Illegal Detention and Imprisonment
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Mr. Cao Guozhen Sentenced to Eight Years of Prison at Junan County, Shandong Province
2008-08-02On October 12th, 2007, police officers entered 36-year-old Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Cao Guozhen's home, confiscated personal property including a TV, DVD player, laptop, and Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution and arrested Mr. Cao. Mr. Cao's family visited the Junan County Police Department many times asking for permission to visit him. They also asked for his unconditional release but without any results. In June 2008, the family of Mr. Cao Guozhen received a notice saying that he had been sentenced to eight years in prison by the Junan County Court. -
Eight Falun Gong Practitioners from Tangshan City Arrested, Including Ms. Zhang Yueqin
2008-08-02On July 10th, 2008, Tangshan City officials arrested eight Falun Gong practitioners. At 10:00 a.m. many police cars arrived at the home of Ms. Zhang Yueqin. The police tried to pry open the lock on her residence but were unsuccessful. Later they sent two fire-engine ladder trucks and climbed up and broke into the south and north windows of Ms. Zhang's sixth floor home. They barged in through the windows and seized Zhang Yueqin and her husband, and Luo Zhijian's sister, as well as two other practitioners and Ms. Liu Suying. Ms. Zhang and her husband were most probably taken to the Tangshan City No. 1 Detention Centre. -
Additional Information on the Arrests of Practitioners Meng Xianwu, Li Mingyan and Jiang Yuqing in Huludao City, Liaoning Province
2008-08-01On the morning of June 17th, the deputy director of the West Street Police Station in Huludao City, Liaoning Province, brought a group of people and arrested physician Dr. Meng Xianwu while he was working at the Zinc Factory Hospital. The stated reason for his arrest was that someone reported him for distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong at the hospital. Because Meng Xianwu refused to disclose his home address, he was severely beaten by the police. -
Mr. Wang Shenghua from Weifang City, Shandong Province Secretly Sent to Forced Labour Camp
2008-08-01On April 22nd, 2008, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Shenghua was deceived into going to his work unit and arrested by officials from his work unit and the local Police Bureau. The officials from the local 610 Office and Police Bureau did not have any evidence or reason for the arrest. Somehow they still managed to secretly sentence Mr. Wang to forced labour shortly after the arrest. Mr. Wang is now detained at the No.7 Division of the Shandong Zhangqiu Forced Labor Camp (previously the Wangcun Forced Labour Camp). He is being tortured both physically and mentally. -
Ms. Yuan Shuqin Sentenced to Three Years in Prison in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
2008-08-01Ms. Yuan Shuqin, 51, was a teacher employed by Qingtongxia City Vocational High School. In April 2005, she was detained for one month. On November 10th, 2007, she was arrested again by officers assigned to follow her. She was detained for distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong and that Falun Gong teaches people to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance. Because she would not renounce Falun Gong, on May 10th, 2008, the City Court sentenced Ms. Yuan Shuqin to three years in prison. Her husband was under enormous pressure and felt he must divorce her. Her whereabouts are now unknown. -
Older Ms. Xing Qiying Persecuted by Officers from Donghuan Police Station in Shijiazhuang City
2008-07-31Family and friends of Ms. Xing Qiying, who is in her 60s, are accusing officers from Donghuan Police Station in Shijiazhuang City of persecuting Ms. Xing Qiying. Ms. Xing has been brutally harassed by officers with the Donghuan Police Station, formerly known as the Yudong Police Station, ever since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong. In recent years, the police have harassed her, ransacked her home, and arrested her many times. They are now planning to send Ms. Xing to a forced labour camp before the Olympic Games. -
Agents from Yi County National Security Division Harass and Arrest Falun Gong Practitioners in Hebei Province
2008-07-30Agents from the Yi County National Security Division have closely followed the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) orders and frequently harassed and arrested local Falun Gong practitioners leading up to the Beijing Olympics. On June 3rd, 2008, agents from the National Security Division ordered officers from the local police station to arrest three Falun Gong practitioners. As a result, two practitioners were sentenced to forced labour, and one was tortured until he became disfigured. -
Chaoyang City Practitioners Mr. Li Wensheng, Ms. Wu Jinping, and Others Persecuted
2008-07-30For a long time, the head of 610 Office, Qu Lianchun, and his subordinates have been the primary perpetrators in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in Zhaoyang City. According to reports within China, Qu Lianchun collaborated with Zhang Minghua to make the decision that practitioners recently arrested would be sentenced to prison term no less than six years. A judge who is well informed about the situation said, "Whatever the court decides doesn't count. The sentence comes from the 610 Office." -
Police from Jingzhou City, Hubei Province Arrest Five Falun Gong Practitioners Including Ms. Deng Tianyu and Ms. Wu Cuilan
