(Clearwisdom.net) On July 31, 2008, the police in Laixi City, Shandong Province, arrested 17 Falun Gong practitioners. They were having a study and discussion session at a practitioner's home.

The arrested practitioners were Mr. Liu Jingquan, Ms. Liu Hong, Mr. Zhu Lixin, Mr. Zhang Weixing from Xiagezhuang Township, Ms. Li Xiumei from Xiagezhuang Township, Ms. Pang Weina from Sunshou Township, Ms. Wu Jianfang, Ms. Wang Guizhi, Ms. Guo Ruiyu from Wubei, Mr. Huang Xingjiang, Mr. Xian Dequan from Hetoudian Township, Ms. Tian Lanfeng, Ms. Li Guixiang, Ms. Ding Hongai from Yuanli Township, Ms. Dai Guoyu, Ms. Zhou Chunhua from Lijiatuan Village, and Ms. Chen Yufen.

The current situations of these practitioners are as follows:

Ms. Dai Guoyu, Ms. Zhou Chunhua, Ms. Chen Yufen, and Ms. Wu Xiuxin were arrested and are facing imprisonment.

Mr. Liu Jingquan, Ms. Liu Hong, Mr. Zhu Lixin, Mr. Zhang Weixing, Ms. Li Xiumei, Ms. Pang Weina, and Ms. Wu Jianfang have been illegally sentenced to forced labor. They were taken to the Zibo Forced Labor Camp on August 30, 2008. Their family members were not informed.

Ms. Wang Guizhi is out on bail and awaiting trial.

Ms. Guo Ruiyu, Mr. Huang Xingjiang, Mr. Xian Dequan, Ms. Tian Lanfeng, Ms. Li Guixiang, and Ms. Ding Hongai are illegally imprisoned at the Qingdao Defense Education Center. Laixi 610 Office Chief Wang Jianzhi rented the third floor of the Qingdao Defense Education Center to set up a brainwashing center, where the above six practitioners will be imprisoned. This is the Laixi 610 Offi'sce private jail, set up in attempt to persecute and force practitioners to give up their belief. In order to maintain this location, the 610 Office extorted from each practitioner's family members 3,000 yuan and forced them to write guarantee statements before they would release the practitioners.

On July 31, the 17 practitioners were taken to the Qingdao Road Police Station. Afterwards, their homes were ransacked by the police. In the evening, the local police from the Qingdao Road Police Station arrested Ms. Wu Xiuxin, who is a employee of the Municipal People's Hospital. They also ransacked her home.

The police interrogated these practitioners and photographed them during the night. The practitioners resisted and were beaten mercilessly by the police. The faces of some of the practitioners were swollen. One elderly female practitioner was taken to a hospital.

On the afternoon of August 1, the Laixi police tried to take the practitioners to the Qingdao Dashan Detention Center. They took 11 female practitioners to Haici Hospital in Qingdao City for physical examinations. The exam results showed that they were all very weak and did not meet the conditions for imprisonment. Hence, Qingdao Dashan Detention Center authorities refused to accept them. However, the Laixi police gave money to the detention center personnel so that these practitioners were put in handcuffs and fetters. When Ms. Chen Yufen and Ms. Wu Xiuxin did not cooperate, the officers dragged them into the detention center by their feet.

Chief Wang Jianzhi, 610 Office: 86-13954287766 (Cell)