(Minghui.org) During the last two months of 2011, a great number of Falun Gong practitioners were arrested in Harbin City. The large-scale arrest of Falun Gong practitioners has resulted in tremendous losses for their families. One year has now passed. Friends and relatives of these practitioners miss them and continue to worry about their safety.
The Large-scale Arrests
On December 31, 2011, at about 5 a.m., under the command of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Harbin Municipal Public Security Bureau, District Public Security Bureau, and local police departments launched a massive arrest of Falun Gong practitioners who were “on the list.” The arrest was premeditated by the CCP, and it was called the “Year-end Action.”
Without showing any identification, police officers from the above authorities used a multi-master key to open practitioners' doors and start arresting them. Practitioners who were arrested included: Qi Yaru, Zhang Baoquan, Guo Yulan, Zhang Shengguo, Hou Yinghua, Li Xiubai, Xiao Chunyan, He Jianmin, Li Wenchun, Liu Shumei, Xiao Yang, Xiao Kun, Zhao Xidong, Zeng Shuling, Niu Jiahui, Liu Yanbo, Hao Lianqin, Wang Chuanxi, Liu Jingzhou, Wang Meifang, Gong Wenyi, Li Xiuhong, Liu Qingsheng, Li Xuejun, Xu Haibo, Wu Yi, Li Chunguang, Cai Ning, Cao Shuzhen, Song Guanghua, Xiao Xiao, Ding Xiaomei, Wang Yanwen, Xiang Guilan, Kang Min, Diao Junhua, and Xiao Yunfang.
During the period before and after the large-scale arrest, many other practitioners were also arrested, including: Liu Bocai, Zhang Qingsheng, Yang Xiuying, Liu Wanjun, Wang Yan, Jia Liqing, Yu Huazhi, Wang Hui, Ju Zhiyuan, Xiang Xiaoyan, Liu Shouxin, Guo Shuhui, Tian Qingling, Hua Fengxia, Zhang Dongmei, Liu Jianmin, Wang Xinyu, Mao Weijun, and others.
The Persecution Continues; Many Practitioners Were Either Sent to Labor Camps or Sentenced to Prison
After the arrests, practitioners were subjected to severe persecution for their steadfast faith in Falun Gong, and their lives were seriously endangered. Regardless of age or health condition, the police didn't spare anyone, and they sent practitioners to labor camps or prisons where they were subjected to continuous persecution.
1. 40-year-old practitioner Ms. Zeng Shuling was abducted by the National Security Brigade and detained in the Yaziquan Detention Center. As a result of the persecution she suffered, she couldn't eat anything, and her blood pressure became so abnormal that it was undetectable by the sphygmomanometer. Even under such conditions, she was sent to serve two years in the Qianjin Labor Camp.
2. 56-year-old practitioner Ms. Guo Yulan's blood pressure reached 240 mmHg, and her life was seriously endangered. Despite her condition, she was ruthlessly tried and sentenced by the Court of Xiangfang.
3. 60-year-old Mr. Gong Wenyi appeared to have heart disease after he was arrested. The police attempted to put him in a labor camp five times, but because of his serious condition, the labor camp refused to take him.
4. 79-year-old Mr. Li Wenchun was arrested by Wang Dianbin, a police officer from the Public Security Bureau of Xiangfang, and sent to the Yaziquan Detention Center where he was held for 18 days. He was later tried and sentenced by the court.
5. Practitioner Ms. Yu Huazhi's blood pressure reached 200 mmHg due to the persecution. She also suffered from heart disease, and became blind. She couldn't take care of herself, and needed someone to carry her to the trial.
Practitioners that we know of who have been sent to forced labor include: Zeng Shuling, Liu Yan, Tian Qingling, Liu Yanbo, Xiang Guilan, Liu Jingzhou, Wu Yi, Xu Haibo, Niu Jiahui, and Liu Jianmin.
