Illegal Detention and Imprisonment
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Four Elderly Practitioners Expected to Receive Long Prison Sentences in Qingong County, Guizhou Province
2009-05-16Four elderly practitioners were arrested for distributing Falun Gong fliers in Qingong County. They were taken to the Laocheng Detention Centre where they remain to this day. Agents of the county court and judiciary department, as well as the local police, are planning to sentence each of them to long prison terms. Their families are very angry that their loved ones were arrested and detained. -
Police in Jilin City Arrest Practitioners, Family Demands their Release
2009-05-13On April 25th, 2009, more than 10 policemen went to Mr. Dong Qingyou and his wife's home. They arrested the couple and took them to the Zhanqian Police Station. Ms. Li's younger brother went to the police station and asked them why they had made the arrest. A policeman said it was because the couple practised Falun Gong. Chen said that they found Falun Gong books and informational materials during their search. Mr. Dong's family said they would file a lawsuit for unlawful arrest. At about 7 p.m., Mr. Dong and his wife walked out of the Zhanqian Police Station and returned home. -
My Experiences in Linxiang City Detention Centre
2009-05-13When I was explaining the truth about Falun Gong to the people in my aunt's town I was reported by somebody and was arrested on August 11th, 2008 by police officers. The police said "How dare you promote Falun Gong here. We will send you to the hospital for the mentally ill and kill you by injecting you with poisonous drugs!" Then they demanded to know about the Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution I had with me. In the detention centre an officer slapped my face and then punched me in the jaw with all his might. They also trampled all over my chest. After they beat me for several rounds, my chin was swollen and I lost my hearing in my left ear. -
67-Year-Old Mr. Zhang Xingwu from Jinan City, Shandong Province, Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison
2009-05-1367-year-old Professor Zhang Xingwu's family was notified that Mr. Zhang was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment. On March 31st, Shizhong District Court in Jinan City tried Mr. Zhang Xingwu. They not only prevented Professor Zhang Xingwu's defence lawyer from attending the proceedings, but also keep his family from being present in the courtroom. In addition, 70 armed, anti-riot police and nearly 200 other officers were deployed around the courthouse. One of Mr. Zhang's relatives, Ms. Liu Lijie, was detained for fifteen days and later sentenced to 21 months' forced labour just because she wanted to attend the session. -
Six Practitioners Arrested in Chenzhou City, Hunan Province
2009-05-13Six Falun Gong practitioners were arrested in Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, on April 21st, 2009. More than 20 police suddenly surrounded Ms. Liao Xiaohong's vendor booth and took Ms. Liao Xiaohong, Mr. Shi Jiaoyu, and a visiting male practitioner away under duress. They snatched Mr. Shi's bag and found the key to his apartment, took the bag with them, and opened the door. The police took away everything, including a computer, and Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution. They also looted 74,000 yuan in cash and a bank deposit book worth over 20,000 yuan. -
Songyuan City Intermediate Court Sentences Innocent People
2009-05-11In the beginning of 2009, the Qianguo County Court in Songyuan City, Jilin Province secretly tried practitioner Mr. Xu Peng. The court also issued heavy sentences of 8 to 12 years in prison to six practitioners. The practitioners appealed to the Songyuan City Intermediate Court. The relatives of the six practitioners hired more than ten defence lawyers. But the court did not notify the lawyers of the second trial date; only two lawyers made it to Songyuan overnight. During the trial, practitioner Shao Changpu told the judge that the police force-fed him four bottles of mustard oil, and he wanted to charge the police for what they did. However, the judge upheld the previous sentences and wrapped up the trial hastily. -
Many Practitioners Sentenced in Xiantao City, Hubei Province
2009-05-11Since the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2007, CCP secretary Zhou Qi and Mayor Liu Xinchi of Xiantao City, Hubei Province, have been actively arresting Falun Gong practitioners. Under their command, the police arrested fifteen practitioners. Eight of the practitioners were sentenced to three to four years. Many of the practitioners are in critical condition as a result of torture. Ms. Chen Muying, in her 50s, was taken to the Wuhan City Brainwashing Centre on September 25th, 2007, then imprisoned at the Xiantao City Detention Centre for a year. She was sentenced to four years in prison at the end of 2008. She is now imprisoned at the Hubei Province Women's Prison. -
Hebei Province Elementary Schoolteacher Ms. Zhao Minghua and Her Husband Arrested and Tortured
