(Minghui.org) The Harbin Railway Public Security Bureau has been actively participating in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in Heilongjiang Province.
The Bureau is directly controlled by the Department of Public Security of Heilongjiang Province, and is responsible for the coordination of police forces at various railway stations in Harbin City. Their specific tasks include tailing and video recording Falun Gong practitioners, and tapping their phones to gather personal information and their home addresses.
With this information in hand, they conduct unified mass arrests of Falun Gong practitioners from time to time, and search and ransack their homes.
Below are details of two group arrests orchestrated by the Harbin Railway Public Security Bureau in the past two years.
Mass Arrest on November 9, 2018
On orders from the Domestic Security Division of the Department of Public Security of Heilongjiang Province, police in Daqing, Harbin, Bin County, and Yanshou arrested more than one hundred Falun Gong practitioners on November 9, 2018.
At least fourteen Falun Gong practitioners were arrested by police from Harbin Railway Public Security Section. The identities of twelve of the practitioners have been confirmed: Mr. Tan Changjun, Ms. Xiao Yuhua, Ms. Na Limei, Ms. Ren Rujie, Ms. Yang Tian, Ms. Li Xiaolin, Ms. Cao Guiqing, Ms. Gao Fengyun, Ms. Sui, Ms. Zhang, Mr. Yang, and Ms. Zhao.
A number of practitioners were sentenced to prison as a result of this round of persecution.
Mr. Tan Changjun was put on trial on May 23, 2019 and sentenced to six years in prison in June 2019. He appealed to the Railway Intermediate Court, but the court upheld the original sentence. He was transferred to Hulan Prison in August.
Police cheated their way into Ms. Na Limei's home by pretending to seek household appliance repair, as her husband repairs appliances. Her Falun Gong books, computers, and other personal belongings were confiscated. Ms. Na was tried in August 2019 and sentenced to one year in prison.
Although Ms. Ren Rujie managed to escape in the wee hours shortly after her arrest, the police set up monitoring devices in her daughter’s and younger sister’s homes, and captured her again on November 23, 2018.
Ms. Ren was put on trial on May 17, 2019 and sentenced to four years in prison in early June. She appealed to the Railway Intermediate Court, which upheld the sentence. She was transferred to Heilongjiang Women's Prison in mid-July 2019.
Ms.Cao Guiqing was first locked in the basement of a local police station following her arrest and then transferred to Harbin Detention Center at around 3:00 a.m. the next day.
She stood trial in June 2019 and was sentenced to prison. The judge allowed her to serve time outside of the prison under surveillance.
The police ransacked Ms. Gao Fengyun’s home and confiscated her Falun Gong books, computer, and 5,000 yuan in banknotes printed with messages. Due to strict information control in China, many Falun Gong practitioners use creative ways, including printing on banknotes, to spread information about their faith.
Ms. Gao was later sentenced to eight years in prison, and is now being persecuted in Heilongjiang Women’s Prison in Harbin.
The police also tracked down Ms. Gao’s cousin, Ms. Gao Fenghui, and arrested her on December 21, 2018. They searched and ransacked her home, confiscating two computers, a printer, more than 3,000 yuan in banknotes with truth-clarification messages, and dozens of Falun Gong books. Her 95-year-old father-in-law witnessed the whole ordeal and suffered severe trauma.
It was reported that Ms. Gao Fengyun has been sentenced to eight years. Ms. Gao Fenghui was also convicted, but her term remains to be investigated.
Eight Arrested on September 11, 2019
Eight Falun Gong practitioners were arrested by police from Harbin Railway Public Security Section on September 11, 2019, including Ms. Dong Wenxiu, Ms. Wang Shulan, Mr. Li Jizhong, Ms. Wan Fang, Ms. Meng Xianzhen, Ms. Wang Yurong, Ms. Zhang Haiyan, and Ms. Mou Yongxia.