2008-07-29Police from the Shashi District 610 Office in Jingzhou City, Hubei Province along with personnel from the Domestic Security Division of the Shashi District Police Department arrested five Falun Gong practitioners on July 5th-6th, 2008. On July 5th, practitioner Ms. Deng Tianyu, 57, went to visit practitioner Mr. Feng Feng, 40, and the police followed her. The moment Deng Tianyu entered Mr. Feng Feng's home, a man and a woman followed. The home owner asked, "Why have you come into my house?" The two individuals replied that they were from the police department, and a few more police officers entered immediately afterwards. They handcuffed and arrested Deng Tianyu. -
Hebei Province: Hengshui City 610 Office and National Security Division Persecute Falun Gong Practitioners Before the Olympic Games
2008-07-28Recently, the Hengshui City 610 Office of Hebei Province has sent secret documents to every county, city, district and department under its direct control, after which it was passed down to every township, town and department under their direct control, orders for personnel to investigate, monitor and arrest Falun Gong practitioners. In recent days, Jing Chunhua, Hengshui Municipal Party Committee Secretary in Hebei Province, called a meeting with chief leaders from every unit, and ordered them to strengthen surveillance of Falun Gong practitioners. They were threatened that if any unit has practitioners going to Beijing and Qinhuangdao [to appeal for justice for Falun Gong] during the Olympics, the chief leader will be removed from office. -
Linghe District Court Officials in Jinzhou City Sentence Three Falun Gong Practitioners
2008-07-28On July 7th, 2008, Linghe District Court officials held a trial and sentenced three Falun Gong practitioners. Practitioner Xiang Ying was sentenced to twelve years, and Miao Jianguo and Yin Zhiyou were each given four-year terms. All three practitioners pleaded innocent and will appeal the sentences. The court officials tried to obstruct Mr. Miao Jianguo's lawyer from entering the courtroom when he arrived to defend his client. In the end, he was unable to provide defence. Court officials forbade him from bringing his laptop computer into the courtroom. Prior to this incident, the same officials had brought unlawful suits twice in matters pertaining to Falun Gong. When an lawyer attempted to defend Falun Gong in those trials, judge Zhou Jun repeatedly prevented the lawyer from presenting a legal argument and interrupted the lawyer's defence attempts. -
Chinese Communist Party Agents Harass and Arrest Falun Gong Practitioners in Shijiazhuang City
2008-07-27On July 4th, the Chinese Communist city government operatives in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, harassed and arrested many local Falun Gong practitioners. Around 7 a.m. on July 4th, Mr. Huang Wei, a practitioner, went downstairs from his home to do some work. He was arrested by a plain-clothes policeman stationed outside the residential building. Later, seven officers from the Changan District Police Department and Hedong Police Station ransacked Mr. Wei's home, searched his child's school bag, and found a booklet entitled "Announcement by the China Interim Government." Mr. Huang had broken no laws, and they did not find any evidence of a crime, but they nonetheless arrested his wife. -
As the Olympic Torch Relay Reaches Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Many Falun Gong Practitioners Are Subjected to Persecution
2008-07-26Using the 2008 Beijing Olympics as an excuse to escalate the persecution, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has arrested more than one thousand and eight hundred practitioners. In some cases, after they made the arrest, they sentenced the practitioners to prison without a trial. The practitioners are required to serve their prison sentence until the Olympics are over. The Olympic Torch arrived in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on June 28th, 2008. Meanwhile, local CCP officials kept surveillance on, harassed, followed and arrested practitioners. During this period of time, police either went directly to practitioners' homes or their workplaces, and some used the local Neighbourhood Administration as informants. A few police officers forced their way into practitioners' homes to seize their belongings. -
Domestic Security Division Agents Harass Pregnant Woman in Hebei Province
2008-07-25At around 9:00 p.m. on July 3rd, 2008, a woman shouted from the window of her home in the Jinma Neighbourhood of Yuhua District in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province: "My name is Mi Xiaozheng, and I am seven months pregnant! A group of police officers want to ransack my home, saying it's for the 'safety of the Olympics.' They detained me more than one year in 2006, deprived me of sleep for nearly ten days, beat and cursed me, and forced me to write a guarantee statement to give up my belief in Falun Gong. They harassed me in 2007, threatened my family, and caused me extreme mental pressure, which resulted in a miscarriage. They are now here again. Folks, please come take a look!" -
Two Middle School Teachers Arrested and Beaten in Dongfeng County, Jilin Province
2008-07-25On June 28th, 2008, when two Falun Gong practitioners, Ms. Ha Jingbo and Ms. Jiang Ruoling were distributing leaflets exposing the persecution in Dayang Town, they were arrested by police officers. After the practitioners were brought to the police department, the officers took "confessions" by force. The two practitioners remained silent while the director of the Dayang Town Police Department, Du Yongri (male), cursed them and hit them in the face out of frustration. When Du Yongri noticed that the door was not closed, he became worried that someone might see what he was doing. He simply shut the door, and continued to punch and kick Ms. Ha and Ms. Jiang. Later, he also opened the window trying to get the practitioners to jump from the second floor and commit suicide.