Illegal Detention and Imprisonment

  • Ms. Liu Yurong Given Six Year Prison Sentence, Her Mother Dies of Grief

    On May 29th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Liu Yurong was arrested along with her older sister. Linghai City Chinese Communist Party (CCP) staff influenced the court to hold a trial of Liu Yurong on July 28th, 2008, and she was sentenced to six years of imprisonment. Ms. Liu had been taking care of her eighty year old mother. Because the aged lady could not bear the anguish of her daughter being persecuted, she suddenly felt dizzy in mid April 2010, and never recovered. She passed away in mid April 2010.
  • Ms. Dong Wencai Persecuted for Her Belief in Falun Gong

    On May 13th, 2010, practitioner Ms. Dong Wencai was arrested by police along with other practitioners because they had been seen talking to people about Falun Gong in Yuanjiayuan Village a month earlier. At around 7:00 p.m that evening, they were all detained in Xiong County Detention Centre, and then were taken to Shijiazhuang Women's Forced Labour Camp the same evening. On May 14th, Ms. Dong Wencai was sentenced to one year of forced labour. Ms. Dong Wencai Persecuted for Her Belief in Falun GongOn the afternoon of May 13th, 2010, practitioner Ms. Dong Wencai was arrested by Guo Junxue, Zhang Baozhong and other police officers from the Xiong County Domestic Security Division, while she was out in Xihouliu Village, Xiong County, Hebei Province. Practitioners Ms. Zhang Guizhen and Ms. Zhang Lanfen were also arrested on the same day. The reason for their arrest was because they had been seen talking to people about Falun Gong in Yuanjiayuan Village a month earlier. At around 7:00 p.m that evening, they were all detained in Xiong County Detention Centre, and then were taken to Shijiazhuang Women's Forced Labour Camp the same evening. Ms. Zhang Lanfen, however, was returned home because she was seriously ill and the police feared taking responsibility if she died while in custody. On the afternoon of May 14th, Ms. Dong Wencai and Ms. Zhang Guizhen were sentenced to one year of forced labour. Since the persecution began in 1999, Ms. Dong has been sentenced to forced labour three times.
  • Family Members Barred from Trial of Ms. Cao Guoxian in Duchang County, Jiangxi Province

    Ms. Cao Guoxian, an over 50-year-old Falun Gong practitioner, was tried by the Court of Duchang County, Jiangxi Province, on May 27th, 2010. Ms. Cao was arrested on March 21st and has been held in the Duchang County Detention Centre. Her family asked several times to visit her but they were never allowed to. In court Ms. Cao's family members, relatives, and fellow villagers came. It was reported that Liu Jianhong, the presiding judge of the court, was very angry because he received many phone calls from the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other parts of the world. The callers tried to tell him the facts about Falun Gong and asked him to stop persecuting practitioners. He lost his temper at Ms. Cao's family and blamed them for having leaked information about the trial and barred some of them.
  • Account of Persecution Suffered by Older Practitioner Ms. Liu Yunfang from Luzhou City, Sichuan Province

    Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Liu Yunfang, 63, was arrested on March 31st, 2010, while walking along Hexi Street. Police dragged her into a black vehicle, took her to the Anfu Police Station and then sent her to Naxi Court. In court, the police forced Liu Yunfang to sign a prepared document without letting her see its content. Ms. Liu later learned that it was the indictment statement. Ms. Liu was secretly tried in a criminal court on April 13th. The proceedings included no kept record and lasted for 20 minutes. She was not given a chance to contact a lawyer for representation.
  • Mr. Che Guangming from Jinhua City in Zhejiang Province Arrested

    Mr. Che Guangming, 33, has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) because he practises Falun Gong. He was detained in prison in Jiangsu Province for more than three years beginning in 2001. He was harassed by the Hangzhou City 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) in late April. As a result, he left home and lived elsewhere to avoid arrest. However, police tracked Mr. Che down and arrested him again on June 2nd, 2010.
  • Elderly Practitioner Sentenced to Five-year Jail Term

    Seventy-year-old Ms. Li Yunhai was arrested and sent to a brainwashing centre around April 23rd, 2010, and then tried behind closed doors. She received a five-year prison sentence from the Penglai Court on April 28th. She suffered from high blood pressure and was sent to hospital for treatment that evening. While hospitalised, she was placed under the surveillance of police officers as well as teachers from her former workplace. She was handcuffed and shackled during her hospital stay.
  • Multiple Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested by Officials in Huainan City, Anhui Province

    During April and May of 2010, various officials and the Huainan City 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong), using "security for the World Expo" as an excuse, arrested several Falun Gong practitioners, scheduled hasty court "trials" and imprisoned them. Officials also obstructed the practitioners' lawyers from defending them.
  • Seven Falun Gong Practitioners Brought to Trial For the Second Time