Practitioners who have been sentenced to prison include: Zhang Baoquan (4 years), Guo Yulan (3.5 years), Qi Yaru (4 years), Xiao Kun (7 years), Xiao Yang (7 years), Zhang Shengguo (9 years), Hou Yinghua (9 years), Zhao Xidong (4 years), Li Wenchun (5 years), Hao Lianqin (7 years), Wang Zhuyun (8 years), Ju Zhiyuan (3 years), Li Xiuhong (3 years), Jia Liqing (8 years), Yu Huazhi (4 years), Liu Qingsheng, Xiang Xiaoyan and Li Xuejun.
Abused and Tortured in Detention
While detained in the prison or labor camp, practitioners underwent torture from the police, resulting in tremendous physical and mental suffering:
1. Ms. Zeng Shuling was forced to write the so-called “Three Letters” (to renounce Falun Gong), shocked with electrical batons, and drenched in cold water by Wang Min, captain of the first battalion in the Qianjin Prison Camp, and Wang Fang, a prisoner team-leader. As a result, Ms. Zeng began vomiting blood. Just when she started to recover her health, she was forced to do slave labor, even though she couldn't handle it. After she was transferred to the Second Battalion, she was forced to sit on a small bench all day long (for not being able to perform any work.)
2. Ms. Tian Qingling became paralyzed in her lower limbs just a few months after she was sent to the Qianjin Labor Camp. Ms. Tian couldn't walk and had to be carried by someone from the cell when her family came to visit her. In July, Ms. Tian had surgery to remove a tumor. At present, she is still being held in the labor camp.
3. Ms. Wang Hui became mentally disoriented after she was detained in the Qianjin Labor Camp for three months. She couldn't take care of herself, and didn't know how to take a shower or use the bathroom. She urinated on the floor of her cell, and didn't know how to change her sanitary pad. Often, she kept staring at one place for a long period of time. She didn't eat or sleep much. She was emaciated and looked like a bag of bones. The police thought she was pretending to be insane. Police officer Fu Min hit her with a police baton. Prisoner team-leader Wang Fang slapped her mouth and punched her. Wang Xiaowei, captain of the prison, always made things more difficult for Ms. Wang Hui, forcing her to perform slave labor, cursing at her, and pushing her around. Under such pressure, Ms. Wang Hui's condition worsened. One day, she screamed, “I practice Falun Gong, and I am a good person. Why do good people have to suffer so much?”
4. Liu Jingzhou was hung up and shocked with electric batons by Shi Jian and other police officers from the Suihua Labor Camp. As a result, Liu Jingzhou's lip and face were swollen, and one hand couldn't function normally.
5. Ms. Qi Yaru was detained in the Women's Prison of Heilongjiang. Along with other practitioners, she was deprived of sleep, and suffered from abuse, insults, and beatings. The police tried to force practitioners to “transform” and give up their belief. They didn't allow practitioners' families to visit them for three months. At present, Ms. Qi can't keep her back straight when she walks, and needs someone to hold her up.
6. Ms. Li Xuejun, 68, was sentenced to the Women's Prison of Heilongjiang. Because of poor health, she was held on the 8th Floor of the Prison Administration Center Hospital. She lost consciousness and was in a coma due to the persecution. At present, she is still being detained in the hospital.
Practitioners Remain Uncompromising in Their Faith
Falun Gong practitioners have lost their normal livelihoods just because they believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They have been arrested and persecuted by the police, and experienced life and death situations. Yet, they remain uncompromising in their faith, because they have obtained truly meaningful lives through cultivating in the Buddha Fa.
1. Mr. Zhao Xidong used to work in the Russian-language Editing Center of the Heilongjiang Television Station. He served as a translator, editor, reporter, host, photographer, and dubbing expert. He was well known for his wit. Before practicing Falun Gong, he often pondered the question, “What is the end to pursuing material things?” He couldn't find the answer. Feeling lost and frustrated, he became addicted to alcohol. Although his wife tried to persuade him to quit drinking, he never listened to her. Their relationship was very tense. His wife threatened to divorce him many times. However, after Mr. Zhao started practicing Falun Gong, he took fame and money lightly, and was always willing to help others. For example, he used to clean the hallway and other public places at his residential area. He also quit drinking altogether. Because of this, he attained unprecedented peace of mind and harmony within his family.
