Police in the Wanzhou District in Chongqing Arrest and Persecute Two Women in Their 60s

On June 19th, 2012, police officers from Shahe Police Station in the Wanzhou District of Chongqing arrested and persecuted Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Tan Jiafen and Ms. Zhang Tingzhen, who are both in their 60s. Ms. Tan was sentenced to one year of forced labour. Ms. Zhang was forced to become homeless.

Ms. Tan Jiafen Sentenced to Forced Labour

Ms. Tan Jiafen lived in Duli Village, Zhonggukou, the Wanzhou District. She did not get much formal education. She started practising Falun Gong in 2004. Before then, she had chronic Hepatitis B and was treated often in hospitals. However, her illness only worsened over time. She felt she was almost at the end of her life and was in despair.

One day, on her way to a private doctor for treatment, she met a Falun Gong practitioner, who told her about the goodness of Falun Gong and suggested that she try it. She agreed and learned the five exercises from that practitioner. As soon as she finished doing the exercises, something magical happened. On her way home, her body felt so light it seemed like she was floating. She felt very good. She has not had any illness symptoms since then.

Falun Gong gave her a second life. She wanted everyone to benefit from Falun Gong, so she told people the truth about it whenever possible. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials attempted to persecute her after they learned that she was doing this. At approximately 7:00 a.m. on June 19th, 2012, officers from Shahe Police Station and Wanzhou District Police Bureau arrested Ms. Tan while she was distributing Falun Gong informational materials in Shahe Town in the Wanzhou District. Later they took her to Zhoujiaba Detention Centre in the Wanzhou District.

At approximately 5:00 p.m. that day, police officers broke into Ms. Tan’s home. Only her nine-year-old grandson was at home. The police officers tricked the boy into opening the door and rushed in. The boy was so scared that he hid in a corner and kept silent. The police broke open the cupboards and took some of the family's personal property.

Ms. Tan was held in the detention centre for more than a month. Later, she was sentenced to one year of forced labour and taken to Chongqing City Women’s Forced Labour Camp, without being charged with any crime.

Ms. Zheng Tingzhen Forced to Become Homeless

At approximately 7:00 a.m. on June 19th, 2012, police officers from the Wanzhou District arrested Ms. Zhang Tingzhen while she was distributing materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in Tianzicheng's group 5 area in the Wanzhou District. The police had sent two hooligans to follow her for a long time. The hooligans grabbed her, forced her hands behind her back, and forced her down on the ground. One thug said proudly, “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Finally I caught you. Now I’ve completed my task.”

One of the men pulled Ms. Zhang along the ground for several yards while she was unconscious and broke one of her arms. They said, “You're just pretending to be dying. The authorities have told us that we are responsible for nothing―even if we cause your death.”

Soon police officers came and took Ms. Zhang to the Shahe Police Station. Her right shoulder was already black with bruises and her arms were handcuffed behind her back. She couldn’t even stand up. The police took her back to her home at approximately 2:00 a.m. on the following morning. When she was examined later at Chongqing Three Gorges Central Hospital, she had a fractured humerus and neck injuries.

Ms. Zhang lived in Pipaping in the Wanzhou District. She had suffered with many illnesses before practising Falun Gong. She had spent all her savings on medical treatments but was never cured. After she began practicing Falun Gong, all of her diseases disappeared within six months. Falun Gong saved her life. How could she give up cultivation? Because of her firm belief in Falun Gong, the CCP officials persecuted her severely. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, officers from Gaosuntang Police Station in the Wanzhou District arrested her, sentenced her to one year of forced labour and sent her to Shabao Women’s Forced Labour Camp.

Recently, officers from Shahe Police Station have started searching for her after they learned that she had completely recovered. They want to arrest her again.