2009-05-10Elementary schoolteacher Ms. Zhao Minghua and her husband, Mr. Li Yankui both Falun Gong practitioners, were arrested and tortured in October 2007 by Qianan Domestic Security police. On December 21st, 2007, the couple was again arrested and tried by the court. While they were held in the detention centre, they were both tortured by means of electric shock, long periods of sun exposure, and excessive physical activity. The police deceived and abused them and forced confessions from them. -
The Elderly Ms. Shen Is Forcibly Taken Away
2009-05-10On April 14th, when seventy-something Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Shen Jin'e was visiting her relatives, four plain clothes police broke in and forcibly searched the house. Ms. Shen asked them to show their legal documents. One of them quickly flashed some papers saying, "You broke the law. You will be sentenced and thrown into prison. Now you may find your lawyer!" Police forcibly dragged Ms. Shen out of the door. They dragged her to the side of a car which carried no police licence plate. They took Ms. Shen to the police station. Ms. Shen asked loudly, "What law did I break?" One officer said, "We have no choice. Our boss asked us to do this." -
Falun Gong Practitioners in Huairou District, Beijing, Harassed and Arrested on the Eve of April 25th incident
2009-05-10On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the "April 25th" incident, the Chinese Communist Party agents again harassed and forcibly arrested Falun Gong practitioners. On April 23rd, 2009, many practitioners in Huairou District, Beijing were harassed. The campaign of searching and arresting was launched by the Public Security Bureau's 610 Office, local police stations and the Town's Street Integrated Management Office together. No legal procedures were followed and it was conducted by only plain-clothes police. -
Police from Wafangdian Police Station in Dalian City Arrest Practitioner Ni Cuixia and Beat Her Daughter
2009-05-09On April 8th, 2009, Ms. Ni Cuixia was arrested by police when she told the facts of Falun Gong to the public. Ms. Ni's daughter went to the police station and asked to see Liu Jun, the person responsible for her mother's arrest, to request a visit with her mother. But Liu refused to see the daughter. On April 15th, Ms. Ni's daughter went to Liu's house. Liu's wife told her that she had the wrong address. Then about twenty police officers rushed out with bats, long knives and batons. They beat her badly. -
The Persecution of Mr. Yang Guoshu and His Family in Shulan City
2009-05-09On March 31st, 2009, Mr. Yang Guoshu and his family were arrested by more than ten police officers. The family are all Falun Gong practitioners, including Mr. Yang's wife, his eldest son and second son. On that day, four of his relatives who were visiting were also arrested. One of them was released after being extorted out of 500 yuan. Officers from the Shulan City Huan Cheng Police Station and Beicheng Police Station ransacked Mr. Yang's home, and took away six computers and more than six thousand "yuan" in cash. -
Ms. Yang Shujun Suffers Cruel Abuse after Being Sentenced to Twelve Years in Prison
2009-05-08In November 2004, Ms. Yang Shujun along with other Falun Gong practitioners put up over a hundred posters in many public places. The posters had "Falun Gong Is Good" or "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance Is Good" on them. Police arrested over twenty practitioners including Ms. Yang. Many practitioners were tortured, and some were tortured to death. Ms. Yang was tortured for seven days. The police burned her with cigarette butts, covered her head with plastic bags to nearly suffocate her, hung her by handcuffs, beat her, and injected her with drugs. She was sentenced to twelve years in prison. In June 2006, she was taken to the Harbin Women's Prison where she was repeatedly beaten and cut by other inmates. -
Three Practitioners Recently Tried in Xuchang City, Henan Province
2009-05-06In April 2009, the Weidu District Court in Xucheng City sentenced Ms. Chang Qing and Mr. Wang Haisong to three years in prison, while Ms. Shen Yuehong received a three and a half year sentence. Ms. Shen and Ms. Chang are being held at the Xinxiang City Women's Prison in Henan Province. During Ms. Shen's detention, she was severely tortured to the point that she became emaciated and developed fluid build-up in her thoracic cavity. When her condition worsened, guards dragged her to the local hospital by a shackle that was attached to her foot. She later developed symptoms of tuberculosis and is now very weak. -
Six Practitioners Unconstitutionally Prosecuted By Hejiang County Procuratorate in Sichuan Province
2009-05-03On September 10th, 2008, six Falun Gong practitioners went to distribute leaflets exposing the persecution of Falun Gong in Hejiang County, which led to their arrest. After six months' detention, agents from the Hejiang County Procuratorate prosecuted them. Mr. Wei Fengming, 55 years old, was arrested at his home in 2004 and detained for two years. He was cruelly tortured in Mianyang Prison in Sichuan. His wife, Ms. Luo Shuizhen, 54, was held for eight months at Luzhou Detention Centre. She suffered severe mental and physical mistreatment. She was subjected to forced labour three times between 2001 and 2007 and suffered inhumane abuse at Nanmusi Forced Labour Camp in Sichuan for those six years.