Latest News from China - 08/18/2000

[Beijing]

Before July 20, 2000, the police stations in Beijing vacated many rooms in order to detain Falun Gong practitioners who would come to Beijing to appeal. Those practitioners who got detained before July 20, 2000 and refused to tell the police where they came from were all sent to the nearby Tianjin City for detention.

However, the practitioners have been focusing on exposing the crimes committed by the evil persons and clarifying the truth of Falun Gong to the public. So there were not many practitioners who went to appeal to the government on July 20, 2000, and this was rather unexpected to the police. The police in the Qiliqu Detention Center of Changping County (Beijing) said, "We had vacated rooms that could hold over 1,000 practitioners. It was really a surprise that not many practitioners got detained there."

[Hefei City, Anhui Province] Practitioners Suffered Inhumane Mistreatments

1. The Women Labor Camp of Anhui Province.

Over 100 practitioners are being detained in the Women Labor Camp of Anhui Province. The director of the Labor Camp Tel: [phone]; Labor Camp Office Tel: [phone].

In order to further persecute practitioners, the Labor Camp specially built two rows of small cells in mid July. Each cell could only hold one person, either standing or lying down. The cell has a window of 20 centimeters (about 8 inches). If a practitioner continued to practice Falun Gong, she would be sent to this small cell. Moreover, these small cells are close to the rubbish heap that smells terrible. There are also a lot of mosquitoes. Practitioners are not allowed to go to toilet outside the cell. The cells were extremely humid and hot, and the temperature can be as high as 38C.

Practitioners Song Hong, Wu Xiaohua, and some other practitioners have been detained in these small cells. Some practitioners got detained there while being back handcuffed and feeding mosquitoes with their bodies. Some practitioners became extremely weak after suffering mental and physical tortures in the small cells. Some practitioners have been staying in the small cells ever since they were built up.

Those practitioners who were not detained in the small cells had to work over 18 hours each day. Moreover, the police often ordered the convicted criminals to beat them up.

Before the Dragon Boat Festival (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month), the police invited a group of thugs to the labor camp. These thugs roped 8 practitioners and took them to the Drug-stopping center to torture them cruelly. Practitioner Li Xiuzhi, who was in her 50s, was hardly conscious when she was dragged back to the labor camp. In order to cover up their crimes, these evil people blocked all the news and did not allow anybody to visit the practitioners. So it is very difficult to know the current situation inside the labor camp.

2. The Hefei Detention Center

Dozens of practitioners are being detained in the Hefei Detention Center. Everyday, practitioners have to work from 6am to 11:30pm. Except eating and going to the restrooms, practitioners are not allowed to have a rest. At night, they have to be on duty for one hour. The practitioners have to finish their heavy workloads. Otherwise, they are not allowed to go to sleep.

Recently, a dozen of female practitioners detained in the 37th and 38th cells were put on shackles weighing over 60 pounds (an inhumane torture device used for convicted criminals facing death penalty) for 5 days, because they had delivered a note of "Falun Dafa is innocent" to protest the illegal sentence of practitioner Wu Yunrui (who had been sentenced with 4 years of imprisonment). These practitioners were Yang Jinfang, Li Guozhen, Zhang Jie, Cao Ping and Zang Heping etc. They are still in custody.

The Hefei detention center Tel: [phone].

3. Besides the Labor Camps and Detention Centers, all districts of Hefei City and suburban counties are illegally detaining practitioners in the name of "re-education classes". The communist officials extorted money from practitioners' family members and their work units in the name of collecting the fees for the living expenses during the classes.

4. On July 11, 2000, officers from Wuhu Road Police Station broke into the home of practitioner Ms. Wu Weiming and took her away by force and then threw her into the Women Labor Camp. Later, the police sent her husband, Xu Foning, to a re-education class for detention. A few days later, they transferred him to the detention center and he is still in custody.

5. On July 13, 2000, officers from Yimin Police Station of Hefei City broke into the home of practitioner Ms. Huang Liping and ransacked her home when there was nobody at home. The police even changed the lock of her home when they left. Later, the police took Ms. Huang Liping from her workplace to the "re-education class".

6. Practitioner Ms. Ji Guangying went to Beijing to appeal in this July. After detaining her 15 days illegally, the Nanqi Police Station sent her to the "re-education class" held at the Motor Fittings Plant for further detention. After the class, she was sent to the Women Labor Camp at the end of this July.

7. On July 10, 2000, the police from the Wuhu Road police station and the Hefei Police Department Section One pretended to be workers for eliminating termites so that they were able to enter the home of the practitioner Ms. Zhang Lanping. They took her away by force. After 15 days of detention, Ms. Zhang was transferred to a "re-education class" held at Yicheng.

8. Currently, practitioners are still being sent to labor camps one after another.