(Clearwisdom.net)

More than 30 male Falun Gong practitioners in Pi County of Chengdu City in Sichuan Province are now in their 7th day of a hunger strike to protest their illegal detention and inhumane torture. Over 60 female practitioners are planning to start a hunger strike on March 15. The situation is very urgent.

On the first day of 2002, 18 Falun Gong practitioners from Pi County went to Beijing to appeal and were arrested and imprisoned. On Chinese New Year's Eve, 2002, Chen Zhengming, secretary of the Party Committee in Pi County, and Zhang Xiazhi, deputy head of Pi County police department and also director of the local "610" office, issued orders to illegally arrest 106 local Falun Gong practitioners to prevent them from any further appeal. Many practitioners hadn't done anything and were arrested directly from their homes. The arrested practitioners have been imprisoned in the detention center of Pi County for more than 30 days, during which they have been severely beaten and maltreated. In order to protest such atrocities, over 30 male Falun Gong practitioners decided to begin a hunger strike on March 4 and are now in their 7th day. In addition, over 60 female practitioners planned to start the hunger strike if they were not released when the Chinese People's Congress finishes on March 15.

Criminals of "610" Office Brutally Beat Innocent Falun Gong Practitioners

Falun Gong practitioners who went to appeal during the New Year were illegally imprisoned in the Huanshan Township of Tangchang Town in Pi County and Chen Zhengming and Zhang Xiazhi unlawfully set up a "detention center" there. Both male and female practitioners were brutally beaten as soon as they were sent to the detention center. Guards slapped female practitioners in their faces with rulers and practitioners had blood in their noses and on their faces. Male practitioners were beaten even more viciously. Guards also put the name of the founder of Falun Gong on the ground and forced practitioners to trample on it. Those practitioners who refused to do so were brutally beaten; however no practitioners stepped on it.

These practitioners were later transferred to the detention center of Pi Country. Zhou Hong from "610" office and Wu Mingli (female) of the detention center cruelly tortured practitioners. They not only ordered military policemen to beat practitioners, but also incited criminals to brutally beat practitioners. Once when they beat practitioners, one female practitioner stepped out and said, "You are not allowed to beat practitioners!" They started to beat practitioners even more viciously and also shouted when beating, "We don't beat practitioners. Who sees us beating them?" They shamelessly forced the woman who had spoken out to say, "I don't see practitioners being beaten," while she herself was being beaten.

Moreover, Zhou Gang and Wu Shouqin, deputy directors of the "610" office of Xipu Town and Tang Zhangchao, the secretary of the Town Party Committee, took the lead in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. They led other people to ransack practitioners' homes repeatedly and look for so-called evidence. As they couldn't find any practitioner's "crime," they had to change "criminal detention" to "residence under watch." However, practitioners were forced to "reside under watch" in detention centers and those persecutors totally disregarded the law.

Officials Who Persecute Falun Gong are Corrupt and Degenerate

The deputy head of the police department and director of "610" office is named Zhang Xiazhi. He not only persecutes Falun Gong practitioners, but is also notorious for his bad behavior. He is guilty of too many crimes to escape punishment. He eats, drinks, gambles and consorts with prostitutes. He smuggles drugs and guns. In 2001, the Chengdu City Police Department arrested Zhang Xiazhi for smuggling drugs and guns. However, he used 300,000 Yuan of his ill-gotten gains to bribe his superior and even knelt down in front of the county secretary Chen Zhengming to get back his position. In the brutal persecution of Falun Gong, Zhang Xiazhi acts as a "vanguard" and persecutes innocent and kind practitioners.

The County Party Committee Chairman Chen Zhengming encouraged all levels of government officials to persecute Dafa in order to obtain political benefits. This January, in order to create a stronger force, he organized a so-called "criticism meeting." However, his plans met with some resistance. Practitioners shouted, "Falun Dafa is good" loudly and even some everyday people shouted "Long Live Falun Gong!" Chen Zhengming felt so awkward that he angrily cursed the Mayor of the county who hosted the meeting, blaming him for the embarrassment and asking why he didn't prepare and why he didn't seal the practitioners' mouths. Chen has been promoted as the Vice Mayor of Chengdu City for his "contribution" in persecuting Falun Gong.

Name list of criminals:

Chen Zhengming, the secretary of the Party Committee in Pi County, Tel: 86-28-7864353(office), 86-28-7862051(office)

Zhang Xiazhi, director of county "610" office and deputy head of police department

Zhou Hong, "610" office staff

Wu Mingli, female, county detention center.

Zhou Gang, deputy director of "610" office of Xipu Town

Wu Shouqin, deputy director of "610" office of Xipu Town

Tang Zhangchao, the secretary of the Party Committee of Xipu Town