Benxi Police Arrest Falun Gong Practitioners Around the July 20 Anniversary

(Minghui.org) July 20, 2014, marked the fifteenth anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong. Close to this date police from Benxi, Liaoning Province, started another round of arrests. More than ten practitioners were arrested.

Arrested practitioners included Mr. Zhao Fugui, Ms. Zhang Fengyun, Mr. Liu Bin, Ms. Ran Fang, Ms. Xie Ruixue, Ms. Xie Ruihua, Ms. Xu Jie and her daughter, Mr. Lu Jin, Ms. Sun Shuyu, Mr. Wei Jianping, Ms. Hu Chunyan, Ms. Gong Shuling, Ms. Cui Zhaoling, Ms. Liu Yuqiu, and Ms. Bian Lihua.

Among them, Mr. Zhao Fugui was arrested by the police from Pianling Town Police Station and Gaoguan Police Station, Benxi, on the evening of July 16. Ms. Sun Shuyu, Mr. Liu Bin and his wife Ran Fang, and Ms. Zhang Fengyun were arrested on July 17. Ms. Bian Lihua was arrested at home by police from Benxi Domestic Security Division and Xing'an Police Station, Benxi on July 22.

Benxi Police have conducted mass arrests of Falun Gong practitioners in the past. On April 25, 2013 they arrested 17 practitioners, among whom 12 are still detained at the Benxi Detention Center. They planned a trial of those 12 practitioners on June 3, 2014 and tried to block their attorneys from defending them. Public attention, the attorney's help, and overseas media exposure forced Benxi “610 Office” and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee to cancel the trial.

In retaliation, the police arrested Ms. Li Tong, Director of the Public Relations Department, Benxi Women's Federation, on June 6, 2014. She was arrested on her way to work. Police ransacked her home and confiscated a computer, a printer, many personal belongings, cash, and a bank deposit book. They claimed the reason for the arrest was that the “610 Office” suspected that it was Ms. Li who exposed information about the trial overseas.

Individuals who participated in the persecution:Yang Jianjun (杨建军), deputy director of Benxi Police Department: [phone] (Office)Lu Gang (卢刚), manager of Mingshan Domestic Security Division, Benxi: [phone] (Cell)Zhang Kai (张凯), director of Mingshan Police Sub-department, Benxi: [phone] (Office)Shi Fengyou (史凤友), Party secretary of Benxi Political and Legal Affairs Committee: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Home)