(Minghui.org) The arrest and beating of lawyers in Jiansanjiang, Heilongjiang Province has recently caught worldwide attention. Several media outlets, including Voice of America, Deutsche Welle and Radio Free Asia have carried the news.

The police in Jiansanjiang established a “black jail” (a secret, extralegal detention center) to imprison Falun Gong practitioners, where they have been subjected to severe abuse, including torture. The four lawyers representing Falun Gong practitioners were also arrested and beaten in Jiansanjiang. Attorney Zhang Junjie sustained three fractures to his lower back as a result of beatings.

People in the West may be surprised that the police in China, who should be upholding the law and protecting Chinese citizens, are instead breaking the law in persecuting law-abiding citizens.

Karsten Noell, Police Commissioner for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region in Germany, has a unique perspective on the situation, being both a police officer as well as a Falun Gong practitioner. Karsten recommended that his Chinese counterparts read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party to truly understand the nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and approach their law enforcement duties with a sense of conscience.

Police in China Often Act Outside the Law

The Qinglongshan Brainwashing Center is a black jail, officially known as the “Jiansanjiang Farm Legal Education Center.” It is not an institution for conducting legal education, nor is it even a legal organization. It is an unofficial detention center where prisoners of conscience and petitioners (those seeking a redress of grievances) are held. At least 53 law-abiding citizens (most of whom are Falun Gong practitioners) were detained there for upholding their belief.

The police do not require a warrant or follow any legal procedure when they arrest and incarcerate people in these black jails. Detainees are held without an official sentence or term, and can be tortured there without restriction. Director Fang Yuechun (房跃春) and other agents have abused and tortured Falun Gong practitioners with severe beatings, sleep deprivation, burning and punitive forced-feeding. Every one of these acts is a violation of criminal law, including the extralegal detention.

The four lawyers, Mr. Jiang Tianyong (江天勇), Zhang Junjie (张俊杰), Wang Cheng (王成) and Tang Jitian (唐吉田) were abducted on March 21 when investigating the Qinglongshan Brainwashing Center and providing legal counsel to the families of Falun Gong practitioners who are currently detained there.

Lawyer Zhang Junjie suffered three fractures to his lower back after being beaten by the police.

Under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the 610 Office directs the police to carry out the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, resulting in severe violations of the criminal law and code.

In July 2012, the Political and Legal Committee of Dalian, Liaoning Province conducted a mass arrest of nearly 80 Falun Gong practitioners for installing satellite receivers. Lawyer Cheng Hai (程海), in his 60s, and others went to Dalian to provide legal counsel. The police intimidated Mr. Chen several times. On one occasion, two police officers beat him, causing soft tissue damage. He was also once beaten at the entrance to the court while trying to assist Falun Gong practitioners.

Photos of lawyer Cheng Hai after being beaten

Over the past 15 years of brutal persecution, the police have beaten and tortured Falun Gong practitioners. Now, in flagrant violation of the law, they are extending the violence to lawyers who would provide legal counsel to Falun Gong practitioners and their families.

Police in Germany Are Accountable for Their Actions

Karsten Noell, Senior Police Commissioner for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region, has benefited greatly from practicing Falun Gong

Karsten Noell, Police Commissioner for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region, pointed out a major difference between the way that police officers in Germany and China conduct their duties, saying that German police officers follow their conscience. He explained, “In Germany, a police officer would be punished if he used excessive force against a person. It is quite different from China. When we do something, we are first restricted by our conscience. We are also obligated to protect our citizens from danger.

“If law-abiding, peaceful people are detained in Germany, it is an obvious violation of the law. A police officer [who arrested an innocent person] would be subpoenaed and have to explain his actions in court. In Germany, the police know that they are accountable for their actions. They will be tried or imprisoned if they operate beyond the law. [An officer who violated the law] would be suspended depending on the degree of the injury inflicted and would have to appear in court to explain his actions. He might be fired or punished more severely.”

Officer Noell urged his Chinese counterparts to read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party in order to understand the true nature of the Party, to use their own conscience, and follow the law.