Ms. Dong was arrested at around 5:00 a.m. on September 11. Four police officers broke into her home and took away her computers, cellphones, as well as her Falun Gong books and other personal belongings. Her bedridden 90-year-old mother witnessed the whole ordeal and was severely traumatized.
At around 11:00 a.m., six plain-clothed police officers smashed the door and broke into Ms. Wang Yurong’s rented unit. They cuffed her to a chair and ransacked the place, taking away with them a portrait of Master Li Hongzhi, all her Falun Gong books, a computer, and a printer. They also confiscated all the cash she had.
Ms. Wang Yurong was first taken to the Domestic Security Division and then transferred to Harbin No. 2 Detention Center.
When Ms. Wang Shulan from Xiangfang District returned home at around 6:00 a.m. that day (September 11), she was arrested by plainclothes police, who were hiding nearby. They forced her to open the door, ransacked the place, and took away a number of Falun Gong books, mobile phones, and other personal belongings. Her husband was also arrested.
Police also arrested Ms. Meng from Xiangfang District at her home on the morning of September 11. Her home was ransacked and the police took away all her Falun Gong books, computer, cellphone, and other personal belongings.
Her family members learned what had happened only after receiving a phone call from the police at around 11:00 a.m.
Ms. Meng was first taken to a local detention place, then to the Harbin Public Security Hospital for a health checkup. As her blood pressure reading was too high, the detention center refused to take her in, so the police had to release her later that day.
Ms. Wan Fang was arrested by police from Haxi Ray Police Station. The police also took away her Falun Gong books, computer, and three printers.
It’s known that Ms. Dong, Ms. Wang Yurong, Ms. Wang Shulan, Ms. Mou, and Ms. Wan are facing further prosecution after their arrests were approved. Mr. Li has been released on bail. Ms. Zhang’s case status remains to be investigated.
ID Information Used to Arrest Falun Gong Practitioners
With the advancement of digital technology, the Harbin Public Security Section also uses flagged IDs to track down Falun Gong practitioners. Some practitioners have been sentenced after they were arrested for using the flagged ID at public transportation stations.
Ms. Cai Weihua and her husband were waiting to board a train to return to their hometown for the Chinese New Year celebration after luggage checkin on February 6, 2018 when the deputy head of the railway police station came with a piece of paper with a photo on it. He came up to Ms. Cai, and ordered her to open her suitcase. The couple was then taken to the police duty office.
On the same day, police from Xiangfang Railway Station and other police stations went to search Ms. Cai's home, where they confiscated all her Falun Gong books, her laptop computer, and other personal belongings.
Ms. Cai was sentenced to seven years in prison in November 2018 by Daowai District Court in Harbin City, and fined 30,000 yuan.
Ms. Ren Xiuyun from Xiangfang District was stopped by police at Shangzhi Railway Station on March 1, 2018 when she was on her way back to Harbin. She was arrested after the police found Falun Gong exercise music in her cellphone.
The police searched her home and took away her Falun Gong books, computer, and other personal belongings.
Ms. Ren was later sentenced to nine months in prison.
Ms. Wang Cuilan, a practitioner from Nangang District, was arrested on June 20, 2018 while traveling by train from Harbin to her hometown in Qiqihar for a reunion with former classmates.
Police from Harbin Railway Public Security Section ransacked her home the same night, and the rampage went on for hours, until 3:00 a.m. All of her Falun Gong books and related materials, as well as many personal belongings were confiscated. Her family members were told that she had been reported for possessing banknotes with truth-clarification messages.
Ms. Wang has been sentenced to prison by Harbin Railway Court. More details remain to be investigated.
Related reports:
Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province: 17 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in One Day
119 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in Two Heilongjiang Province Cities in One Day
Harbin, Heilongjiang Province: At Least 40 Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in One Day
Heilongjiang Woman Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison After Being Arrested Because of Flagged ID
Identification Card Flagged, Harbin Woman Arrested at Train Station and Held in Criminal Detention
Harbin Woman Emaciated After Nine Months of Detention for Her Faith