    At 9 a.m. on June 1st, 2010 seven Falun Gong practitioners were brought to trial for a second time in the Bayuquan District, Yingkou City, Liaoning Province. The chief judge told the practitioners' relatives that the court had informed their defence lawyers to appear in court three days before the trial, but they failed to do so. The relatives did not receive any information about the trial until May 31st. When they called the lawyers, immediately they were told that they had never received any messages from the court or the procuratorate. They wanted to appear in court to defend the practitioners, but it was already too late because they lived in another city, far away from Yingkou City. The first trial took place on March 23rd, 2010.
  • Secret Trial Held for Four Falun Gong Practitioners in Huadian City, Jilin Province

    On May 25th-26th, 2010, a secret two-day trial of four Falun Gong practitioners was held in a Huadian City Court. A lawyer defending Falun Gong practitioners was insulted by a policeman during the process. The family members who came to court to inquire about the proceedings were also arrested by police and their homes were ransacked. Falun Gong practitioner Ma Yunfeng was released one year ago after she was extorted out of ten thousand yuan by police. However the court also forced her to come to trial, and after being falsely accused, the police arrested her again. Now she is detained at the Huadian City Detention Centre.
  • Ms. Du Juan Arrested, Her Child Taken Away from Her

    Ms. Du Juan was arrested by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong on May 6th, 2010. She is being detained at the Chaoyang District Detention Centre. The whereabouts of her mentally disabled child is currently unknown.
  • Falun Gong Practitioner Mr. Kao Fuquan Arrested after Incessant Harassment

    On May 8th, 2010, Kao Fuquan was arrested outside his home by agents of the local 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong). He is currently detained at the Lingnan Gold Mine Brainwashing Centre. They have interrogated Mr. Kao using torture. In January 2003, Mr. Kao was arrested by police and his home was ransacked. He was tortured with electric batons to his head, ears, and other sensitive areas. His arms and hands were burned. To further torture him, agents used handcuffs to suspend him from a hook on the wall until he passed out from the pain. When Mr. Kao came to, the torture would start all over again. He was tortured for nine days in the Mengzhi Police Station.
  • Mr. Zhang Aiquan and His Wife, Both Practitioners from Shengli Oil Field, Sentenced to Prison Terms

    Before the persecution started, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhang Aiquan lived a happy life with his wife and daughter. After July 20th, 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong, Mr. Zhang and his wife were arrested, sentenced to forced labour and prison terms, and had their home ransacked. In September 2000, Mr. Zhang was sentenced to three years of forced labour and taken to Wangcun Forced Labour Camp in Shandong Province. In 2005, Mr. Zhang and his wife were arrested again. Police interrogated the couple by using torture. They beat them and tied them to a "dead person's bed" for more than a month. Mr. Zhang was forced to say he was guilty for telling people the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong.
  • Schoolteacher Arrested Two Months after Being Released from Forced Labour Camp

    Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Ni Cuixia was a teacher at the Xujia Elementary School in Dalian City. She had been imprisoned at the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp for one year before she was released two months ago. It was only two months later that she was taken into custody again on May 27th. The police did not present any proper paperwork and have not provided the family any further information on Ms. Ni.
  • Teacher Who Donated 60,000 Yuan to Her Hometown Brought to Trial

    On January 26th, 2010, as Ms. Lu Chunyun, a Falun Gong practitioner, was distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong at the Trade Building in Liaoyuan City, security guards arrested her. Police officers then ransacked her home and confiscated her personal computer. She is now being held in Liaoyuan Detention Centre. May 14th, Ms. Lu was brought to trial in the Longshan District Court. When her family saw her, two people were helping her just to walk. No verdict was announced after the trial. In 1996, when local officials were calling for donations to build roads and a bridge, she donated half of her total savings, 60,000 yuan to the government to build the bridge. In addition, she did it anonymously.
  • The Couple Mr. Liu Xigong and Ms. Le Xiuwen Facing Sentencing by Haidian District Court in Beijing

    The couple Mr. Liu Xigong and Ms. Le Xiuwen were arrested on Xinkou Street, Beijing on December 19th, 2009. Their home was also ransacked on the same day; the police confiscated many personal belongings including Falun Gong books, and an MP3 player. The elderly couple were sent to Xicheng District Detention Centre first, transferred to Beijing No. 1 Detention Centre, and later taken to Haidian District Court. During their detention, Mr. Liu Xigong had to be taken to a medical facility for emergency care. However, officials from Haidian District Court have refused to allow Mr. Liu's relatives to visit him or to release him. Haidian District Court held a hearing for the couple on June 2nd, 2010.