Illegal Detention and Imprisonment

Man Snatched Off Harbin Street and Secretly Sentenced Four Months Later

2014-11-30

A 37-year-old man, Mr. Jiang Bo, was walking down the street this April when he was snatched by several police officers in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. Despite his 70-year-old father's frantic efforts to locate him, the authorities kept his detention location and subsequent trial secret. The court tried Mr. Jiang on August 22nd and sentenced him to four years for possessing lawful items, including more than 50 paper money notes with messages exposing the persecution of Falun Gong printed on them, a laptop, a portable hard disk and a USB drive.

more ...
Elderly Practitioner Arrested, Police Attempt to Collect Blood Sample

2014-11-25

While 78-year-old Ms. Zhang Zhonghui was walking down the street, a police car drove by. Two officers jumped out and arrested her. She was taken to the Huaguoyuan Police Station. The reason for the arrest? Ms. Zhang practises Falun Gong. At the police station, an officer kicked Ms. Zhang in the chest and knocked her to the floor. Another officer grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the floor. Others stomped on her back. While they were brutally beating Ms. Zhang, an officer grabbed her fingers and attempted to take a blood sample.

more ...
Arrests Increase by 42% in First Nine Months of 2014 Compared to 2013

2014-10-31

As the persecution of Falun Gong in China continues unabated in its 15th year, confirmed arrests during the first nine months of 2014 increased by 42% compared to the same period in 2013. Between January and September 2014, 61 Falun Gong practitioners were tortured to death, 643 were tried, 19 were sentenced to more than 8 years in prison, 663 were taken to brainwashing centres, and 4,925 were arrested.

more ...
13 Arrested for Demanding a Falun Gong Practitioner's Release

2014-10-26

Thirteen people were arrested outside a brainwashing centre for asking for the release of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Ye Shumao on October 18th, 2014, two days after Mr. Ye was arrested. Mr. Ye was taken to the Shangying Brainwashing Centre. Of the 12 who remain in custody, several received a 15-day detention notice.

more ...
Practitioner Arrested for Browsing Falun Gong Website

2014-10-20

Mr. Jin Biao was arrested and put on trial for browsing Falun Gong websites. This case might shed some light on the communist regime's surveillance of the Internet. The Chinese Internet police, based in Dandong City, Liaoning Province, discovered that Mr. Jin was browsing Falun Gong websites on his mobile phone at his home in Fengcheng City on July 2nd and they arrested him. The Dandong police ordered the Fengcheng police to arrest him.

more ...
Wrongfully Sentenced to Seven Years After Six Years of Forced Labour

2014-09-09

Ms. Yan Xiling, 56, from Qingzhou City, Shandong Province, spent six years in a forced labour camp. She was recently secretly sentenced to seven years and is now in custody in the Jinan Women's Jail. Previously, in Wangcun Women's Forced Labour Camp Ms. Yan was forced to watch videos and listen to recordings defaming and attacking Falun Gong. She was not allowed to sleep or take a shower. She had to stand until her feet were badly swollen. For over ten days, she was not allowed to sleep.

more ...
Police in Wuhan Confiscate Currency with Falun Gong Messages Written on Them

2014-08-19

News about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners is censored in China and a taboo subject for state-run media. Practitioners have been arrested, tortured and even persecuted to death for informing the public about this persecution. Writing or printing words explaining the facts about the persecution on paper currency (money) has become popular in many areas in China in recent years, and has proven to be a great way to inform the public. Police from Wuhan City have been arresting practitioners and trying to stop these notes from circulating.

more ...
Publicity Department Director Arrested on Orders from Political and Legal Committee and 610 Office

2014-08-19

Ms. Li Tong is the Publicity Department Director of the Benxi Women's Federation, a highly placed position. After she was arrested for exposing an illegal trial of Falun Gong practitioners, the police tried to use the loss of her job as leverage against her. She was told, “It would be a shame to lose such a good job. Why don't you just give up Falun Gong?” Li Tong firmly refused, and is still detained today at the Benxi Detention Centre.

