 6 in the Second Prison for Women in Yunnan and forced into labour. She went on a hunger strike to resist the persecution.

Individuals involved in the arrests: Cao Chenbin, policeman from the Domestic Security Department of Lincang; Zhao Yong, former 610 Office chairman, in his 40s, died of a brain tumour in 2010; Kong Xiang, Lincang Police Department officer, telephone number 13908837998.

Other Falun Gong practitioners arrested around that time:

Ms. Yang Fengzhen, 69, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison and taken to the Second Prison for Women in Yunnan, ward No. 4. She was forced into labour. The long working hours (more than ten hours a day) and strenuous work caused heart failure and incontinence. Ms. Yang also began to suffer from cyanosis on her face and lips from lack of oxygen and became extremely thin. It was not until several months later that she was released in August 2006 for medical treatment.

Ms. Du Yingfang worked the CCP Party School of Lincang. She was sent to the Second Prison for Women in Yunnan, ward No. 4.

Mr. Du Yingxiang, Ms. Du Yingfang's elder brother, was sentenced to three years in prison and sent to the First Prison of Yunnan.

Mr. Zhu Bing, 52 years old, is a small business owner. He was sentenced to four years in prison and sent to the First Prison of Yunnan.

4. Mr. Li Zhen Arrested Again and Sentenced to Six Years in Prison in 2007

Mr. Li Zhen was arrested at his residence at the Hongyun Community in the Xishan District of Kunming. His home was ransacked and he was detained in the Guandu District Detention Centre, Kunming. His family was not allowed to visit him. Without his family being notified, Mr. Li was secretly sentenced to six years in prison and was incarcerated in the First Prison of Yunnan, ward No. 4. Another practitioner, Mr. Wang Zejun from Kunming, was also sentenced with Mr. Li.

Because Mr. Li shouted “Falun Gong is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” all the way from the detention centre to the prison, he was beaten as soon as he arrived. His front teeth were knocked out and he had wounds all over. After he arrived at ward No.4, he still shouted, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” Besides suffering from beatings, Mr. Li was handcuffed continuously for nearly a year. After his family's numerous requests, they were finally allowed to see him two years later.

5. Mr. Li Quan and Many Other Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in February 2012

On February 13th and 14th, 2012, officials from the Domestic Security Department of Lincang, the city 610 Office, the city commission of political affairs, the city police department, the 610 Office of Fengqing County, the county commission of political affairs, and the Domestic Security Department of the police department jointly arrested several practitioners.

Around noon on the 14th, ten or so police officers broke into Mr. Li Quan's home and arrested him. They ransacked both Mr. Li's home in the Yingchun community and his mother's home at Baifen Village. They confiscated three computers, two printers, two paper cutters, many Falun Gong books, CDs, and five thousand yuan¹ in cash. Several large luggage-sized bags with personal belongings were also taken away, the net worth of which was estimated to be over twenty thousand yuan. During the arrest, the police acted without any restraint—they insulted Mr. Li in such a way that his mother was shaking in fear and unable to speak. Mr. Li Quan is now detained at Fengqing County Detention Centre. He has resisted the persecution and explained the facts about Falun Gong to the police. He is also on a hunger strike to protest the arrest.

Other practitioners arrested at the same time:

Ms. Xiao San is an employee at the Water and Electrical Company of Fengqing County. She is in her 40s and was arrested on February 14th, 2012.

Ms. Zhao Xiue, in her 70s, is retired and a resident of Fengqing County. She was arrested on February 14th, 2012.

Ms. Zhang Shunying, in her 70s, is a retired teacher. At around 10 a.m. on February 13th, 2012, 11 people broke into her home. One of them was the chief of the Fengqing Police Department. Others were from the police station, such as community chair Li Fengcai (female), He Zuwei, Liu Cuiping, etc., four women and seven men. They broke into and ransacked Ms. Zhang's home and confiscated Falun Gong materials, money with Falun Gong words printed on them, a computer, Falun Gong books, etc. They arrested Ms. Zhang and detained her at Fengshan Police Station of Fengqing County, Lincang, Yunnan Province.

Ms. Ji Hanliang, about 70 years old, is a farmer. She was arrested and detained on February 14th, 2012.

Ms. Li Xian was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2005. She has been constantly harassed and threatened since she was released in 2010. At noon on February 15th, three officers from Lincang Police Department ransacked her home. Nothing sensitive was found, but the officials threatened Ms. Li's husband, saying that as long as Ms. Li turned in Falun Gong books herself, she would not be in trouble.

Ms. Zhu Bing is in her 50s. She was harassed by officers from Lincang Police Department on February 15th.

Mr. Li Quan is still being detained at Fengqing County Detention Centre. Police have threatened to keep him in jail for a long time even as they repeatedly harass and intimidate his family.

Related article:
Family Appeals After a Government Employee from Fengqing County, Yunnan Province was Arrested http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2012/3/14/132084.html#.T4cGEu0cgrU

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.