Cases of Police Kidnapping and Extorting Money from Dafa Practitioners in Heilongjiang Province

Song Decai, male, 54 years old, lives in Xitai Village. Since July 20, 1999, the police have frequently gone to his home and harassed his family. His house was randomly searched for no reason, and Falun Dafa books were confiscated. Song Decai was illegally sent to a detention centre and brainwashing classes, where he suffered inhuman tortures.

In April 2000, officers from the Liangshui Police Station tried to force Song Decai to write a "guarantee statement" promising to give up practising Falun Gong. Police Chief Song Yin extorted 500 Yuan [the average monthly income in rural areas of China is about 200 Yuan] from his family. In November 2001, supervising police officer Li Yong from the same police station illegally sent Song Decai to Baoqing County Detention Centre. The Political and Security Section Head, Hang Guangqing, then extorted 2,000 Yuan in cash, 320 Yuan in boarding expenses, 1,500 Yuan for what was called a "human relations" fee and 180 Yuan transportation fee from Song's family. In March 2002, Li Yong extorted another 1,000 Yuan in cash from him.

Zhao Yufeng, female, 41 years old, lives at Qixingpao. On the Chinese New Year's Eve of 2002 (February 11), she was illegally sent to Baoqing County No. 2 Detention Centre. There were 15 practitioners detained there at the time, and the police hung nine of them up with a thick iron chain. The chain broke about one hour after they began to do Fa Zheng Nian (a meditation) together. Later, the police hung all of them up in groups of four on three-inch thick iron pipes overnight. Two of the practitioners lost consciousness two to three times. Nobody was allowed to use the restroom. An over 60-year-old woman detainee cleaned up after their toilet needs. This old woman's husband was beaten to death in the detention centre after he went to Beijing twice to appeal for Falun Dafa.

On the fourth day of a hunger strike, the person in charge of the detention centre brought a prison doctor in to force-feed the practitioners. When it was her turn to be force-fed, Zhao Yufeng did Fa Zheng Nian. The police could not pry her mouth open, even after they loosened her teeth with pliers and screwdrivers. On the fifth day, she and another practitioner were forced to sit on the "Tiger Bench" for 12 hours. [Note: Practitioners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 6 inches tall. Their legs are tightly tied on the "Tiger Bench." Practitioners have to sit up straight with their eyes looking straight ahead. Their hands are tied on the back or sometimes placed on the knees. They are not allowed to turn their heads, close their eyes, talk to anyone, raise their hands, or call out for the attention of the guards. Usually some hard objects are inserted underneath the practitioner's lower legs or ankles to make it harder for them to tolerate this abuse]. Although the practitioner was having her period, the guards did not allow her to change. Later, she lost consciousness from the torture. The Deputy Chief put her on a wooden board bed, and she did not wake up until 20 minutes later. The chief said it would not matter even if she died and kicked her two more times. She was illegally detained for 50 days, and her family was extorted 1,000 Yuan.

Bu Yanchun, female, 25, lives at the Hongxing Administrative Bureau Residence District in Heilongjiang Province. After July 20, 1999, the Hongxing Administrative Bureau authorities held a conference to slander Falun Dafa and Teacher Li. She rushed to the conference as soon as she learned the news. She strode onto the stage and told everyone about the benefits she had obtained from Falun Dafa. People on the stage were in a panic, and the audience was astonished. Deceived by the fabricated propaganda on TV and not knowing the truth, her parents helped the officials to persecute their own daughter.

After the new school year started, she returned to her college in Harbin City. Because she went to Beijing twice to appeal for Falun Dafa, the school expelled her. When she went back home, local police station personnel sent her to a detention centre and fined her. On March 15, 2001, the police station authorities arrested all of the local practitioners they could, including Bu Yanchun. In order to resist the evil persecution, she went on a hunger strike many times to protest. After over four months of detention, she was sentenced to two years of forced labour in July 2001 because she refused to write the so-called "guarantee" to give up Falun Dafa. She was imprisoned in the Jiamusi Labour Camp, where she went on hunger strike again to protest the persecution and was brutally force-fed. She has been fined over 10,000 Yuan in the past few years.