2. Ms. Hao Lianqin was disease-stricken and hospitalized when she was young. She couldn't take care of herself at all. After she began practicing Falun Gong, she underwent a complete change. Not only did all her illnesses disappear, but also her personality improved drastically. She has become a happier person and always puts others before herself. She was always willing to help her colleagues, friends and relatives whenever they needed her. She took care of all her household chores and her husband. Because of this, her husband always had a smile on his face. Ms. Hao's mother-in-law was so delighted to have her as her daughter-in-law. During holidays or weekends, Ms. Hao would go to visit her mother-in-law and cook her delicious food. It would have been impossible for her to do all this before she took up cultivation practice in Falun Gong. Ms. Hao's mother-in-law has always told people, “Whoever says that Falun Gong is not good, I don't believe them, because my daughter-in-law is a Falun Gong practitioner.”
3. Ms. Qi Yaru had very poor health when she was young. She had red spots all over her legs which caused her a lot of pain. She was very weak and bed-ridden for years. Even the hospital didn't know what kind of disease she had. Later, she was infected with a serious case of Hepatitis B, and couldn't work. She spent a lot of money on medicine and hospital treatment. After she began practicing Falun Gong, all her diseases disappeared. Not only did she become a healthy person, but she was also open-minded and kind. She had an elderly father-in-law who was deaf and blind and couldn't take care of himself. Ms. Qi was always patiently helping him.
Sentient Beings Are Gradually Awakening
During this wicked persecution, on one side, while showing steadfastness in their faith, Falun Gong practitioners continue to expose the evil and clarify the facts to save sentient beings, despite difficult circumstances. On the other side, the CCP has attempted to destroy a righteous faith, and the means they resort to are extremely vicious and brutal. Through this persecution, the world sees who is really good and who is evil. Falun Gong practitioners' family members have changed their attitudes from fear and misunderstanding to resistance of the persecution. Many are now openly supporting their loved ones by airing their grievances.
1. Since the CCP started persecuting Falun Gong in July 1999, Mr. Zhang Baoquan has been arrested five times and suffered both physically and mentally. The CCP has extorted 40,000 yuan from his family, and inflicted great harm to them. At present, faced with the arrest of her husband, Mr. Zhang's wife has repeatedly gone to the police station and the Public Security Bureau to demand his release. Without any fear, she boldly told the police the benefits of practicing Falun Gong, the changes her husband has undergone as a practitioner, and how Falun Gong has brought her family happiness and blessings.
2. After Ms. Jia was arrested and detained in the Yazi Detention Center, her family has repeatedly requested to see her, but their requests were denied. Ms. Jia's younger brother and husband decided to hire a lawyer to defend Ms. Jia. With much difficulty, they have gone from one legal firm to another to seek assistance, but were told that no legal firms in Harbin City were allowed to represent Falun Gong practitioners (as mandated by the CCP). Nevertheless, they didn't give up. Finally, they hired a lawyer from Beijing to defend Ms. Jia.
3. Because Ms. Xiang Xiaoyan practices Falun Gong, she was arrested. Her husband, who also works with her in the same company, faces a lot of pressures from the company leadership. Because of this, his work environment has also undergone some changes, but he doesn't care. He knows that he can't abandon his wife. He goes to the detention center to see his wife every week, brings her things, and comforts her.
Although many Falun Gong practitioners have experienced severe persecution, most of their relatives and friends have hired lawyers to defend them. During the trials, faced with the prosecutors' false charges, the lawyers maintain that Falun Gong practitioners are innocent, based on the constitution. As a result, the judges and prosecutors are speechless, and forced to call for a dismissal. They also try to obstruct the lawyers from defending practitioners. Every defense is an act of justice that frightens the evil and wakes up the world's people. As a non-practitioner who viewed one of these trials once said, “Even if Falun Gong practitioners are sentenced, everyone knows it is against one's conscience.”
Another year has gone by. How much do people know about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners? Those who follow the CCP will have to pay back their blood debts. Although Falun Gong practitioners have suffered numerous tribulations, more and more people are awakening and becoming more aware of the truth. And that is just what Falun Gong practitioners are sincerely looking forward to seeing.