more ...
10-Year Sentence Upheld for Innocent Woman

2014-08-19

The Chaoyang Intermediate Court has upheld the lower court's 10-year prison sentence for Ms. Zhang Yuzhuo. Her lawyer denounced the lower court's verdict during the hearing on June 24th, 2014, saying, “An ordinary person like Ms. Zhang is treated like a terrorist and sentenced to 10 years in prison. She's been deprived of her civil rights for two years. Ms. Zhang believes in kindness and exercises to keep fit. Why is she being treated like a murderer, arsonist, or terrorist? Such a sentence is an abuse of the law and a violation of justice and conscience.” The judge had nothing to say in reply. The original sentence was upheld.

more ...
Practitioner Brutally Beaten and Interrogated

2014-08-18

Mr. Zhong Dongsheng, one of the 13 practitioners arrested in July 2014, was brutally beaten during the arrest and later tortured during interrogation. He became emaciated and weak after a hunger strike and both of his legs became swollen. Mr. Zhong was taken to the county hospital for a blood sample after the arrest. It is noted that Chinese authorities take blood samples from practitioners for possible future organ harvesting.

more ...
At Least 614 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in July 2014

2014-08-12

At least 614 Falun Gong practitioners were arrested between July 1st and July 24th across China, according to data collected as of July 27th. Liaoning, Shandong, Jilin, and Sichuan provinces have the most arrests, each with over 70. Most of the arrested practitioners were taken to brainwashing centres for short-term detentions. More than 30 large-scale arrests (of five or more practitioners) took place in July in 13th provinces and municipalities.

more ...
70-Year-Old Female Practitioner from Chongqing Detained

2014-08-12

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Yu Yeyi, 70, has been detained at the Qianzhugou Brainwashing Centre for over a month. The intense brainwashing and mistreatment she has been subjected to has reportedly caused her to be disfigured. Since she refused to renounce her belief in Falun Gong, she is not allowed to have visitors. Officials at the brainwashing centre said that there will be no visitation rights until she “transforms” [forcibly renounce Falun Gong].

more ...
Eighty-Year-Old Woman Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

2014-08-12

Ms. Jia Changzhi, 80, was arrested in 2012 and secretly sentenced to three years in the Jilin Women's Prison. Ms. Jia had been arrested and tortured many times by the police since the persecution started in 1999, for refusing to renounce Falun Gong. In 2005, Ms. Jia was arrested by police and interrogated for over 10 hours, as she was carrying Falun Gong informational materials, and the police wanted to know who gave her them. She was tortured because she refused to tell them. Officer Zhang Naijiang claimed: “Despite your age, I shall find two beggars to rape you.” After 10 plus hours of torture, her body was covered with bruises. Even her feet turned black and blue. ThMs. Jia's hands were cuffed to the window frame and her feet were shackled. The top of her feet could barely touch the floor.

more ...
Real Estate Executive Loses Sight in His Left Eye While in Detention

2014-08-04

Mr. Li Xiaobo, a real estate executive, was arrested for distributing flyers about Falun Gong. His attorney recently met with him and found out that he had lost sight in his left eye. The authorities have denied his request for medical parole, and his family members are very concerned about him. Mr. Li and his son, Mr. Li Zhe, were arrested by officers from the Hong’an Police Station on April 12th, 2014. Mr. Li Zhe, who is a Canadian citizen, was repatriated soon after.

more ...
Court Lies to Defence Attorney, Tries Practitioner Secretly and Without Counsel

2014-07-27

There is no honour in China's legal system. The family of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Guiqi learned that firsthand, when they hired lawyers to defend Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang was forced to appear in many secret hearings between March and November 2013, without legal counsel. And the court intended to bypass his lawyer and try him in June 2014.

more ...